Palatov D.M.1, Chertoprud E.M.2 2024. A new stygobiotic species of the genus Proasellus Dudich, 1925 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae) from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Russia // Invert. Zool. Vol.21. No.3. P.369–383 [in English].
1 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Science, Leninsky Prosp., 33, Moscow 119071 Russia.
2 Biological Faculty, Moscow Lomonosov State University, Leninskie Gory, 1-12, Moscow 119234 Russia.
* Corresponding author
Dmitry Palatov: triops@yandex.ru ORCID: 0000-0002-8826-9316
Elizaveta Chertoprud: skytuna@yandex.ru ORCID: 0000-0003-0396-7463
doi: 10.15298/invertzool.21.3.09
ABSTRACT. A new stygobiotic species of water louses of the genus Proasellus Dudich, 1925 (Crustacea: Isopoda), P. mikhaili sp.n., is described from springs and groundwaters in the vicinity of the town of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast of the northwestern Caucasus, Russia. Representatives of this genus are reported for the first time from this coastal area. This new species is characterized by a number of unique features that immediately distinguish it from all known other Caucasian species of the genus. At present, this is the only species described from the region that has three connecting hooks in the retinacula of male pleopods I, as well as a shortened exopodite of pleopod V, significantly shorter than the endopodite in length. Among the diagnostic characters of this species are also a poor ornamentation of pereopods I–VII and a specific chetotaxis of the pleotelson represented by a dense covering of thin, hair-like setae. Probably, this species is an endemic of the Tuapsinsky District.
KEY WORDS: Crustacea, Asellidae, new species, stygobionts, crenobionts, local endemism, Transcaucasia.