Xenylla ellisi, Skarżyński & Valle & Gwiazdowicz & Porco, 2025

Xenylla ellisi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1EB086E2-EC45-4464-AC9E-5ADC668B2DE6

Figs 1–2 View Fig View Fig , 3A–B View Fig , Tables 1–3 View Table 1 View Table 2 View Table 3

Diagnosis

Body length 0.5–1.1 mm. Interior of body more or less pink. Chaetotaxy: b f h1 h2 q a4. Abd. IV with dorsal setae m 5. Abd. III with 1–2 setae in front of retinaculum. Outer lobe of maxilla with 3 sublobal hairs. Subcoxae 1 of legs III with 3 setae. Retinaculum with 3+ 3 teeth. Mucrodens 1–1.4 × as long as inner edge of claws III, with 2 posterior setae, without or with only slightly marked ventral bend, with very low mucronal lamella, not reaching apex, which is narrow and weakly upturned. Anal spines small, situated on low basal papillae.

Etymology

Dedicated to Dr Willem N. Ellis, who initiated the research on the Collembola of Crete.

Type material

Holotype

GREECE – Crete • ♀ (on slide); Mt Kedros , Gerakari; 35.194829° N, 24.606713° E; 1255 m a.s.l.; 29 Sept. 2021; D.J. Gwiazdowicz leg.; bark of Z. abelicea trees; DIBEC.

GoogleMaps

Paratypes

GREECE – Crete • 5 ♀♀, ♂ (on slides), 20 spp. (in alcohol); same data as for holotype; DIBEC • 1 ♂ (on slide); same data as for holotype; MHNF • 7 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂ (on slides); same data as for holotype; 11 Oct. 2018; DIBEC .

Other material examined (slide mounted unless otherwise stated)

GREECE – Crete • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Dikti Mountains , Viannou; 35.064291° N, 25.469778° E; 1320 m a.s.l.; 9 Oct. 2018; D.J. Gwiazdowicz leg.; bark of Z. abelicea trees; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 18 ♀♀, 14 ♂♂, 9 juvs; Thripti Mountains , Thripti; 35.080588° N, 25.887408° E; 1150 m a.s.l.; 14 May 2019; D. Ghosn leg.; branches of dwarfed Z. abelicea individuals; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 1 ♂, 1 juv.; Levka Ori , Omalos; 35.31901° N, 23.91871° E; 1160 m a.s.l.; 21 May 2019; D. Ghosn leg.; bark of Z. abelicea trees; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; 29 Sept. 2021; D.J. Gwiazdowicz leg.; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, 3 juvs; Levka Ori , Niato; 35.287527° N, 24.145503° E; 1215 m a.s.l.; 21 May 2019; D. Ghosn leg.; branches of dwarfed Z. abelicea individuals; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 4 ♀♀, 1 juv.; Levka Ori , Impros; 35.270546° N, 24.15315° E; 1175 m a.s.l.; 21 May 2019; D. Ghosn leg.; bark of Z. abelicea trees; DIBEC GoogleMaps • 5 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂ (on slides, formerly in alcohol); Katharo Plateau , Kritsa; 23 May 2011; H.-J. Schulz leg.; sample 47304; SMNG .

Description

Body length (without antennae) 0.5–1.1 mm. Colour (in alcohol): dorsal side blue gray to black, with pale spots all over body, ventral side paler. Interior of body more or less pink. Integument smooth or weakly verrucose with small primary hexagons. Posterior edge of sternum of Abd. II and anterior edge of sternum of Abd. III of reproductive males with 3–6 integumentary swellings ( Fig. 2E View Fig ).

Chaetotaxy: b f h1 h2 q a4. Dorsal chaetotaxy ( Fig. 2A–C View Fig ): setae short smooth or slightly serrated. Body sensilla (s) 2–5 × as long as ordinary setae, fine and smooth. Head with seta c 1 absent (b), seta L 1 longer than seta L 3 (f). Th. II and III with seta a 2 displaced posteriorly compared with seta a 1 (h1), seta p 2 displaced anteriorly compared with seta p 1 (h2), with setae m 3 and la 1 present. Abd. I–III with seta p 5 present. Abd. IV without setae a 3 and setae m 5 present. Setae a 2 on Abd. V absent (q). Ventral chaetotaxy ( Fig. 2D–E View Fig ): head with setae p 1 and m 3. Th. II and III with 1 +1 setae. Abd. II with setae a 5 absent and setae p 1 and p 2 present, Abd. III with 1–2 setae in front of retinaculum, Abd. IV without seta m 1 (a4). Two anterior anal valves with 2 setae hr each.

Ant.IV with simple apical vesicle (av),subapical organite(so), microsensillum (ms)and 4 (3 dorsoexternal and 1 dorsointernal) cylindrical sensilla (A and B slightly thicker than C and D) as in Skarżyński et al. 2018: fig. 6. Ant. III-organ with two long (outer) and two short (inner) sensilla. Microsensillum on ant. III present. Ant. I with 7 setae.

Ocelli 5+ 5 ( Fig. 2A View Fig ). Labrum with apical papillae. Labral setae 5, 5, 4, prelabrals 4. Maxillary head as in Skarżyński et al. 2018: fig. 11. Labium with seta F ca 2.5 × as long as seta E. Labial palp as in Skarżyński et al. 2018: fig. 12. Outer lobe of maxilla with 3 sublobal hairs.

Tibiotarsi I, II and III with 19, 19 and 18 setae, respectively, with setae A 2 and A 7 capitate (ratio capitate setae/claw III = ca 1.5). Femora I, II and III with 12, 11 and 10 setae, respectively, trochantera with 5, 5 and 4 setae, respectively, coxae I, II and III with 3, 7 and 7 setae, subcoxae 2 of legs I, II and III with 0, 2 and 2 setae, subcoxae 1 of legs I, II and III with 1, 2 and 3 setae, respectively. Claws with small inner tooth ( Fig. 3A View Fig ).

Ventral tube with 4 +4 setae. Retinaculum with 3+3 teeth ( Fig. 2E View Fig ).

Mucrodens 1–1.4 × as long as inner edge of claws III, with 2 posterior setae, without or with only slightly marked ventral bend, with very low mucronal lamella, not reaching apex, apex narrow and weakly upturned ( Figs 2E View Fig , 3B View Fig ).

Anal spines small, situated on low basal papillae ( Fig. 2C View Fig ).

Remarks

X. ellisi sp. nov. is similar to X. mediterranea , from which it differs in characters summarised in Table 3 View Table 3 and in the identification key. Moreover, it is worth emphasizing that the new species differs from all other members of the X. maritima complex in the morphology of reproductive males. The occurrence of integumentary swellings on the sterna of Abd. II and III may be considered as a manifestation of epitoky. This phenomenon has not been reported so far in representatives of the genus Xenylla .

Examination of the material mentioned above allowed us to conclude that this new species was reported from Crete by Schulz & Burkhardt (2012) as X. maritima and by Gwiazdowicz et al. (2022) as Xenylla sp. 2 maritima complex.