3.1. 2.
Parahypsibius arletaesp. nov. Warguła, Dmuchowska, Stec, KaczmarekFigures 1, 2, 3, 4; Table 1
Material examined.
Seven specimens; UGANDA; Kibale NP, Kabarole District; 00°34'2.600"N 30°21'12.373"E; ca. 1535 m asl; 5 Jul. 2022; coll. Zuzanna Kudelska, Bogna Malinowska, Marta Janecka; lichen on fallen tree branch; barcodes (GenBank: PZ 129105 –6, PZ 129999 –30000); sample code (UG 79).
Type repository.
The holotype and two paratypes (slide: UG 79 / 1) and one paratype (slide: UG 79 / 2) and one exoskeleton after DNA extraction (slide: UG 79 / 5) are deposited in the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland. Two paratypes (slide: UG 79 / 1-2) are deposited in Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016, Kraków, Poland.
Etymology.
We dedicate this species to our friend, Professor Małgorzata Arlet from the Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, who initiated the Tropical Biology course series at the Faculty of Biology.
Description.
Body cylindrical, measurements in Table 1. Eyespots absent after fixing in Hoyer’s medium. The cuticle exhibits a distinct sculpture composed of irregular, roughly polygonal protuberances (2.5–3.7 μm in diameter) arranged in seven transverse bands (Fig. 1 A, B). The first two bands are situated at the level of the first pair of legs and are considerably less distinct than the remaining ones, whereas the subsequent bands are arranged progressively along the body. The seventh and widest band is situated in the caudal region and extends then uniformly as far as the caudal end, which itself is entirely covered by an irregular cuticular pattern of sculpturing composed of irregular protuberances (Figs 1 A, 1 B, 2 A). Areas between bands are smooth. Protuberances gradually increase in size along the rostro-caudal axis, reaching their largest dimensions in the caudal region. Delicate sculpture is present also on the external surface of leg pair IV (Fig. 2 A).
A pair of elliptical organs (Kihm et al. 2023) present (Fig. 2 B). Peribuccal structures not visible under PCM. Bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Ramazzottius type (Fig. 3 A – C). The oral cavity armature absent or not visible under PCM. Apophyses for the insertion of stylet muscles (AISMs) asymmetrical with respect to the frontal plane: dorsal apophysis is shorter, higher, and stumpy, with a prominent caudal apex (Fig. 3 A, C). Ventral apophysis slenderer, with more developed caudal processes (Fig. 3 D). Furcae unmodified, of the Hypsibius type, with well-developed condyles (Fig. 3 A). Buccal tube straight and narrow (Fig. 3 A – C). Pharynx circular, with only two roundish granular macroplacoids, similar in size (Fig. 3 A). Constrictions in macroplacoids absent or not visible under PCM (Fig. 3 B). Microplacoid absent (Fig. 3 A).
Claws of Ramazzottius - type (sensu Tumanov 2020), with elongated primary branches of external / posterior claws and thinned connective portions in the form of light-refracting units (Fig. 4 A – D). Posterior claws IV always longer than external claws in legs I – III. Accessory points on all primary branches evident and clearly divergent (Fig. 4 A – D). Pseudolunulae at all claws bases present (Fig. 4 B), but often poorly visible, and most prominent under claws IV. Pulvini and cuticular bars on legs absent. Eggs not found.
DNA sequences.
The sequences obtained from one specimen for two out of four molecular markers analysed in this study were of good quality. The amplification of 28 S rRNA and ITS- 2 was not successful. The 18 S rRNA sequences (GenBank: PZ 129105 –6) 878 bp long; COI sequences (GenBank: PZ 129999 –30000) 641 bp long.
Differential diagnosis.
Currently there are nine species included in the genus Parahypsibius: Pap. biscuitiformis (Bartoš, 1960); Pap. calcaratus (Bartoš, 1935); Pap. camelopardalis (Ramazzotti and Maucci, 1983); Pap. macrocalcaratus (Beasley, 1988); Pap. ragonesei (Binda and Pilato, 1985); Pap. roanensis (Nelson and McGlothin, 1993); Pap. runae (Bartoš, 1941); Pap. scabropygus (Cuénot, 1929), and Pap. stiliferus (Abe, 2004). The new species differs specifically from:
(1) Pap. biscuitiformis, known only from the type locality in the Czech Republic (Bartoš 1960), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with uniform granular sculpture in Pap. biscuitiformis), the absence of the subcentral constriction on macroplacoid I, shorter macroplacoid I (1.5–2.3 μm in Pap. arletae sp. nov. vs. ca. 4.05 μm in Pap. biscuitiformis) and reticulated cuticle on legs IV.
(2) Pap. calcaratus, known only from its type locality in Slovakia (Bartoš 1935), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body is covered with an irregular sculpturing in Pap. calcaratus).
(3) Pap. camelopardalis, known only from type locality in Portugal and Spain (Ramazzotti and Maucci 1983), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with granular sculpture in Pap. camelopardalis), lack of the sculpture on the legs I – III, wider buccal tube (1.0–1.8 μm in Pap. arletae sp. nov. vs. 4.0 μm in Pap. camelopardalis) and smaller protuberances on the dorsal side of the body (2.5–3.7 μm in Pap. arletae sp. nov. vs. ca. 6.0 μm in Pap. camelopardalis).
(4) Pap. macrocalcaratus, known only from USA (Beasley 1988, 1990), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with an irregular sculpturing in Pap. macrocalcaratus) and larger protuberances on the dorsal side of the body (2.5–3.7 μm in Pap. arletae sp. nov. vs. ca. 2.0 μm in Pap. macrocalcaratus).
(5) Pap. ragonesei, known only from the type locality in Italy (Binda and Pilato 1985), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with an irregular sculpturing in Pap. ragonesei) and the absence of cuticular bars between claws on all the legs.
(6) Pap. roanensis, known only from the type locality in USA (Nelson and McGlothin 1993), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with an irregular sculpturing in Pap. roanensis).
(7) Pap. runae, known only from the type locality in Ukraine (Bartoš 1941), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with an irregular sculpturing in Pap. runae).
(8) Pap. scabropygus, known from Denmark, France (type locality), Poland and Scotland (Cuénot 1929; Gąsiorek et al. 2024 a), by: the different dorsal sculpture (sculpture composed of seven bands extending from the first pair of legs to the caudal region in Pap. arletae sp. nov. vs. sculpture present only on caudal region in Pap. scabropygus).
(9) Pap. stiliferus, known only from the type locality in Russia (Abe 2004), by: the absence of sculpture on the head region (the entire body covered with sculpturing in Pap. stiliferus).
Remarks.
Due to the very limited number of sequences currently available in public databases for the genus Parahypsibius, p - distances were not calculated. At present, sequences for only three taxa have been published, which is insufficient to perform a meaningful comparison.
Publication Date: 2026-06-23