searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

A note by Scott Harden that accompanied the 23 Octoberspecimens reads, "Bright, +/- 'crimson' redpigment on head, telson, pereopods, and posteriormargin of pereonites. Darker ('brighter') in somespecimens than others. "The penes, previously undescribed in M. coahuila,are shown in Fig. Sa. They are widely separatedand about half the length of pereonite 7. Theybroaden gradually in the proximal 2/3, then tum lateradand narrow to a rounded apex. The paired vasdeferens, packed with sperm in the specimen illustrated,are parallel and separated by less than theirwidth in pereonite 7. Near the distal end of thepereonite they turn laterad at nearly right angles andat the bases of the penes bend abruptly posteriad.CIROLANIDAE Dana, 1853Speocirolana Bolivar y Pieltain, 1950The genus Speocirolana comprises 6 known species(summarized in Bowman, 1982a), all fromcaves in Mexico. The new species described hereinis the first found outside of Mexico. It is mostsimilar to its geographically nearest congener, S.thermydronis Cole and Minckley, 1966, but aspointed out below, the 2 species are easily distinguishable.Speocirolana hardeni, new speciesFigs. 2-4MateriaI.-TEXAS: Bexar County: ArtesianWell no. 4, 1978-1979 (Henry Kamei, GlennLongley), 14 specimens; CPS Leon Creek Well no.1, 27 Aug. 1979 (Rick Rutland), 1 specimen; VerstraetenWell, 1977-1978 (Henry Kamei), 46 specimens.Val Verde County: Emerald Sink, 2 miles Nof Langtry, 31 March 1984 (Randy M. Waters),male holotype, 17.9 mm (USNM 250182);paratypes, male 18.8 nun, 2 females 17.0, 19.0 mm(USNM 250183); 26 May 1985 (D. Canny, ScottHarden), 2 paratypes, male 17.1 mrn, female 19.8mm (USNM 250184). Slaughter Bend Springs(29°39'N, lOo o 55'W), 29 September 1984 (RobertHershler), 1 juvenile (non-type) 4.7 mm (USNM250185).Description.-Length of largest male 22.4 mrn,of largest female 27.0 mm. Body about 3.7X as longas wide, widest at pereonite 6. Anterior margin ofhead with slight median concavity, without rostrum.Frontal lamina conical, narrowly rounded anteriorly,not projecting ventrally. Measured in dorsalmidline, pereonites 1-4 subequal in length,pereonites 5-7 subequal in length, each about 1/3longer than pereonites 1-4. Pereonites 4-7 withtransverse furrows, that of pereonite 7 almostreaching lateral margins. Coxae 2-3 reaching posteriormargins of pereonites, rounded posteriorly;coxae 4-7 produced beyond posterior margins ofpereonites into pointed processes, coxa 7 reaching orslightly exceeding posterior margin of pleonite 1.Epimera of pleonites with posteroventral comers angularbut scarcely produced. Pleotelson about aslong as basal width, about 1.4X length of pleon; lateralmargins sparsely armed with minute setae,slightly convex; apex pointed, slightly obtuse.Antenna 1 reaching beyond midlength ofpereonite 1, peduncle segment 3 about 1.4X lengthof segment 2; flagellum with up to 18 segments,each segment with esthete except segments 1, 14,and 18. Antenna 2 reaching posterior margin ofpereonite 6, peduncle segment 5 nearly 2X length ofsegment 4, flagellum with up to 40 segments.Mandible incisors 3-cuspid, cusps more deeplyseparated in right incisor, which is covered externallyby that of left; left lacinia with 13 marginalspines, molar with 27 marginal spines; palp segment2 about 1.5X length of segment 1, with row of setaeon distal 3/5 of lateral margin. Maxilla 1 exopodwith 12 terminal spines; endopod with 3 long plumosespines and 2 shorter setae. Maxilla 2 with 5and 7 pectinate spines on palp and exopod respectively;endopod with 13 setae. Maxilliped enditewith 13 marginal setae and 2 retinacula; palp segmentsdensely setose on medial margins, with 1 setaon lateral margin of segment 3, 2 on segment 4.Pereopod 1 propus about 2.3X as long as wide;posterior margin (palm) laterally with 2 shallowlobes each bearing a stout spine, medially evenlyrounded, hirsute. Pereopod 2 propus more slender,1.7X as long as wide, palm weakly and evenly convex,bearing 3 spines more slender than those inpereopod 1. Pereopod 3 like pereopod 2, but segmentsslightly more slender and elongate.Pereopods 5-7 slender, progressively longer posteriorly.Anterior and posterior margins wtihsetules; basis with 1 or 2 retrorsoplumose setae onproximal part of posterior margin; merus, carpus,and propus each with short spine near midlength ofanterior margin and clusters of long spines atantero- and posterodistal comers.Exopods of pleopods 1-4 with plumose setae onposterior and much of lateral margins; pleopod 5exopod with setae limited to distolateral corner;exopod of pleopod 1 undivided; exopods of pleopods2 and 3 with partial sutures; exopods of pleopods4 and 5 completely divided. Endopods25