Life in darkness: an overview of cave-adapted japygids (Hexapoda, Diplura)
- Few species of Japygidae (Diplura) have been discovered in cave ecosystems despite their importance as large predators. A small collection of rare specimens of this hexapod group has allowed to explore the taxonomy of japygids from caves in New Zealand, Morocco and South Africa, and to describe one new genus: Imazighenjapyx Sendra & Sánchez-García gen. nov., as well as four new species: Austrjapyx wynbergensis Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov., Imazighenjapyx marocanus Sendra & Sánchez-García gen. et sp. nov., Opisthjapyx naledi Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov. and Teljapyx aotearoa Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov. For each of the new taxa we give a comprehensive description of their habitats. These new findings resulted in a revision of the distribution and allowed to re-evaluate the morphological traits of the fifteen cave-adapted japygids species already known worldwide. The functional morphology of the remarkable abdominal pincers of Japygidae and their adaptation to predation are discussed, as well as their potential role in mating behaviour.
Author: | Alberto SendraORCiD, Alba Sánchez-GarcíaORCiD, Hannelore HochORCiDGND, Alberto Jiménez-ValverdeORCiD, Jesús SelfaORCiD, Soumia MoutaouakilORCiD, Gerhard Du PreezORCiD, Ian Millar, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira |
---|---|
URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-722597 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.894.2287 |
ISSN: | 2118-9773 |
Parent Title (German): | European journal of taxonomy |
Series (Serial Number): | European journal of taxonomy : EJT (894) |
Publisher: | Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle |
Place of publication: | Paris |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2023 |
Year of first Publication: | 2023 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2023/10/16 |
Tag: | Japygidae; biogeography; cave-dwelling; phylogeny; taxonomy |
Volume: | 2023 |
Issue: | 894 |
Page Number: | 54 |
First Page: | 1 |
Last Page: | 54 |
HeBIS-PPN: | 515774197 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 590 Tiere (Zoologie) |
Sammlungen: | Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte |
: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-257882 |
Licence (German): | Creative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0 |