Review of Eyeless Pseudosinella Schäffer (Collembola, Entomobryidae, and Lepidocyrtinae) from Brazilian Caves

Abstract

Herein, eyeless <i>Pseudosinella</i> species from Brazilian caves are reviewed, including the description of 23 new species, new records plus additional notes on the descriptions of <i>P. ambigua</i> Zeppelini, Brito, and Lima and of <i>P. guanhaensis</i> Zeppelini, Brito, and Lima. We also provide an identification key to 27 eyeless species recorded from Brazil. To organize the 26 Brazilian eyeless taxa analyzed in this work, we organize them in apparently artificial groups: 11 species have one larger tooth on the unguiculus outer lamella (<i>petterseni</i> group); one presents unguiculus outer lamella smooth or serrated (never with a larger tooth), with 9 held prelabral chaetae undivided and the last 6 held prelabral chaetae bifurcated. The Brazilian species of eyeless <i>Pseudosinella</i> herein described present a remarkably conservate dorsal chaetotaxy; therefore, the main diagnostic characters are related to other features like prelabral, labral, and ventral head chaetotaxy and empodial complex morphology. In addition, our study suggests that Brazilian caves possibly shelter a great diversity of <i>Pseudosinella</i> taxa, several of them potentially cave dependent.