[Invertebrate • 2026] Quapawjapyx osage & Holjapyx nimiipuu • New Cave japygids (Diplura: Japygidae) from North America

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.

Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov.,

in Sendra, Jiménez-Valverde, Selfa et Cupello, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1043.3217 

Abstract

We studied a significant collection of Japygidae (Diplura) deposited in the Texas A&M University Insect Collection, sampled from several caves in North America, mostly in the early 21st century by a group of American speleologists. Among this biological material, a new genus and species, Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov., is described from four caves in Arkansas, and a new species, Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov., from five caves in Idaho; both are named in honor of native American tribes. Quapawjapyx osage can be distinguished from Indjapyx, Paurojapyx, and Parindjapyx – which share symmetrical cerci – by the combination of the shape and disposition of the glandular and sensory setae on the first urosternite, together with differences in cercal ornamentation. Holjapyx nimiipuu is characterized by the presence of two conspicuously large predental denticles on the right cercus. Both new taxa of cavernicolous japygids show slight cave-adaptation features, such as large body size, slight elongated appendages, and a small increase in the placoid sensilla of last antennomere. These two new taxa double the number of known cave-adapted japygids in North America, a seemingly low figure that is nonetheless comparable to other karst regions worldwide.

Keywords: Japygoidea, cave-adapted fauna, Nearctic region, taxonomy

Class Diplura Börner, 1904

Superfamily Japygoidea Ewing, 1942

Family Japygidae Haliday, 1864

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.
A. Paratype, ♂ (TAMU-ENTO X1831026). B, D–E. Paratype, ♂ (TAMU-ENTO X1832015). C. Holotype, ♀ (TAMU-ENTO X1831147).
A. Habitus. B. Last antennomere; placoid sensilla remarked by spotted line. C. Lacinia with interior laminae and mandible. D. Dorsal portion on third antennomere with pores. E. Metathoracic claws.

Genus Quapawjapyx Sendra gen. nov.

Etymology: The generic name is in honor of the Quapaw Nation of Native Americans, who thrived along the lowlands of the Arkansas river five hundred years ago. Today, they live alongside much later European settlersfrom other nations.

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific epithet is in honor of the Osage Nation of Native Americans, who now reside in Osage County, Oklahoma. They arrived and thrived a few hundred years ago in the northern mountains of Arkansas.

Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov., holotype,  ♀ (TAMU-ENTO X1831140).
A. Habitus. B. Last antennomere. C. Distal portion of urite X including cerci. D. Left cercus. E. Right cercus; placoidsensilla remarked by dash line.

 Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov.

Etymology: ‘Nimiipuu’ (‘we, the people’) is the name by which the Nez Perce Native American tribe refers to themselves. They have thrived in  the Pacific Northwest of North-America for  more than ten   thousand years and today live primarily on their tribal reservation in Idaho. We dedicate this new species to the Nimiipuu people and to their enduring struggle for survival.

Alberto Sendra, Alberto Jiménez-Valverde, Jesús Selfa and Mario Cupello. 2026. New Cave japygids (Diplura: Japygidae) from North America. European Journal of Taxonomy. 1043(1); 166–198. DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1043.3217 

 

[Invertebrate • 2020] Whittencampa troglobia • A New Genus and Species of Troglomorphic Plusiocampinae (Diplura: Campodeidae) from China

