A phoretic pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpiones: Cheliferidae: Hysterochelifer) from the Mexican amber

ABSTRACT

A new species of fossil pseudoscorpion belonging to the genus Hysterochelifer Chamberlin, 1932 is described. The type material is an amber inclusion from the Montecristo mines in Simojovel, Chiapas, Mexico. The new species, Hysterochelifer manpauch sp. nov. is described by an adult male found to be phoretic on a crane fly of the genus Trentepohlia (Diptera: Limoniidae). It differs from its congeners currently distributed in North America by having a distinctive combination of characters: small size, eyespots absent, galea bifurcate, a proximal branch with four rami, distal branch smooth, serrula exterior with 11 lamellae, pedipalps longer than wide, chelal fixed finger with 19 conical teeth, and movable chelal finger with 20 conical teeth. Phoretic behaviour is rare to observe in the fossil record, and Hysterochelifer manpauch sp. nov. is the first documented phoresis of a pseudoscorpion species in the fossil record of Mexico.

KEYWORDS:

• Mexico
• Chiapas
• Simojovel
• phoresis
• new species

Acknowledgments

For photomicrography assistance, we thank Susana Guzmán-Gómez at the LMF2-LANABIO, IBUNAM. Lic. Paty Díaz. We also thank the Academic Editor Gareth Dyke, Lorenzo Prendini and anonymous reviewers whose comments have improved this paper. VCT was supported by the CONAHCyT grant as part of the DCN program at the UAEM.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).