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Peer-reviewedCC BYEuropean Journal of Taxonomy

Impressive cave-adapted japygids (Diplura, Japygidae) from Mediterranean and Southeast Asia caves

  • Alberto Sendra1
  • Josiane Lips2
  • Jesús Selfa1
  • Guillem X. Pons3
  • Alberto Jiménez-Valverde4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Laboratori d’Investigació d’Entomologia, Departament de Zoologia, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, València, Spain
  2. 2Fédération française de Spéléologie, Commission scientifique, Groupe d’Étude de Biospéologie, France
  3. 3Departament of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, Road of Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Spain
  4. 4Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Abstract

Three specimens of Dipluran Japygidae, collected from two widely separated caves – one in the western Mediterranean and the other in Southeast Asia – have revealed the existence of an impressive, distinctive and unusual cercal amour pattern, unlike that of other Japygidae, characterized by two to three pairs of subsymmetrically arranged teeth. Consequently, two taxa have been described: a new species, Troglojapyx angelginesi Sendra sp. nov., from l’Avenc des Pouàs in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, related to the previously monotypic genus Troglojapyx, known from a cave in mainland Greece; and a new genus and species, Laolaojapyx chloeae Sendra & Lips gen. et sp. nov., from Tham Van Ngo Cave in Laos. However, the phylogenetic significance of cercal morphology appears limited, as suggested by the wide geographic distribution of soil- and cave-adapted japygids. The two new species are highly specialized cave dwellers, exhibiting clear subterranean adaptations, including elongate bodies, slender appendages, and an impressive abundance of antennal placoid sensilla, reaching up to 72 in L. chloeae.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sendra2026impressive,
  title = {{Impressive cave-adapted japygids (Diplura, Japygidae) from Mediterranean and Southeast Asia caves}},
  author = {Alberto Sendra and Josiane Lips and Jesús Selfa and Guillem X. Pons and Alberto Jiménez-Valverde},
  journal = {European Journal of Taxonomy},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.5852/ejt.2026.1112.3345},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1112.3345},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Impressive cave-adapted japygids (Diplura, Japygidae) from Mediterranean and Southeast Asia caves
AU  - Alberto Sendra
AU  - Josiane Lips
AU  - Jesús Selfa
AU  - Guillem X. Pons
AU  - Alberto Jiménez-Valverde
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
JO  - European Journal of Taxonomy
DO  - 10.5852/ejt.2026.1112.3345
UR  - https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1112.3345
AB  - Three specimens of Dipluran Japygidae, collected from two widely separated caves – one in the western Mediterranean and the other in Southeast Asia – have revealed the existence of an impressive, distinctive and unusual cercal amour pattern, unlike that of other Japygidae, characterized by two to three pairs of subsymmetrically arranged teeth. Consequently, two taxa have been described: a new species, Troglojapyx angelginesi Sendra sp. nov., from l’Avenc des Pouàs in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, related to the previously monotypic genus Troglojapyx, known from a cave in mainland Greece; and a new genus and species, Laolaojapyx chloeae Sendra & Lips gen. et sp. nov., from Tham Van Ngo Cave in Laos. However, the phylogenetic significance of cercal morphology appears limited, as suggested by the wide geographic distribution of soil- and cave-adapted japygids. The two new species are highly specialized cave dwellers, exhibiting clear subterranean adaptations, including elongate bodies, slender appendages, and an impressive abundance of antennal placoid sensilla, reaching up to 72 in L. chloeae.
SN  - 2118-9773
ER  -