Feaella (Tetrafeaella) obscura sp. nov. – a new pseudoscorpion species from the Maldives (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones), and an updated identification key to the subgenus Feaella (Tetrafeaella)

János Novák,Danilo Harms,Michelle Lorenz

doi:10.3897/zse.96.56885

Abstract

The Feaellidae Ellingsen, 1906 is a small but ancient family of pseudoscorpions with 20 extant species across the Southern Hemisphere, and fossils from the Lower Cretaceous of Myanmar and the Eocoene of Europe. Here, we describe and illustrate Feaella (Tetrafeaella) obscurasp. nov. as a new species from the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean. This is the first record of Feaella from a young oceanic island and may indicate a potential for long-distance dispersal in this lineage. We also elevate Feaella (T.) capensis nana Beier, 1966 to full species rank as F. (T.) nana Beier, 1966 and provide an identification key to the members of the subgenus Feaella (Tetrafeaella), thereby facilitating the identification of species.

Highlights

Pseudoscorpions belonging to the family Feaellidae Ellingsen, 1906 are amongst the most unusual arachnids and have a spectacular morphology that includes a carapace with multiple frontal lobes, a dorsoventrally flattened and heavily sclerotised body, and pedipalps that are stout, heavily armed and without a venom gland in both fingers (Harvey et al 2016b; Judson 2017)
The family has a Pangaean distribution and amber fossils are known from the Lower Cretaceous of Myanmar (Henderickx and Boone 2016) and Baltic amber in Europe (Hendrickx and Boone 2014; Harms and Dunlop 2017), whereas twenty extant species are found in tropical and subtropical regions in central and southern Africa, north-western Australia, tropical India and Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Madagascar, and Brazil (Fig. 1) (Harvey 2013, 2018; Harvey et al 2016a, b; Judson 2017)
The present-day distribution of the family and the fossil record (Harms and Dunlop 2017) suggests that this is a remnant lineage that may have survived in relictual habitats across the Southern Hemisphere

Summary

Introduction

Pseudoscorpions belonging to the family Feaellidae Ellingsen, 1906 are amongst the most unusual arachnids and have a spectacular morphology that includes a carapace with multiple frontal lobes, a dorsoventrally flattened and heavily sclerotised body, and pedipalps that are stout, heavily armed and without a venom gland in both fingers (Harvey et al 2016b; Judson 2017). We elevate Feaella (T.) capensis nana Beier, 1966 to full species rank as F. (T.) nana Beier, 1966 and provide an identification key to the members of the subgenus Feaella (Tetrafeaella), thereby facilitating the identification of species.

Results

Conclusion