Description of a new species of Catamachilis (Insecta: Microcoryphia) from Spain

Abstract

Stach (1930) described several new species of Microcoryphia from Spain, among them two belonging to the genus Catamachilis, namely C. clipeata and C. ancorata, the latter with specimens from two localities (Flix in Tarragona and La Pobla de Segur in Lleida), more than 160 km far away one of each other. Bach de Roca (1982) provided new data of both species with fresh specimens from several localities from Spain including La Pobla de Segur. Fanciulli et al., (1990) made a molecular study with gene-enzyme technique of genus Catamachilis including specimens from La Pobla de Segur and Monte Caro (Tarragona), this latter relatively close to Flix, resulting that the two populations having important genomic differences. So, now we have collected specimens in the two localities from where Stach described C. ancorata and have performed a morphometric and morphological study concluding that they belong to different species. The main differences in the morphometric study of males are found in most articles of maxillary palp, the femur and tibia of foreleg, the coxites and styli V and VIII and the opening of the penis. For females the length of the articles 3 and 6 of the maxillary palp, also of the articles 2 and 3 of labial palp, some variables on the urosternites V to IX and the number of divisions of gonapophysis VIII and IX show significant differences between both populations. The most relevant morphological differences between males are the quetotaxy of maxillary palp, and the penis opening; in females, the hardiness of maxillary palp, the number of spines on the tibia of hind leg and the number of divisions and chaetotaxy of gonapophysis. Because Stach named Flix as the type locality for C. ancorata, the specimens from La Pobla de Segur are here described as a new species, named C. ilerdensis sp. n.