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. 2023 Jun 5;14(6):525.
doi: 10.3390/insects14060525.

Collembola of the Cavalum and Landeiro Caves (Madeira, Portugal)

Enrique Baquero  1   2 , Javier I Arbea  3 , Élvio Nunes  4 , Dora Aguin-Pombo  4   5 , Eduardo Mateos  6   7 , Rafael Jordana  1
Affiliations

Collembola of the Cavalum and Landeiro Caves (Madeira, Portugal)

Enrique Baquero et al. Insects. .

Abstract

The cave fauna of the Macaronesian archipelagos is rich in endemic species. Unlike the Azores and the Canary Islands, the cave fauna of the Madeira archipelago is little known. The only two cave complexes studied, Machico and São Vicente, lack protection measures. São Vicente is seriously threatened because it is being exploited for touristic purposes, while the Machico complex, the only one in its natural state, is open to the public but without any control. The importance of the conservation of this cave fauna is indisputable. So far, of the 13 cavernicolous species recorded, two of them-genus Centromerus-are critically endangered. Apart from occasional sampling, no monitoring study has ever been carried out. The aim of this work has been to make a species checklist of the cave fauna of the Machico complex, the least studied so far. For this purpose, during 2001-2002, a monitoring study was carried out using traps and manual collections in the lava tubes of Landeiros and Cavalum (I, II, III). Fourteen species of springtails were recorded. Of these, four are new species, Neelus serratus Jordana & Baquero sp. nov., Coecobrya decemsetosa Jordana & Baquero sp. nov., Coecobrya octoseta Jordana & Baquero sp. nov., and Sinella duodecimoculata Jordana & Baquero sp. nov., and one is a new record for the archipelago, Lepidocyrtus curvicollis Bourlet, 1839.

Keywords: cave fauna; new species; springtails; volcanic cavities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Topographic map of the Cavalum caves studied (adapted from Calandri 1991) [34]. Name of caves and corresponding authors of topographic maps: (A) Cavalum I; (B) Cavalum II; (C) Cavalum III.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Entrance of Cavalum III (Photo. Elvio Nunes).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Alive specimen of Deuteraphorura cf. ghidinii photographed in the lab (photo: Nélio Freitas).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Neelus serratus Baquero & Jordana sp. nov. (A) habitus of the new species; (B) labral chaetae; (C) labial papilla E; (D) ventral head, distal part of the canal; (E) mandibles; (F) maxilla (lamellae signed from 1 to 5); (G) dorsal head chaetotaxy. Scale bars: 0.02 mm, except for habitus (0.2 mm).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Neelus serratus Baquero & Jordana sp. nov. antenna, with detail of the ‘or’ organite and the different shape of some chaetae: a, small normal chaeta; b, big chaeta; c, small thin chaeta (distal area of Ant IV); d, small sensillum; e, other sensillae; S5, small sensillum S5. Scale bar: 0.02 mm.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Neelus serratus Baquero & Jordana sp. nov. (A) dorso-posterior area of body, with part of the furca and detail of the neosminthuroid chaeta (ns); (B) manubrium and proximal area of dens; (C) lateral view of the furca; (D–F) legs 1–3 respectively. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Labral shape of chaetae a1 and a2 (row ‘a’) of the whole described species of Neelus: 0, smooth; 1, external serrated; 2, basal tooth; 3, serrated and with basal tooth; 4, bifurcated; 5, with more than two branches; 6, basal or medial tooth and internally serrated. Scale bar: 0.02 mm.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Coecobrya decemsetosa Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. (A) three different types of sensillae; (B) special organite of Ant IV; (C) special sensillae of Ant III sensory organ; (D) head clypeal area; (E) pre-labral and labral chaetae; (F) labial papilla E; (G) ventral head, labial posterior area; (H) dorsal head chaetotaxy; (I) trochanteral organ; (J) distal area of leg 3; (K) ventral tube; (L) manubrium; (M) distal area of dens and mucro. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus; in Figure 8L the black circles represent smooth chaetae. Scale bars: (A–C) 0.001 mm; (D,I–K) 0.02 mm; (E–G,L,M) 0.025 mm; (H) 0.1 mm.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Coecobrya decemsetosa Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. dorsal macrochaetotaxy. (A) Th II to Abd III; (B) Abd IV–V. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Coecobrya octoseta Jordana & Baquero sp. nov., SEM microphotograph of a specimen from Cavalum I (capture data: EHT, 10 kV; WD, 39 mm; detector, SE2. Bar, 0.1 mm. Photo: E. Baquero).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Coecobrya octoseta Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. (A) Ant III segment; (B1–B5) different chaetae and sensillae of Ant III–IV segments ((B1) ciliated chaeta, present with different lengths; (B2) ciliated sensillum; (B3) curved sensillum with a torus at its basis; (B4) simple sensillum; (B5) short sensillum); (C,D) chaeta next to special organite; (E) terminal special chaeta present at the tip of antenna; (F) clypeal area; (G) labral chaetae; (H) labial papilla E; (I) labial area; (J) dorsal head chaetotaxy (J) detail of one of the dorsal macrochaetae); (K) trochanteral organ; (L) distal tibiotarsus, claw and empodium of C. tenebricosa; (M) same of C. octoseta sp. nov.; (N) distal area of dens and mucro. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus. Scale bars: (A,G,I–K) 0.05 mm; (B) 0.002 mm; (C–E) 0.001 mm; (F) 0.02 mm; (H,L–N) 0.01 mm.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Coecobrya octoseta Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. dorsal macrochaetotaxy. (A) Th II to Abd III; (B) Abd IV–V. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus. Scale bar 0.1 mm.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Sinella duodecimoculata Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. (A) distal area of Ant IV showing the special organite and its accompanying chaeta; (B) distal area of Ant III (sensory organ sensillae); (C) labial papilla E; (D) labial posterior area (posterior row and chaetae of channel); (E) dorsal head macrochaetotaxy; (F) trochanteral organ; (G) distal area of leg 3, claw and empodium; (H) distal area of dens and mucro. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus. Scale bars: (B,G,H), 0.02 mm; (C,F) 0.05 mm; (D,E) 0.1 mm.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Sinella duodecimoculata Jordana & Baquero sp. nov. dorsal macrochaetotaxy. (A) Th II to Abd III; (B) Abd IV–V. The white circles represent ciliated chaetae, and their size is proportional to the size of the alveolus. Scale bar 0.1 mm.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Lepidocyrtus flexicollis (photo: E. Baquero).
Figure 16
Figure 16
Entomobrya pazaristei photographed into the cave (photo: Nélio Freitas).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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