﻿Three new species of Entomobryidae (Collembola, Entomobryoidea) from China

﻿Abstract Three new species of entomobryid springtails (Collembola) from China are described here. Homidiapseudozhangisp. nov. is characterised by a narrow irregular longitudinal stripe on the body, smooth chaetae e and l1 of the labial base, and the relative position of the specialized microchaeta on Abd. I; H.qianensissp. nov. by its colour pattern on the antennae and nine sutural macrochaetae on the head; and Entomobryashaanxiensissp. nov. by its colour pattern, labral papillae and the lateral process of labial papilla E. Specimens of Akabosiamatsudoensis Kinoshita, 1919 from China are redescribed, including description of some characters for the first time.


Introduction
The genus Homidia Börner, 1906 is characterised by the presence of inner spines at the base of the dens, a transversal line of macrochaetae on the anterior part of Abd. IV, and a bidentate mucro with the subapical tooth much larger than the apical one. It is close to the genus Sinhomidia Zhang, 2009(Zhang et al. 2009), but there are no scales in Homidia. Among 77 Homidia species of the world, 50 species were reported from China (Bellinger et al. 1996(Bellinger et al. -2023. As one of the largest genera in Collembola, Entomobrya Rondani, 1861 presents about 270 species, but only 19 species have been reported from China. It is characterised by scales absent, dorsal chaetotaxy polymacrochaetotic, mucronal subapical tooth subequal to the apical and dens without spines (Jordana 2012).
The genus Akabosia Kinoshita, 1919 is characterised by a crenulated dens and a rectangle mucro. It is close to the genus Salina MacGillivray, 1894, but the dens is not crenulated in the latter. These two genera belong to the subfamily Salininae of Entomobryidae (Godeiro et al. 2022). Akabosia contains only one species recorded from Japan (Kinoshita 1919;Yosii 1954Yosii , 1965, Korea (Mitra 1977) and China (Zhang et al. 2015).

Materials and methods
Specimens were collected with an aspirator and stored in 99% alcohol. They were mounted on glass slides in Marc André II solution, and were studied with a Leica DM2500 phase contrast microscope. Photographs were taken under a Leica DFC300 FX digital camera mounted on the microscope and a ZEISS Gemini SEM 300, and enhanced with Photoshop CS2 (Adobe Inc.). The nomenclature of the dorsal macrochaetotaxy of the head are described follows Jordana and Baquero (2005) and the interocular chaetae follows Mari-Mutt (1986). Labial chaetae are designated following Gisin (1964) and tergal chaetae of the body following Szeptycki (1979) and Zhang et al. (2019).
Etymology. Named after its similar species H. zhangi (pseudo+zhangi). Ecology. In the leaf litter Remarks. The new species is characterised by a narrow irregular longitudinal stripe on the body, smooth chaetae e and l 1 on the labial base and ms antero-external to the sens on Abd. I. It is similar to H. acutus Jing & Ma, 2022, H. mediofascia Shi, Pan & Bai, 2009, H. yangdangensis Pan, 2015and H. zhangi Pan & Shi, 2012 in colour pattern, but can be separated from them by the smooth chaetae on the labial base, the relative position of ms on Abd. I and other characters. It is also similar to H. phjongjangica Szeptycki, 1973, H. sichuanensis Jia, Zhang, Zhao & Jordana, 2010and H. sinensis Denis, 1929 in body chaetotaxy, but there are some differences between them in colour pattern, coxal macrochaetal formula and other characters (Table 1).
Description. Size. Body length up to 2.38 mm. Coloration. Ground colour pale white or yellow. Ant. I pale yellow and Ant. II-IV blue. Eye patches dark blue and a transverse blue stripe between eye patches. Blue pigment present on dorsal head and Th. II-III laterally, legs, ventral tube and Abd. V. Abd. II-III with an irregular transverse blue stripe, respectively. Abd. IV with an irregular transverse blue stripe medially and a narrow blue stripe posteriorly (Figs 31, 32).
Etymology. Named after its locality: Guizhou Province, which is abbreviated as Qian.
Ecology. In the leaf litter of bamboo.

Remarks.
The new species is characterised by its colour pattern on the antennae and nine sutural mac on the head. Among 77 known species of the genus, 51 species have eight sutural mac and only nine species have nine sutural mac. There are some significant differences among them, such as colour pattern on the antennae and thorax, mac on Abd. III-IV and other characters, which are listed in Table 2.

Description.
Size. Body length up to 1.65 mm. Colouration. Ground colour pale yellow in ethanol. Ant. IV and distal part of Ant. I-III blue pigment. Eyepatches dark blue. An irregular blue stripe present from eyepatch to Th. III laterally and from Th. II to Abd. III sublaterally, respectively. Posterior part of Abd. III with a transverse irregular blue stripe. Abd. IV with two irregular transverse stripes, one located medially and other posteriorly. Abd. V with a pair of blue spots. Legs with scattered pigment (Figs 54, 55).      Head. Antenna 0.47-0.55 times body length; antennal segment ratio I: II: III: IV = 1: 1.70-2.00: 1.50-1.88: 2.43-2.75. Apical bulb of Ant. IV bilobed (Fig. 56). Eyes 8 + 8, G and H smaller than others, interocular chaetae with p, r, and t mes.
Etymology. Named after its locality: Shaanxi Province. Ecology. In the leaf litter.

Remarks.
The new species is characterised by its colour pattern, one minute denticle on each labral papilla, and the tip of the lateral process (l.p.) of the labial papilla E exceeding the apex of the papilla E. It is very similar to E. aino (Matsumara & Ishida, 1931) in colour pattern, macrochaetotaxy of Abd. III-IV and other characters, but there are some differences between them, such as chaetotaxy on Abd. I, II and IV (Table 3).  (Figs 71, 72).
Remarks. The genus Akabosia was established by Kinoshita in 1919 and it can be separated from its similar genus Salina by the crenulated dens (dens is not crenulated in Salina). Only one species, A. matsudoensis Kinoshita, 1919, has been reported in the genus and its localities include Japan (Kinoshita 1919;   Yosii 1954Yosii , 1965, Korea (Mitra 1977) and China (Zhang et al. 2015). The characters of our specimens agree well with their description in colour pattern, chaetotaxy of dorsal body, labrum and mucro, and we describe some additional characters including maxillary outer lobe, labial papilla E, chaetotaxy of Abd. V for the first time. The medio-distal tooth on the mucro was overlooked previously as it is very small and located on the lateral side.