Three New Species of the Family Eosentomidae (Protura) from the Nasu Imperial Villa, Central Japan

Abstract

Three new proturan species, Eosentomon villare sp. nov., Pseudanisentomon nasuense sp. nov., and P. villaticum sp. nov., collected from the Nasu Imperial Villa, Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan are described. Eosentomon villare sp. nov. is characterized by the absence of foretarsal sensillum b′1, a long empodium on the hind tarsus, four pairs of anterior setae on abdominal tergite VII (A1, 2, 4, and 5), two anterior and seven posterior setae on sternite VIII, and six setae on sternites IX–X. Both P. nasuense sp. nov. and P. villaticum sp. nov. also lack foretarsal sensillum b′1. Pseudanisentomon nasuense sp. nov. has long empodia on the middle and hind tarsus and five pairs of anterior setae on abdominal tergite IV. Pseudanisentomon villaticum sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by the number of anterior setae on abdominal tergite VII (three pairs: A2, 4, and 5), the absence of foretarsal sensillum c′ and seta x, and rudimentary setae 1 and 2 on tergite XI. In addition to descriptions of these new species, an updated key to species of Pseudanisentomon Zhang and Yin, 1984 is provided.