Three new species of the genus Megalothorax (Collembola: Neelidae) from France

  • Ksenia Panina Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str., 6, korp. 3, Moscow, 129278, Russia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1668-7612
  • Anne Bedos UMR7205 Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE-PSL, UA, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005-Paris, France
  • Louis Deharveng UMR7205 Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE-PSL, UA, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005-Paris, France
  • Clément Schneider Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, Soil Zoology Department, Am Museum 1, D-02826 Görlitz, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3743-9319
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1034.3153
Keywords: springtails, morphology, integrative taxonomy, chaetotaxy, littoral species

Abstract

Three new species of Megalothorax are described from France. Megalothorax calvignacensis sp. nov. was discovered in the Lot department and is characterized by a dense grey pigmentation unusual in minimus-group. Megalothorax cellarincola sp. nov. was discovered in several cellars in the ancient city center of Clermont-Ferrand. Megalothorax poinsotae sp. nov. is the first apparent littoral species of the genus and is characterized by strong lanceolate chaetae on the back of the head, and some thickened to lanceolate chaetae dorsally on the trunk. For each species, we provide a detailed morphological description and a molecular phylogenetic placement within the genus Megalothorax, based on the near complete nuclear rDNA operon. We inserted the species in the open key of the Megalothorax of the world (Schneider et al. 2023; last updated by Panina et al. 2025). The molecular analysis allowed to place M. cellarincola and M. poinsotae among the incertus-group sensu Schneider & D’Haese (2013). Megalothorax calvignacensis is found to belong to the minimus-group.

References

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Published
2026-01-20
How to Cite
Panina, K., Bedos, A., Deharveng, L., & Schneider, C. (2026). Three new species of the genus Megalothorax (Collembola: Neelidae) from France. European Journal of Taxonomy, 1034(1), 162–180. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1034.3153
Issue
Vol. 1034 (2026)
Section
Research article

Copyright (c) 2026 Ksenia Panina, Anne Bedos, Louis Deharveng, Clément Schneider

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