The species of the pseudoscorpion genus Pseudoblothrus (Pseudoscorpiones: Syarinidae) in Italy (on Italian pseudoscorpions XLVIII)

The species of the genus Pseudoblothrus Beier, 1931 from Italy are revised. Two species are present in this area: P. peyerimhoffi (Simon, 1905) (Piedmont) and P. regalini Inzaghi, 1983 (Lombardy). The following synonymy is proposed: Pseudoblothrus ellingseni (Beier, 1929) is a junior subjective synonym of P. peyerimhoffi (Simon, 1905) (syn. nov.). A key to all species of the genus Pseudoblothrus is provided.

The necessity of reviewing the P. peyerimhoffi -P.ellingseni complex has been pointed out by Mahnert (1980), Inzaghi (1983) and Gardini (2000).The results obtained during intensive speleological investigations in the western Alps, chiefly carried out during the last ten years by Enrico Lana (Chivasso, Torino), have made available a sufficient number of these rare pseudoscorpions for this purpose.Moreover, examination of further specimens of P. regalini from Lombardy allows a supplementary description of this species.

Material and methods
This study is based on the examination of 38 adult specimens and 1 tritonymph of Pseudoblothrus, all lodged in the collection of the author.Specimens were cleared in 60% lactic acid and temporarily mounted -after dissection of right palp, chelicera, legs I and IV -in cavity slides with the same medium.Each specimen was returned, after study, to a vial of 70% ethanol together with the dissected portions placed in glass capillary tubes.All specimens were studied using an Olympus BHB compound microscope and illustrated with the aid of a Nachet drawing tube.Measurements and proportions are given as length/breadth for carapace, chelicerae and pedipalps and as length/depth for legs; measurements are expressed in mm.For reference points, used to take measurements, see Chamberlin (1931).
Probably unaware of Ellingsen's paper, Simon (1905) described Blothrus peyerimhoffi a few months later from specimens of both sexes collected by Paul de Peyerimhoff in the caves of Mélan and Pertuis (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) and by Agostino Dodero in the cave of Bossea.Simon's description is vague, apart from a few details on the shape of the carapace and the pedipalp.Beier (1929) proposed the name Obisium (Blothrus) Ellingseni Beier, 1929 for the material from Bossea cave described by Ellingsen (1905), without examining any material.In so doing, he overlooked the paper of Simon (1905) and consequently did not notice that Bossea cave was also one of the localities of Blothrus peyerimhoffi.Beier (1932) included both species in the genus Neobisium (= Obisium Leach, 1815), subgenus Blothrus Schiödte, 1847, using the original data of Ellingsen (1905) and Simon (1905).Vachon (1945) redescribed N. peyerimhoffi from syntypes from Mélan (or Pertuis), transferred the species from Neobisium (Neobisiidae) to Pseudoblothrus (Syarinidae), and gave a key to the species of the latter genus, including only P. roszkovskii and P. peyerimhoffi, making no mention of O. ellingseni (then still placed in Neobisium).Vachon (1945) was the first to revise P. peyerimhoffi and the species was subsequently cited (Vachon 1947(Vachon , 1952) ) from the cave of Clue near Séranon (Alpes-Maritimes).Beier (1963), without examining any material, proposed a key to European species of Pseudoblothrus using the data of Ellingsen (1905) and Vachon (1945) respectively for P. ellingseni and P. peyerimhoffi.The most important character used to separate the two species was the ratio of movable finger/ hand of chela: 1.79 in P. ellingseni, 1.45 in P. peyerimhoffi.Later, Vachon (1969) included P. peyerimhoffi, together with P. ellingseni, in the key to species of Pseudoblothrus andLeclerc (1983, 1984) recorded P. peyerimhoffi from caves in the French departments of Isère and Drôme.
The contribution of Mahnert (1980) provided plenty of scope for a correct interpretation of relationships between P. ellingseni and P. peyerimhoffi.His redescription of P. ellingseni based on topotypes from Bossea, evaluation of morphological variability of neighbouring populations and redescription of P. peyerimhoffi from the cave of Clue allowed the presumption that differences between the species listed above were not substantial, as emphasized in his own (p.35) conclusions.Differences in the form of the chelal palm and in granulation on the femur, as proposed by Mahnert (1980) in the key to species, cannot be considered sufficient to separate P. ellingseni and P. peyerimhoffi since they show high variability between sexes and among different populations.
Remarks.The above redescription of P. regalini partially incorporates the original description of Inzaghi (1983), with the exception of a discrepancy concerning the pedipalpal granulation [trochanter and patella described as smooth in Inzaghi (1983), granulate here].The highest length/breadth ratios of the pedipalps reported here (femur 5.6, patella 3.6, chela 4.9 as long as broad: see Figs 32, 35) were obtained from measurements of a male from Ardesio (Grotta della Poderizza), and are considered to form part the normal range of variation for this species.The presence of a putative new species of Pseudoblothrus from Mt Resegone near Lecco, Lombardy (Inzaghi in Gardini 2000) is still doubtful and might concern material similar to the above mentioned male of P. regalini from Ardesio or to the female of Piani Resinelli, which show a different position of trichobothrium est (Fig. 46).Mt Resegone is ca.36 km west of Ardesio and ca. 10 km southeast of Piani Resinelli.Further material is therefore necessary to confirm the taxonomic status of these populations in the Bergamasque pre-Alps.years.Volker Mahnert (Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Geneva), Juan A. Zaragoza (Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante) and Carlo Giusto (Genova) kindly supplied helpful comments on the manuscript and (V.M.) information about paratypes of P. ljovuschkini in the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Geneva.Emanuele Bruzzone (D.I.S.T.A.V., Università di Genova) provided invaluable expertise in digitizing the plates of drawings.Two anonymous reviewers improved the text with useful comments.