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Abstract
A striking new genus and species of Campodeidae (Diplura), Turkmenocampa mirabilis
Sendra & Stoev, gen.n., sp.n., found in Kaptarhana cave in Eastern Turkmenistan is
described. This represents the first record of Diplura from Central Asia and also
the first terrestrial troglobiont found in Turkmenistan. The new taxon shows several
unique characters such as the lack of crests on the telotarsus, the presence of a
side-shoot process and the shape of barbs on the ventral side of the laminar telotarsal
processes hitherto unknown in other members of this family. Although T. mirabilis
is tentatively placed in the subfamily Plusiocampinae, its true affinities remain
uncertain. The new finding provides further support to the importance of Kaptarhana
as a refuge for a number of endemic invertebrates.