Two new species of Brazilian springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) with comments on Neotropical Brachystomella Ågren and Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) Börner

Abstract

Herein we describe two new species of Brazilian springtails, both from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Brachystomella nordestina sp.n. resembles other Neotropical congeners with 8+8 eyes, postantennal organ with four lobes and 19/19/18 chaetae on tibiotarsi I–III, but it is unique in the combination of trilobed apical bulb, 2+2 dorsal chaetae on thorax I, male’s genital plate with 4+4 modified eugenital chaetae and 2+2 hr chaetae on lateral anal valves. Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) dapeste sp.n. is similar to other Neotropical species of Lepidocyrtinus Börner, 1903 in long antennae, mesonotum projected over head and presence of modified blunt macrochaetae on dorsal furca, but differs in the combination of dorsal head chaetotaxy, 14–19 a macrochaetae on thorax II, 7–9 central macrochaetae on thorax III and 4 central macrochaetae on abdomen II. We also present a detailed comparison and an updated key of the Neotropical species of Brachystomella Ågren, 1903.