AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES PUblished by Number 1271 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY December 26, 1944 New York City NEW PSEUDOSCORPIONS OF THE SUBFAMILY LAMPROCHERNETINAE BY C. CLAYTON HOFF' Through the kindness of Dr. W. J. material was considered inadequate for de- Gertsch, the writer has been privileged to scription. study the pseudoscorpions in the collec- Measurements given in the text are, un- tion of the American Museum of Natural less otherwise indicated, of specimens History. In the present paper five new cleared in beechwood creosote and mounted species belonging to the subfamily Lampro- in Canada balsam. The body, but not the chernetinae are described from Mexico, appendages, of each individual was treated Central America, and Dominica. New before mounting with potassium hydroxide records for a sixth species of the subfamily solution. All drawings were made with the are given. Other species, possibly new, of aid of a camera lucida. this subfamily were found in the collec- Type specimens are deposited in the tions examined, but in each instance the American Museum of Natural History. SUBORDER MONOSPHYRONIDA CHAMBERLIN SUPERFAMILY CHELIFEROIDEA taxy of each tergite consisting of a marginal CHAMBERLIN row, a single seta placed anteriorly and medially in each half tergite, and a seta FAMILY CHERNETIDAE CHAMBERLIN placed anteriorly and laterally in each half Subfamily Lamprochernetinae Beier tergite. Sternites except the last divided; usually 20 to 24 setae on the fifth to tenth Lamprochernes ellipticus, new species sternite; position of setae as on the tergites; Figures 1-4 all setae acuminate; fourth sternite with six FEMALE: Body elongate, elliptical, medially placed setae. Posterior stigmatic length 3.5 mm. Cephalothorax with plate with one seta, the anterior with three. straight posterior margin and rounded Pleural membranes marked by large num- anterior margin; marked median furrow bers of closely placed longitudinal plica- near center, posterior furrow weak; color tions. brown anteriorly, yellow posteriorly; Chelicera: Width of base 0.175 mm.; slightly granular on the sides anterior to basal and subbasal setae much shorter the median furrow; length 0.93 mm.; than interior and laminal setae; flagellum width 0.77 mm.; eight or 10 long, acumi- of three setae, the two distal ones subequal nate setae along the posterior margin; face in length and much longer than the proxi- sparsely setaceous. Abdomen yellowish mal; the distal seta of the flagellum brown, 2.6 mm. in length, 1.25 mm. in toothed along the anterior margin. Fixed width. Tergites divided, except the first finger with lamina exterior; serrula inte- incompletely, the last not at all; 16 to 18 rior with the five distal teeth separate, acuminate setae on each entire tergite ligulate, and marginally serrate; outer from the first through the tenth; chaeto- margin of fixed finger with a shallow sub- terminal tooth with 1 Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois. This study terminal sinuation; was aided by a grant from the American Association two rounded cusps on the inner surface; for the Advancement of Science through the Illinois State Academy of Science. internal margin of finger distal to tarminal 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES [No. 1271 tooth with four well-developed denticles. and 40 teeth arranged contiguously along Movable finger with straight margins; all but a small distal portion of the margin; slightly and evenly narrowed distally; the marginal teeth near the rounded fin- length 0.23 mm.; serrula exterior with 19 ger tip enlarged; two internal accessory to 21 ligulate plates, the proximal one teeth, subterminally placed; external longer than the others; internal margin accessory teeth 12 in number, triangular edentate except for the single subapical in shape, well separated and evenly spaced lobe just distal to the base of the galeal through about the distal two-thirds of the seta; terminal tooth roughened on the finger length. Movable finger with teeth concave side; galea with six thorn-like, of marginal row similar in shape, position, terminal and lateral, undivided branches. and number to those of the opposing finger; Palp: Robust, stout, reddish brown in a single internal accessory tooth removed color, granular in part; many of the long, from the finger tip by almost one-fourth of acuminate setae with minute subterminal the finger length; external row of nine dentations. Maxilla 0.495 mm. long, 0.29 accessory teeth well spaced along the distal mm. wide. Trochanter, about 0.4 mm. in one-half of the finger. length; granular; with two sublateral Legs: Fairly stout; setae long and protuberances, the more dorsal one being acuminate; subterminal setae simple; somewhat anterior to the