Six New Species of Genus Pedetontus Silvestri, 1911 (Microcoryphia: Machilidae), from Southern China

Bristletails (Microcoryphia) represent a relatively understudied group of class Insecta. These wingless hexapods, which retain numerous plesiomorphic structures, remain less well understood compared to most other insect lineages. Through detailed morphological examination of specimens collected from southern China, we describe six new species (<i>Pedetontus</i> (<i>Verhoeffilis</i>) <i>elegans</i><b>sp. n.</b> from Zhejiang; <i>P.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>hezhouensis</i><b>sp. n.</b>, <i>P.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>jinxiuensis</i><b>sp. n.,</b> and <i>P.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>nanningensis</i><b>sp. n.</b> from Guangxi; and <i>P.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>shenzhenensis</i><b>sp. n.</b> and <i>P.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>xanthospilus</i><b>sp. n.</b> from Guangdong) of subgenus <i>Verhoeffilis</i> Paclt, 1972. This subgenus is distinguished from other members of the Petrobiinae by several diagnostic features: paired ocelli shoe-shaped (fusiform-shaped) and submedian; two pairs of retractile vesicles on abdominal segments II-V; parameres restricted to coxite IX; penis opening small and apical; male genitalia not exceeding coxite IX; and ovipositor of primary type. The new species can be distinguished from known species and each other by the morphology of the compound eyes, maxilla, labial palps, legs, and genitalia; here, we provide detailed illustrations, tables, and descriptions. Furthermore, we sequence the <i>COX1</i> gene to construct a phylogenetic tree of Microcoryphia. This contribution increases the total number of reported <i>Pedetontus</i> species in China to seventeen.