First record of the genus Graeconiscus Strouhal, 1940 (Isopoda, Oniscidea, Trichoniscidae) in the Iberian Peninsula with the description of a new troglobitic species

Abstract

Graeconiscus gevi sp. nov., a new troglobitic terrestrial isopod (family Trichoniscidae, subfamily Haplophthalminae), is described. The specimens of the new species are found in the Cueva del Yeso III, in the province of Málaga (SE Spain). Graeconiscus gevi sp. nov. is closely related to Graeconiscus thermophilus (Çaglar, 1948), an oculate species from Turkey and some Eastern Mediterranean islands. The morphological differences between both species are discussed and illustrated by SEM images of specimens from Málaga and Cyprus. The studied material represents the first record of the genus Graeconiscus in the Iberian Peninsula.