subventrally terminal claws hook-shaped, simple. First placed protuberance. Femur stout, tumid; leg with trochanter 0.15 mm. deep; entire medially granular, laterally nearly smooth; femur 0.53 mm. long, 0.17 mm. deep; length 2.25 times the width; length 0.73 tibia with greatest depth at about the dis- mm., width 0.325 mm.; but little longer tal one-third, length 0.415 mm., depth 0.105 than tibia. Tibia 1.9 times as long as wide; mm.; tarsus with sides straight, slightly lateral margin markedly curved near the narrowed distally, 0.35 mm. long, 0.07 mm. distal one-third; medial margin evenly deep. Fourth leg with trochanter 0.31 convex; a few granulations on the anterior- mm. long and 0.185 mm. deep; pars basilis mesial surface. Chela 1.28 mm. long; 0.48 of femur 0.27 mm. long, 0.21 mm. deep; mm. wide; 2.65 times as long as wide; pars tibialis 0.575 mm. long, 0.25 mm. slightly granular on the anterior-mesial deep; entire femur with well-rounded ex- surface of the hand, otherwise seemingly tensor margin, flexor margin slightly con- smooth; hand with length of 0.675 mm., vex and conspicuously beset with acumi- depth of 0.48 mm.; movable finger only nate setae; length of entire femur 0.75 with venom duct and tooth; nodus ramosus mm., depth 0.25 mm., length 3 times the proximal to tactile seta t; movable finger depth; tibia with length of 0.595 mm., 0.6 mm. in length. Fixed finger with depth of 0.145 mm., length 4.1 times the eight sensory setae arranged in two groups depth; tarsus of nearly equal width as follows: eb and esb near base of finger throughout, length 0.415 mm., depth and two to three areole diameters apart, 0.095 mm., length 4.4 times the depth; et terminal and less than one-sixth of finger tactile seta of extensor margin of tarsus length from tip, est nearly midway between 0.08 mm. from the proximal-extensor corner et and eb; ib and isb at level of esb and eb, of the podomere. ist nearly on level with est, distance be- Genital complex: Posterior operculum tween ist and isb less than distance of t with 10 to 12 marginal setae; anterior from end point of finger. Movable finger operculum with three setae well spaced with four tactile setae: t about one-third laterally on each side of a small, compact of finger length from tip; b and sb not far group of 11 medially placed setae. removed from base of finger and separated TYPE LOCALITY: The single female holo- by less than two areole diameters; st type upon which this description is based about equidistant from t and b, being closer belongs to a collection labeled "Algodones, to sb than to t. Marginal and accessory Baja Calif., Mexico, Mar. 6,-1937, Cocker- teeth 4eveloped in both fingers. Fixed ell, etc. Coll." finger with a marginal row of between 35 The only previously described Nearctic 1044] NEW PSEUDOSCORPIONS 3 species of this genus is the widely distrib- concave margin of the terminal tooth; five uted North American species, Lampro- teeth (sometimes a rudimentary sixth) chernes oblongus (Say), which differs from along the inner margin of the finger; L. ellipticus in many characteristics in- lamina exterior present; serrula interior cluding body size and the shape of the with basal teeth fused to form a velum palpal podomeres. and with five distal teeth marginally ser- rate and free. Movable finger 0.24-0.275 Lustrochernes communis (Balzan) mm. long; serrula exterior of 20 to 23 Chelifer communis BALZAN, 1890, Ann. Mus. ligulate plates, basal two longer than the Civ. Storia Nat. Genova, ser. 2, vol. 9, p. 416, rest; galea variable, bifurcated proximal p1. 13, fig. 4. Lustrochernes communis BEIER, 1932, Das to the midpoint, the lateral ramus smaller Tierreich, vol. 58, pp. 90-91, fig. 110. than the other, both rami usually subdi- RECORDS: La Zacualpa, Chiapas, Mexico; vided; subapical lobe strong; slight pro- La Buena Ventura, Veracruz, Mexico. tuberance on the inner margin of the finger near the level of the galeal seta. Lustrochernes dominicus, new species Palp: Stout; somewhat shorter than Figures 5-7 body; color reddish brown. Maxilla MALE: Elongate, elliptical; yellowish lighter in color than rest of palp; 0.48- brown in color; 2.9-3.5 mm. long. Ce- 0.53 mm. long, 0.27-0.32 mm. wide. Tro- phalothorax about 20 per cent longer than chanter with few setae; two or sometimes wide; length 0.85-1 mm.; surface smooth; three sublateral protuberances; granular medial transverse furrow somewhat more at least laterally; averaging about 0.4 mm. pronounced than the posterior; anterior in length, 0.3 mm. in width. Femur with margin rounded; posterior margin straight mesial margin granular; centrally tumid; and with a row of 10 to 12 acuminate setae; medial margin with a marked concavity in scattered setae on face and sides; eye the distal half; length 0.8-0.85 mm.; spots not observed (KOH treated material).