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| Alloscopus ramanai Nilsai, Jantarit & Jaitrong, in Nilsai, Jantarit, Jeenthong, Detcharoen et Jaitrong, 2026. |
Abstract
Background: Alloscopus is one of the genera within the subfamily Heteromurinae, recently recorded in Thailand and is currently represented by six species from two regions of the country. In the northern part, A. tetracanthus Börner, 1906 and A. thailandensis Mari Mutt, 1985 have been recorded from forested habitats. In the southern part, A. whitteni Jantarit & Sangsiri, 2020, A. namtip Jantarit & Sangsiri, 2020 and A. jantapasoae Jantarit, Nilsai & Manee, 2025 have been reported from a cave habitat, while A. sago Jantarit & Manee, 2025 was recently described from a sago palm forest.
New information: A new species, Alloscopus ramanai sp. nov., is described from central Thailand, based on an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological and molecular data. The new species closely resembles A. tetracanthus Börner, 1906, sharing several diagnostic characters including a dark red ocular patch and PAO shape and the number of M and S series chaetae on the dorsal head. Additional similarities include the number of spiniform labral papillae, labial basis chaetae, the number of pseudopores on the manubrium, the number of central and lateral macrochaetae on Th.II, the number of central macrochaetae on Th.III and Abd.IV. However, A. ramanai sp. nov. can be clearly distinguished from A. tetracanthus by a unique combination of traits, including the number of lateral macrochaetae on Abd. III and Abd. IV and the number of chaetae on the anterior side of the ventral tube. A detailed diagnosis and illustrations of the new species are provided herein. A key for species of Alloscopus in Thailand is also included. The complete mitochondrial genome of A. ramanai sp. nov. is 14,757 bp in length and comprises 13 concatenated protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis, based on mitochondrial genome data, indicates that A. ramanai sp. nov. forms a sister lineage to Alloscopus bannaensis Zhang, 2020. The description of this new species contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Heteromurinae diversity in Thailand and underscores the need for expanded mitogenomic sampling across Collembola.
Keywords: Entomobryoidea, mitogenome, new species, taxonomy, phylogeny
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| A Habitus of Alloscopus ramanai sp. nov. (SEM image, upper; wet specimen, lower). Scale bars = 0.5 mm; B–C The type locality of the new species, a forest plantation of the Natural History Museum of the National Science Museum Thailand (THNHM); D The localities of Alloscopus recorded in Thailand. 1, A. tetracanthus Börner, 1906 and A. thailandensis Mari Mutt, 1985. 2, A. whitteni Jantarit & Sangsiri, 2020. 3, A. namtip Jantarit & Sangsiri, 2020. 4, A. jantapasoae Jantarit, Nilsai & Manee, 2025. 5, A. sago Jantarit & Manee, 2025. |
Alloscopus ramanai Nilsai, Jantarit & Jaitrong, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Alloscopus ramanai sp. nov. exhibits the morphological similarity to A. tetracanthus Börner 1906, a species reported from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, India, New Britain, Micronesia and Thailand (Chiang Mai Province). Both species share several morphological characters, including a dark red eye patch with reddish to dark dot pigmentation, a semi-divided PAO, labial basis M1(m)m2rel1l2, four spiniform labral papillae, 4–5 central and 4–5 posterior mac on Th. II, six central mac on Th. III, two central mac on Abd. IV, 0–2 inner unpaired ungual teeth, the presence of teeth on the unguiculus, smooth chaetae on the tibiotarsi, a similar number of chaetae on the manubrium and 4–7 spines on the dens. However, Alloscopus ramanai sp. nov. can be distinguished from A. tetracanthus by the absence of eyes (vs. 1+1), orange dot pigmentation (vs. lack of pigmentation) and the presence of five macrochaetae on the “A” series of the dorsal head chaetotaxy (vs. four). Furthermore, A. ramanai sp. nov. can ...
Etymology: The new species was collected in the vicinity of the Rama 9 Museum, part of the National Science Museum, Thailand, which serves as the locality. The specific epithet ramanai is derived from the name of the Museum and is used as a noun in apposition, honouring the institution.
Areeruk Nilsai, Sopark Jantarit, Tadsanai Jeenthong, Matsapume Detcharoen and Weeyawat Jaitrong. 2026. Alloscopus ramanai sp. nov. (Orchesellidae, Heteromurinae), A New Collembola Species from central Thailand, with complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic placement. Biodiversity Data Journal. 14: e173157. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e173157
