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Abstract
Transitia carlosi n. gen. n. sp. of the family Lethaxonidae is described from the interstitial environment of a small stream in Central America. Following a morphological revision of the adult variation in the family, Transitia n. gen. is proposed, characterized by a posteriorly tapering body shape, three pairs of acetabula arranged linearly, median position of male gonopore in relation to first pair of genital acetabula and slight sexual dimorphism of male legs.
Highlights
The family Lethaxonidae (Cook et al, 2000) was established to include two genera: Lethaxona Viets, 1932 and Lethaxonella Cook, 1963 previously assigned to the family Axonopsidae (Cook, 1974)
With the discovery of Transitia n. gen., the family Lethaxonidae is distinguished by the following morphology: almost all individuals have a dorsal shield of a main dorsal plate surrounded by 9 pairs of smaller platelets
The main variations in the dorsal shield are the fusion of the first pair of platelets in the female of Lethaxonella and the truncate front end with a variable degree of concavity in Lethaxonella and Transitia n. gen
Summary
The family Lethaxonidae (Cook et al, 2000) was established to include two genera: Lethaxona Viets, 1932 and Lethaxonella Cook, 1963 previously assigned to the family Axonopsidae (Cook, 1974). Autoapomorphies present in the dorsal shield, coxal plates and genital field were what primarily led to the establishment of this new family. The family morphology is highly characteristic and the main sources of variation are the number and spatial disposition of genital acetabula in the genital field and the presence or absence of sexual dimorphism in the palp and legs of the males. The present distribution of the family includes Japan, India, Europe, Africa and North and South America. In our intensive sampling of the island of Coiba (see Castroviejo, 1997), we have found specimens that clearly belong to the family albeit showing a state intermediate to the presently known genera. We first provide a revision of the morphology of the family and describe the new taxon
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