Whittencampa troglobia 

 Sendra & Deharveng, 2020

  RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. Supplement No. 35

Abstract
 Whittencampa troglobia, new genus and new species, is a highly troglomorphic Diplura of the Plusiocampinae subfamily described from Lian Hua Dong Cave in southern China. Whittencampa belongs to the Plusiocampinae subfamily, which is widely distributed in the European region, but also has four species in China. Whittencampa is characterised by its thick setiform pretarsal processes completely covered with long barbs with a tiny hooked tip. Whittencampa shares important features with other members of the subfamily, in particular the distribution pattern of notal, femoral and abdominal macrosetae, including the presence of an isolated pair of macrosetae on the eighth urosternite; the last trait characterises the Chinese Plusiocampinae. Scanning electron microscopy reveals new features for this subfamily such as the large subtriangular ending of the neuroglandular setae on the labial palps, the epidermal glands on the labial palps and the bifurcated or double sac ending of the eversible abdominal vesicles. Whittencampa troglobia has remarkable troglomorphic traits: the most elongated antennae, and the largest number of antennomeres (56) among Plusiocampinae, and cerci up to 2.3 times longer than the body. It lives with other highly troglomorphic arthropods at the type locality, Lian Hua Dong, and provides additional evidence that southern China is one of the major biodiversity world hotspots for subterranean fauna.

Key words: subterranean fauna, East Asia, Whittencampa troglobia, troglomorphy

Figs. 21–24. 21. Habitus of Whittencampa troglobia, new species. 22, Distribution map of troglomorphic cave Campodeidae in China: (1) Whittencampa troglobia, Lian Hua Dong near Du’an (Guangxi); (2) Plusiocampa lipsae, Grotte des Quatre Porches near Yishang (Hubei); (3) Whittencampa cf. troglobia, Ji Dong near Huanjiang (Guangxi); (4) Campodeidae sp., Yan Wu Dong near Leye (Guangxi). 23, Microhabitat of W. troglobia in Lian Hua Dong cave, with specimens around small pools (in white dotted circles). 24, Well decorated passage in Lian Hua Dong cave.

Fig. 1. Whittencampa troglobia, new species; habitus. Scale bar = 3 mm.

SYSTEMATICS 

Class Hexapoda Blainville, 1816

Order Diplura Börner, 1904
Suborder Rhabdura Cook, 1896

Family Campodeidae Lubbock, 1873
Subfamily Plusiocampinae Paclt, 1957

Whittencampa, new genus 

Type species. Whittencampa troglobia, new species.

Etymology. Whittencampa is named in honour of Tony Whitten, who passed away in November 2017. Tony was an enthusiastic initiator and efficient facilitator of biospeological expeditions in China, which allowed the discovery of this new genus, among many other remarkable taxa. Gender: feminine.

Diagnosis. On pronotum 1+1 ma, 1+1 la4 and 2+2 lp1,3, on meso- and metanotum 1+1 ma, 1+1 la, and 2+2 lp2,3 (Figs. 1–3); two dorsal femoral macrosetae; without tibial macrosetae; unequal claws with lateral-crests (Figs. 12, 13); two thick setiform pretarsal processes completely covered with long barbs (Figs. 12, 13, 15); male and female without glandular field on the posterior part of the first urosternite; first urosternite of male with large subcylindrical appendages with conical ending and carrying long glandular a1 and a2 setae (Figs. 16, 17); female with small subcylindrical appendages with concal ending on first urosternite, with long glandular a1 setae; sac of eversible vesicles with double ending (Figs. 18, 19); 1+1 post urotergal macrosetae on III– IV, 4+4 post on V–VII, 5+5 post on VIII and 7+7 post on IX; 13+13–10+10 macrosetae on urosternite I, 5+5 on II– VII and 1+1 macrosetae on VIII (Fig. 20); large subtriangular ending of neuroglandular setae and epidermal glands on labial palps (Figs. 5–10, under SEM magnification); dense barbs on macrosetae on abdominal sternites, legs and calcars (Fig. 11); glandular a1 and a2 setae long and slender (Fig. 17).

Whittencampa troglobia, new species 

Etymology. The epithet emphasises the ecology of the new species, strictly linked to subterranean habitats (from the greek trogle (τρωγλη), which means hole.

 Alberto Sendra and Louis Deharveng. 2020. Whittencampa troglobia, A New Genus and Species of Troglomorphic Plusiocampinae from China (Diplura: Campodeidae). RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. Supplement No. 35; 68-77.

lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/app/uploads/2020/03/s35rbz68-77.pdf