Two new species of Brazilian springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) with comments on Neotropical Brachystomella Ågren and Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) Börner

Abstract

Herein we describe two new species of Brazilian springtails, both from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Brachystomella nordestina sp.n. resembles other Neotropical congeners with 8+8 eyes, postantennal organ with four lobes and 19/19/18 chaetae on tibiotarsi I–III, but it is unique in the combination of trilobed apical bulb, 2+2 dorsal chaetae on thorax I, male’s genital plate with 4+4 modified eugenital chaetae and 2+2 hr chaetae on lateral anal valves. Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) dapeste sp.n. is similar to other Neotropical species of Lepidocyrtinus Börner, 1903 in long antennae, mesonotum projected over head and presence of modified blunt macrochaetae on dorsal furca, but differs in the combination of dorsal head chaetotaxy, 14–19 a macrochaetae on thorax II, 7–9 central macrochaetae on thorax III and 4 central macrochaetae on abdomen II. We also present a detailed comparison and an updated key of the Neotropical species of Brachystomella Ågren, 1903.

A mitogenomic phylogeny of the Entomobryoidea (Collembola): A comparative perspective

“…(2021). Morphology also supports the three genera (Bellini et al., 2018; Cipola et al., 2018, 2019a, 2020). However, it is important to state that the dataset of our study is the same of Godeiro et al.…”

A Survey of Neotropiella Handschin, 1942 (Collembola, Neanuridae, Pseudachorutinae) with the Description of a New Brazilian Species

“…nov. [ 6 , 10 , 14 , 17 ]. In the new species, such chaetae are more similar to the ones of N. arlei (broad and somehow pointed), and resemble some species in other Neanuroidea genera, such as Aethiopella , Arlesia , Pseudachorutella Stach, 1949 and Brachystomella Ågren, 1903 [ 2 , 3 , 20 , 41 , 42 ]. Even so, within Neotropiella , the presence or absence of a sensorial field cannot clearly delimit ingroups, since it does not appear to be congruent with other diagnostic features ( Table 1 ).…”

Erratum

“…Our work in MS resulted in two additions to the flora of Rio Grande do Norte: a subshrub, Conocliniopsis prasiifolia (Asteraceae), which has previously been reported from only three states in northeastern Brazil (Alagoas, Bahia, and Pernambuco) (Ferreira 2015), and the grass Dichanthelium sciurotoides (Poaceae), which occurs in northeastern and southeastern Brazil (Viana and Rodrigues 2015). Our new records for RN, plus two new species of springtails (Collembola) recently described for the MS (Bellini et al 2019), and records of birds, reptiles, and bats emphasize the importance of formally documenting the biodiversity of urban forest fragments because they may harbor notable species of interest for conservation. Also, as alerted by some authors, the urban flora is important and provides services despite its cosmopolitan origins (Carneiro and Irgang 2005;Tredici 2017), and even if botanists prefer pristine habitats, we must research and teach about such new plant communities.…”