Ctenolepisma almeriensis n. sp. of Lepismatidae (Insecta, Zygentoma) from south-eastern Spain

Abstract

Ctenolepisma almeriensis n. sp., from the south–eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula is described. This species was determined previously as Ctenolepisma lineata (Fabricius, 1775), which is widespread over the south–western Palaeartic region. The main difference between the two species is the setation of thoracic sternites. In each bristle–comb of the mesosternum and the metasternum, macrosetae are arranged in a single row in C. lineata and in two parallel rows in C. lmeriensis n. sp. In the prosternum, the first species shows 1–2 irregular lines of macrosetae per comb, and the new species shows 2–3 lines. Based on other parameters of setation, a discriminant analysis was carried out to separate a group of Spanish specimens of C. lineata from another group of specimens of the new species. This analysis demonstrated the validity of the occurrence of double or single lines of macrosetae in thoracic sternites to distinguish between thetwo species.