Spiromimus endemicus, Wesener, 2024

Wesener, Thomas, 2024, Five new species and numerous locality records of Spirobolida millipedes from Madagascar (Diplopoda, Spirobolida, Pachybolidae), Zootaxa 5529 (3), pp. 461-486 : 477

Spiromimus endemicus sp. nov.

Fig. 11A–E

Material examined. Holotype M, CASENT 9032793 , BLF 3123 , Province d’Antsiranana, Montagne des Français , 7.2 km 142° SE Antsiranana (=Diego Suarez), tropical dry forest, 180 m, 12°19’22” S, 49°20’17” E, coll. Fisher, Griswold et al., pitfall trap, 22–28.ii.2001.

Paratype: 1 F and several posterior fragments of additional specimens CASENT 9032793, BLF 3123 , same data as holotype .

Derivatio nominis. endemicus, adjective, after the isolated position of the type locality.

Diagnosis. Spiromimus endemicus sp. nov. shares the particular-shaped posterior gonopods with a basally wide mesal branch with no other of the 13 previously described species of the genus, except maybe for Spiromimus dorsovittatus ( de Saussure & Zehntner, 1901) , which differs virtually in all other characters.

Description.

Measurements: Male circa 33 mm long, only 2.4 wide, 44+0 body rings. Immature female 28 mm long, 2.9 mm wide, with 34+3 body rings.

Colour: Laterally and ventrally dark, dorsally with slender yellow stripe.

Head: Male antenna reaching back to seventh body ring. Eyes with 30/28 black ommatidia. Antenna and gnathochilarium typical for the genus. Mandible not examined.

Legs: In males 1.1 times as long as body ring width. Male coxa three elongated into slender process projecting to sixth coxa. Coxa four elongated into rod-shaped process projecting towards sixth coxa. Coxae five and six flattened, mesally with short and slender projection. Coxa seven with a large cone.

Ozopore starting at ring 6, located on suture between meso- and metazonite.Telson typical for the genus, without a preanal process, subanal scale inconspicuous and anal valves with weak lips ( Fig. 11A ).

Anterior gonopod: sternal lobe broken ( Fig. 11B ). Telopodite without excavation ( Fig. 11B, C ). Tip of telopodite slender, with weakly developed retrorse process ( Fig. 11B, C ).

Posterior gonopod sternite sclerotized, triangular ( Fig. 11E ). Telopodite, tip of main branch bent backwards, forming well-rounded ‘hook’ ( Fig. 11D ). Mesal branch slightly slenderer but as long as main branch ( Fig. 11E ). Mesal branch not tapering, at tip slightly bent towards main branch ( Fig. 11E ). Mesal and main branch only basally connected by membranous folds ( Fig. 11E ). Main branch basally of well-rounded apex with short membranous lobe which slightly projects towards the mesal branch ( Fig. 11E ).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Spiromimus endemicus, sp. nov., holotype (CASENT 9032793), drawings. A. Posterior body end with telson, lateral view; B. Right anterior gonopod, anterior view; C. Telopodite of right anterior gonopod, posterior view; D. Left posterior gonopod, anterior view; E. Left posterior gonopod, posterior view. Abbreviations: av = paraprocts; cx = coxite; IP, inner process, process of coxite of anterior gonopod; PG = posterior gonopod, still covered by anterior gonopod; Pre = epiproct; RP = retrorse tip of telopodite process of anterior gonopod; St = sternite; sub = hypoproct; t = telopodite. Scale bars = 1 mm.