Acerentulus panamensis sp. nov. (Protura, Acerentomidae) from Panama

Acerentulus panamensis sp. nov. from the tropical forest of the Gigante Peninsula of Barro Colorado Nature Monument (9°06’N, 79°54’W – Panama) is described. The new species belongs to the cunhai group being characterized by a short sensillum a not reaching the base of seta γ3 and by sensillum b shorter than c. Acerentulus panamensis sp. nov. is close to A. gerezianus da Cunha, 1952, A. ladeiroi Da Cunha, 1950, A. omoi Imadaté, 1988 and A. catalanus Condé, 1951. It differs from the first species by the absence of seta Pc on sternite VII, by the chaetotaxy of tergites II–V (6/16 in the new species and 8/14 in A. gerezianus), by the longer foretarsal sensillum e and by shorter sensilla f and a’. Finally, in Acerentulus panamensis sp. nov. sensillum a’ is at the same level of t1 closer to the base of tarsus than in A. gerezianus. In A. ladeiroi, the chaetotaxy of tergites II–V is 8/14 (as in A. gerezianus). Moreover, A. ladeiroi is distinguishable from the new species by shorter foretarsal sensilla e and t2, by a longer sensillum f, and by a longer sensillum a’ placed distally to t1. The new species differs from A. omoi by the absence of seta Pc on sternite VII, by the porotaxy of sternites I–III, and by the longer foretarsal sensillum e and shorter sensillum b. Acerentulus panamensis sp. nov. differs from A. catalanus by the chaetotaxy of tergites II–V, by the shorter sensilla a, b and f, and by the number of teeth of comb VIII (11–12 vs 7–8).