Revisão de Trogolaphysa Mills, (Collembola, Entomobryomorpha, Paronellidae), com a descrição de novas espécies de cavernas, domínio caatinga, Brasil

• Ano de defesa: 2021
• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Paolla Gabryelle Cavalcante de
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Brasil; UFRN; PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM SISTEMÁTICA E EVOLUÇÃO
• Palavras-chave em Português: Diagnoses; Fauna de cavernas; Quetotaxia; Região neotropical; Taxonomia
• Link de acesso: https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/32691

Trogolaphysa Mills (Paronellidae) is widely distributed in tropical regions, with 65 species described worldwide. Neotropical species of Trogolaphysa are better understood than the Afrotropical ones; however, there are large gaps in knowledge for several species from the two regions, which are mainly recognized by color patterns, number of eyes, empodial complex and furcula morphologies. Many species of Trogolaphysa have evident troglomorphisms such as the reduction or absence of eyes, body lacking pigmentation and elongated antennae. Caves provide an important role for biological processes due to the unique environmental stability, but they also have an important economic role in Brazilian mining, with limestone extraction being the main economic activity in municipalities that share carbonate rock caves in the Rio Grande do Norte (RN). Previous surveys have shown that Trogolaphysa is the dominant Collembola genus in RN caves. This genus has species with questionable status and its taxonomic study may assist in conservation policies. For this reason, this work presents a taxonomic review based on Trogolaphysa bibliography, with a revised diagnosis and a summary of the general morphology of the genus, detailed diagnoses for all species, comparative tables, key for all taxa of the genus and the description of two new species of Trogolaphysa from RN caves. The new species were collected with entomological aspirators and brushes, outside and inside of 10 limestone caves from the Caatinga biome. We suggested as species inquirendae taxa which status was considered uncertain due to uninformative diagnoses, dubious taxonomic characteristics and/or inaccurate data on distribution. Fourteen species inquirendae were identified: T. berlandi, T. carpenteri, T. fuelleborni, T. ghesquieri, T. guacharo, T. hauseri, T. hirtipes, T. innominata, T. lamottei, T. maya, T. millsi, T. nigromaculata, T. separata and T. strinatii; also the synonym of T. delamarei and T. maya was disregarded, considering T. delamarei as a different species, revalidating its species status. A synthesis of the general morphology of the genus was also presented, summarizing the variations in the chaetotaxy and other main structures. The description of two new species of Trogolaphysa widely distributed in RN caves, along with the genus revision, provide more accurate data in the species diagnoses and increases the knowledge to the world fauna of Trogolaphysa which can assist in the conservation policies of caves in the RN.