Cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions of China with descriptions of four new hypogean species of Parobisium (Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae) from Guizhou Province

Abstract

Citation: Feng Z, Wynne JJ, Zhang F (2020) Cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions of China with descriptions of four new hypogean species of Parobisium (Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae) from Guizhou Province. Subterranean Biology 34: 61-98. AbstractWe summarize and discuss the 29 known cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion species from China. Four new troglomorphic pseudoscorpion species, Parobisium motianense sp. nov., P. qiangzhuang sp. nov., P. sanlouense sp. nov., and P. tiani sp. nov., belonging to the family Neobisiidae, are described based on specimens collected in karst caves in Guizhou, China. Detailed diagnosis, descriptions, and illustrations are presented. We also provide recommendations for management of caves where they occur, as well as the cave arthropod communities and the habitats that support them.

Four new species of cave-adapted pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones, Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) from Guizhou, China

“…They are usually eyeless and have a hypopigmented body cuticle and elongated body appendages. To date, 54 cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion species from four families (Atemnidae, Chernetidae, Chthoniidae, Neobisiidae) have been described from China (Schawaller 1995;Mahnert 2003Mahnert , 2009Mahnert and Li 2016;Gao et al 2017Gao et al , 2018Gao et al , 2020Li et al 2017Li et al , 2019Feng et al 2019Feng et al , 2020Zhang et al 2020;Li and Wang 2021;Hou et al 2022a, b;Li 2022;Xu et al 2022), including 12 species from Guizhou. No cavernicolous pseudotyrannochthoniid species have been reported from China yet.…”

Figure 1 from: Assis L, von Schimonsky DM, Bichuette ME (2021) The first troglobitic Pseudochthonius Balzan, 1892 (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) from the karst area of Serra do Ramalho, Brazil: a threatened species. Subterranean Biology 40: 109-128. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.40.77451

“…The following body structures were measured and compared proportionally for the characterization of possible troglomorphisms: carapace; chelal hand; chelal fixed finger (Christiansen 2012;Harvey and Wynne 2014;Feng et al 2020;Harvey and Cullen 2020). Etymology.…”

Two new species of cave-adapted pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) from Yunnan, China

“…To date, 33 cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion species, representing three families (Chthoniidae, Neobisiidae, Chernetidae), have been described from China. Among them, eight species are known from Yunnan (Schawaller 1995;Mahnert 2003Mahnert , 2009Mahnert and Li 2016;Gao et al 2017;Li et al 2017;Gao et al 2018;Li et al 2019;Feng et al 2020;Gao et al 2020;Zhang et al 2020).…”