Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok IX. - Natura Somogyiensis 24. (Kaposvár, 2014)

Yoosefi Lafooraki E. - Shayanmehr M.: New records of Neelipleona for the Iranian springtail fauna (Collembola)

E. Yoosefi Lafooraki & M. Shayanmehr: New records of Neelipleona 27

Fig. 2: Mazandaran location in northern Iran,

Sampling sites: 1. Behshahr, 2. Savadkooh, 3. Neka and 4. Noor

Site 1: Jawarem Wildlife Refuge in Savadkooh region (36°13'N, 52°55'E),

Site 2: Abbas-Abad forest on Alborz mountains in Behshahr region with a lake is intermediated to the forest (36°40'N, 53°32'E),

Site 3: Hezar jarib forest in Neka region (36°39'N, 53°18'E),

Site 4: Royan in Noor region (36°20'N, 51°53'E).

Abbreviation: Ant: antenna; Th: thorax; Abd: abdomen; sf: sensory fields.

Result and discussion

The genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900 is recorded for the first time from Iran. Three species belonging to this genus were found from Mazandaran province in northern Iran. M. willemi and M. perspicillum were recently described by Schneider & D'Haese (2013) and here they reported for the first time from Middle East and for the second time from the world. M. incertus Börner, 1903 is recorded for the first time from Iran. This species have been recorded from Middle East before and was found in Iraq by Rusek (1981).

Genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900

Body range 0.2-0.7 mm. Color generally white or greyish, body in some species dotted with black, brown, orange or red pigments. When pigmentation present generally stronger in the oldest specimens. When relaxed, head perpendicular to the body, hypog- nathous but able to straighten up. Eyes always absent, antenna shorter than head diagonal. Ant III and IV fused together. Body of globular shape due to the development of thoracic region and the fusion of Th III with Abd I-V (great abdomen). In dorsal view, specimens appear widest at Th III. Th I clearly delimited, Th II weakly delimited from Th III. Furca well developed. Manubrium/dens articular process convex on manubrium, concave on dens. Dens subsegmented with clear suture and small anterior articular process. Specimens show a high degree of liberty in the mucro movement with respect to the dens. Retinaculum with either 3 + 3 or 4 + 4 hook-like teeth, without chaeta. Body minute, weakly pigmented, chaetotaxy sparse. Ant III and IV merged. Presence of 6 + 6 sensory fields (sf 1-6) representing crater-like deformations of the cuticle (roughly circular depression with sometimes prominent edges) distributed as follow: sf 1 and 2 on head respectively anterior and posterior to Ant, sf 3 dorsally on Th II, sensory field 4 laterally on Th II, sf 5 laterally on Th III and sf 6 dorsally on posterior part of abdomen. Presence of 14+14 free wax rod generating crypt: 2+2 on head, 9+9 on thorax and 3+3