Two new species and one new country record of Protaphorura Absolon, 1901 (Collembola: Onychiuridae) from northeast China.

Abstract

Protaphorura Absolon, 1901 is characterized by the postantennal organ with numerous simple vesicles, the number of chaetae in the distal row of tibiotarsi as 11, the absence of chaeta d0 on the head, the furca reduced to a cuticular pocket with 2+2 dental chaetae, the presence of three or four manubrial rows of chaetae and having anal spines set on distinct papillae (Weiner 1996, Pomorski 1998). Among the 127 species of the genus known in the world (Bellinger et al. 1996-2013), only one species, Protaphorura armata (Tullberg, 1869), has been recorded from China till now (Rusek 1971). During our recent sampling in northeast China, one species new to China (Protaphorura bicampata (Gisin, 1956)) and two new species (Protaphorura changbaiensis sp. nov. and Protaphorura minima sp. nov.) were collected and are described below. One species new to China, Protaphorura bicampata (Gisin, 1956), and two new species, Protaphorura changbaiensis sp. nov. and Protaphorur minima sp. nov., are reported from northeast China. P. changbaiensis sp. nov. is similar to P. ajudagi and P. microcellata, but it can be distinguished from them by absence of a-pso on Th. II tergum. Protaphorura minima sp. nov. is chracterized by its male ventral organ on Abd. VI sternum. It can be separated from other species of the genus with the male ventral organ by the position of the male ventral organ and the dorsal pso formula.