Chaimowiczia: a new Iuiuniscinae genus from Brazil (Oniscidea, Synocheta, Styloniscidae) with the description of two new troglobitic species

Abstract

A new genus of Styloniscidae, Chaimowicziagen. nov., is described with two new species: Chaimowiczia tatussp. nov. from Gruta do Padre cave (Santana, Bahia) and Chaimowiczia uaisp. nov. from Lapa d’água do Zezé cave (Itacarambi, Minas Gerais). The new genus and species were allocated into the subfamily Iuiuniscinae, hitherto monotypic, by the pronounced rectangular-shaped lateral pereonites epimera, dorsal surface smooth, body outline continuous without a gap between pereon and pleon, and pleonites 3 to 5 developed forming tips. The two species of Chaimowiczia gen. nov. differ in the shape of cephalon antennal lobes, pereonite 1 epimera, pleonite 5 posterior margin and uropod exopod and endopod proportion.

A new species of Chaimowiczia from the karstic Serra do Ramalho plateau, Brazil (Oniscidea, Synocheta, Styloniscidae)

“…nov. also exhibits well-developed epimera on the pereonites and pleonites 3-5, as on the other two congeneric species C. uai and C. tatus. Cardoso et al (2021) hypothesized that such morphology could be related to a "ghost predation in the past" in a period when the ancestor populations could be under a predator selective pressure. However, this hypothesis still needs further studies in order to be confirmed (or refuted).…”

“…Chaimowiczia Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2021 consists in a recently described genus for the subfamily Iuiuniscinae (Styloniscidae) (Cardoso et al 2021). The species allocated into the new genus presented the antenna flagellum with three articles; rectangular-shaped lateral pereonites epimera not apically acute and apex of pleopod 2 endopod with an acute tip and an acute or rounded lobe directed outwards (Cardoso et al 2021).…”

“…Chaimowiczia is currently composed of two species: C. tatus, Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2021 found in Gruta do Padre (Bahia state), and C. uai, Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2021, found in Lapa d'Água do Zezé cave (Minas Gerais state), both in Brazil. Here another species of Chaimowiczia is described for a cave in the Bahia state, which consists in a troglobite, as well as most of the styloniscids found in Brazil (Cardoso et al 2021). Such description rises to 25 the number of troglobitic styloniscidean species known for Brazilian caves (Cardoso et al 2020a(Cardoso et al , b, 2021Campos-Filho et al 2022).…”

Unique and fragile diversity emerges from Brazilian caves – two new amphibious species of Xangoniscus Campos-Filho, Araujo & Taiti, 2014 (Oniscidea, Styloniscidae) from Serra do Ramalho karst area, state of Bahia, Brazil

“…To date, about 210 species are known from Brazil, 70 of which, belonging to the families Styloniscidae, Philosciidae, Scleropactidae, Dubioniscidae, Platyarthridae, Porcellionidae, Armadillidae, Pudeoniscidae, and Armadillidiidae, are recorded from Brazilian caves. Thirty-two taxa are considered to be troglobites (obligatory and restricted to caves), several are troglophiles (facultative cave species), and some species are possibly trogloxenes (Souza et al 2011;Campos-Filho et al 2014, 2015a, 2015b, 2016, 2017a, 2017b, 2018Bastos-Pereira et al 2017;Fernandes et al 2018Fernandes et al , 2019Cardoso et al 2020aCardoso et al , 2020bCardoso et al , 2021. The species placed into the last two categories are difficult to assign into a correct subterranean category due to the scarcity of distribution data outside caves.…”

“…Among the troglobitic representatives of the Brazilian Oniscidea, 12 species have an amphibious way of life, all in the Styloniscidae: Chaimowiczia uai Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2021, C. tatus Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2021, Iuiuniscus iuiuensis Souza, Ferreira & Senna, 2015, Spelunconiscus castroi Campos-Filho, Araujo & Taiti, 2014, Xangoniscus aganju Campos-Filho, Araujo & Taiti, 2014, X. ceci Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2020, X. dagua Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2020, X. ibiracatuensis Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2020, X. itacarambiensis Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2017, X. lundi Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2020, X. odara Campos-Filho, Bichuette & Taiti, 2016, and X. santinhoi Cardoso, Bastos-Pereira, Souza & Ferreira, 2020 The present work describes two new species of Xangoniscus from the Serra do Ramalho karst area, state of Bahia, both occurring in special microhabitats, namely the upper aquifers fed by infiltration of water in the limestone rock. Moreover, aspects of their ecology and natural history, as well as conservation remarks about this particular and unique fauna and the region of Serra do Ramalho are given.…”