Two new species of Sminthurididae (Hexapoda, Collembola, Symphypleona) from Brazil with notes on Denisiella Folsom & Mills and Sphaeridia Linnaniemi.

Two new species of Sminthurididae, Sphaeridiapiauiensis Medeiros & Bellini, sp. nov. and Denisiellapiracurucaensis Silva, Medeiros & Bellini, sp. nov. from Piaui state, Brazil, are herein described and illustrated. Sphaeridiapiauiensissp. nov. resembles species of the irmleri group, like S.irmleri Bretfeld & Gauer, S.fibulifera Bretfeld & Gauer, and S.peruensis Bretfeld & Schulz, by its complex male ventral tube without asymmetrical structures or medial process. However, it differs from them by the combination of the male tibiotarsus III with a leaf-shaped IIpe chaeta and a regular IIIpi chaeta, ventral tube with 1+1 chaetae, and the absence cuticular hooks on the furca. Denisiellapiracurucaensissp. nov. resembles its congeners without the nasal organ, especially D.colombiana Ospina & Palacios-Vargas, by the presence of spiniform chaetae at least on the second antennal segment of the females, four serrated spines on tibiotarsus III, and the ventral dens chaetotaxy, but D.piracurucaensissp. nov. differs from the latter especially by the presence of 8+8 eyes and the shape of the male proximal tibiotarsal organ. To describe both species all Neotropical Sphaeridia and all described Denisiella species were surveyed, presenting notes on both genera, comparative tables, and keys for these taxa.

Revisiting Szeptyckitheca Betsch & Weiner (Collembola, Symphypleona, Sminthuridae): new species, updated diagnoses, and a key.

Szeptyckitheca Betsch & Weiner is a genus of Sphyrothecinae (Sminthuridae) similar to Sphyrotheca Börner, with 13 nominal species. Most descriptions of Szeptyckitheca taxa lack valuable data in face of the current taxonomy of Symphypleona. In this study the previously described species of the genus were surveyed, aiming to provide updated diagnoses for them. Three species were also transferred to Szeptyckitheca: Sphyrothecakarlarum Palacios-Vargas, Vázquez & Cuéllar, 2003, S.peteri Palacios-Vargas, Vázquez & Cuéllar, 2003, and S.koreana Betsch & Weiner, 2009, based on trochanteral and/or dental chaetotaxy. Two new Brazilian species of the genus are described and illustrated, S.andrzeji Medeiros, Bellini & Weiner, sp. nov., with a remarkable reduced ventral dental chaetotaxy not seen in other Neotropical species, and S.cyanea Oliveira, Medeiros & Bellini, sp. nov. with a distinctive large set of head vertex spines (18). Finally, an updated key to all the valid species of the genus is presented.

A Highly Troglomorphic New Genus of Sminthuridae (Collembola, Symphypleona) from the Brazilian Semiarid Region.

Here, we describe the highly troglomorphic Troglobentosminthurus gen. nov. from Água Clara cave system, Caatinga domain, Bahia, Brazil. Troglobentosminthurus luridus gen. nov. sp. nov. has remarkably long antennae, legs and furca, and lacks body pigments, except for small orange eye patches which also show a reduction in the number of eyes (5 + 5) and lens sizes. The overall morphology of the genus, with long and highly sub-segmented antennae, resembles other Sminthurinae of the Temeritas-group, especially Temeritas Richards and Galeriella Curcic and Lucic. However, it is unique, especially in the combination of the number of antennae IV subsegments and eyes, frontal head chaetotaxy and empodial complex morphology. Two type specimens have remnants of a mite and another specimen from the new species in their gut contents, supporting the species may be occasional predators and even cannibals. We also provide identification keys and comparative tables to the subfamilies of Sminthuridae and the Temeritas-group of genera.

Two new species of Temeritas Richards (Collembola, Symphypleona, Sminthuridae) from Neotropical Region, with comments on the genus.

Temeritas Richards is a small genus of Sminthuridae with 40 species described worldwide, 10 of them from Neotropical Region. Herein we describe in detail two new species of the genus from Brazil: T. andreazzei sp. nov., similar to other neotropical taxa such T. amazonensis Arlé Oliveira and T. caatingae Arlé Oliveira in the presence of several long chaetae on body and appendages, absence of oval organs on tibiotarsi and presence of mucronal chaeta, but can be readily separate from both by its exclusive combination of fourth antennal segment articles and head, male's parafurcal area and dorsal dens chaetotaxy; and T. paradoxalis sp. nov., unique in the genus by the combination of low number of fourth antennal segment articles, absence of remarkably long chaetae on third and second antennal segments and head, ungues with serrated dorsal and lateral margins, and mucronal chaeta absent. We also present an updated diagnosis, a comparison of neotropical Temeritas with an identification key to these species and notes on the genus.