A New Species of Genus Anelpistina and the Second Described Nicoletiid (Zygentoma: Insecta) Species from the Mayan Ruins of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico

Recent studies on the American nicoletiid insects (“silverfish”) of the subfamily Cubacubaninae have shown that the group is more species rich than previously recognized. It has become common to find that a single locality is inhabited by more than one species of nicoletiid. In previous studies, a species from genus Squamigera had been described from the rainforest surrounding the Mayan ruins of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. We report here the presence of two more species of nicoletiids in the same locality and we describe here a new species of genus Anelpistina. DNA sequence data and morphology are provided to differentiate these species. 1. Introduction Insects of the nicoletiid subfamily Cubacubaninae are frequently encountered under rocks and in the caves of Mexico and Central America but are generally understudied. Many species remain to be described. The state of Chiapas within Mexico, with its great environmental diversity, would appear to be a place particularly in a need of more studies. A few species have been described: Anelpistina yatbalami [1], from the Mayan ruins of Yaxchilan; Anelpistina nandalumii [2], from the Sumidero Canyon; Squamigera cumcalcaris [3], from “Grotta I Finca S. Anita” cave near Simojovel de Allende; Squamigera sp. [3], from Grutas del Chorreadero, near Chiapa de Corzo; and, finally, Squamigera pakali [4], from the Mayan ruins of Palenque. The ancient ruins of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, have been the site of two collecting field trips. As a result of extensive searching for specimens under rocks, a total of seven nicoletiid specimens were secured. Five belonged to the previously mentioned S. pakali and two belonged to two species of genus Anelpistina. In this paper we describe a new species of Anelpistina and we report its 16S rRNA sequence. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Morphology The specimens were found under rocks in the rainforest surrounding the Mayan ruins of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. Specimens were collected by hand and deposited in 100% ethanol. Dissections were made with a Motic K series stereo microscope and the different body parts were mounted in fixed preparations with Cytoseal 60 solution (Richard-Allan Scientific). Illustrations were made with the aid of a camera lucida attached to a compound microscope. 2.2. Molecular Data Genomic DNA was extracted using Qiagen’s DNeasy Tissue Kit by digesting a leg in lysis buffer of the holotype. Amplification and sequencing of the 16S fragment were done as in [1], following standard protocols and primers used in the past for nicoletiids. Chromatograms obtained from the