Pseudotremia loomisi, Shear, William A., 2011

Shear, William A., 2011, Cave millipeds of the United States. X. New species and records of the genus Pseudotremia Cope. 2. Species from Virginia, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), Zootaxa 3109, pp. 1-38 : 6

Pseudotremia loomisi , n. sp.

Figs. 1–7

Types: Male holotype, male and female paratypes from Clark’s Cave, Bath Co., VIRGINIA, collected 21 May 1997 by David Hubbard.

Diagnosis: The apical and subapical spines of the MAP are both missing and there are no colpocoxite processes, while the ninth legpair telopodite appears two-segmented; a unique combination of characters.

Etymology: The species epithet honors the late H. F. Loomis, who, in a series of papers some 70 to 80 years ago, described many cave millipeds from the Appalachians, including species of Pseudotremia . Suggested vernacular name: Loomis’s Rough-backed Millipede.

Description: Male holotype about 27 mm long, 2.3 mm wide, third antennal segment 1.45 mm long. Ocelli 19 on each side, well-formed, contiguous, darkly pigmented (fig. 1). Segmental shoulders prominent; midbody metazonites with 3–5 longitudinal rugae medial to shoulders, middorsally smooth; 12–13 strong lateral striations (figs. 2, 3). Color purplish gray-brown, mottled darker anteriorly.

Gonopods (figs. 4–6) robust, angiocoxites deeply divided on each side by U-shaped sinus; MAPs relatively narrow in lateral view, lacking apical and subapical spines; LAPs long, distally divided with dorsal branch much smaller, lateral branches curve inward and cross in midline. Colpoxites deeply divided but not conspicuously mitten-shaped. Colpocoxite processes absent. Ninth legs (fig. 7) with distal segment shorter than basal, basal segment (coxoprefemur) distally swollen, proximal knobs small.

Female similar to male.

Notes: This species is evidently a troglophile. The specimens are depigmented from long preservation.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. New species of Pseudotremia. Figs. 1 – 7, P. loomisi, n. sp. Fig. 1, ocelli. Fig. 2, metazonite, dorsal view. Fig. 3, diplosegment, lateral view. Fig. 4, gonopods, ventral view. Fig. 5, gonopods, anterior view. Fig. 6, gonopods, lateral view. Fig. 7, left ninth leg, posterior view. Fig. 8, ocelli of P. c o n t or ta, n. sp.