Zephronia konkakinhensis Semenyuk, Golovatch & Wesener, 2018

Semenyuk, Irina, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Wesener, Thomas, 2018, Four new species of giant pill-millipedes from Vietnam (Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae), Zootaxa 4459 (3), pp. 535-550 : 544-546

Zephronia konkakinhensis Semenyuk, Golovatch & Wesener , sp. nov.

Figs 1C , 7–8 , 9A

Material examined: Type specimens. Holotype male ( ZMUM), Vietnam, Gia Lai Province, Kon Ka Kinh National Park , near Krong village (N 14°18' E 108°26', 800–900 m. a.s.l.), monsoon mixed tropical forest, slopes, litter and under logs, V.2017, leg. I.I. Semenyuk. Paratype : 1 female, ZFMK MYR 6260 , same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, up to 36 mm long, chestnut-brown Zephronia with a dark posterior margin of terga, a shiny weakly coriaceous, glabrous surface and light brown appendages. Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov. fits the general characteristics of the Zephronia sensu stricto group, but differs from all known Zephronia species except Z. montis sp. nov. in features of their walking legs, in which the prefemora and femora are greatly expanded mesally, being as long as wide, and carrying numerous spine-like projections in konkakinhensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 7H ). Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov. differs from Z. montis sp. nov., mainly in anterior telopod structure, and much shorter telopoditomere 4 in the former ( Fig. 7A ) than in the latter ( Fig. 10A ).

Description. Measurements: Holotype male. Body length ca 34 mm, width of thoracic shield = 15.6 mm, of tergite 8 = 16.4 mm (= broadest), height of thoracic shield = 8.8 mm, of tergite 8 = 9.8 mm (= highest). Female: length ca 36 mm, width of thoracic shield = 16 mm, of tergite 8 = 17.2 mm (= broadest), height of thoracic shield = 9.5 mm, of tergite 8 = 11.3 mm (= highest). Coloration: in live specimens chestnut-brown, shiny, posterior margin of tergites dark brown ( Fig. 1C ). Head and collum dark olive-black. Anal shield shiny and chestnut-brown like tergites. Antennae and legs light brown, beige. Head: wide and short. Eyes with>60 ocelli. Aberrant ocellus located inside antennal groove. Antennae short, with rounded joints ( Fig. 7D ), protruding posteriorly to leg-pair 3. Sizes of antennomeres 1>2=3=4=5<<6 ( Fig. 8A ). Antennomere 6 densely pubescent, with a few sensilla basiconica surrounding apical disc. Shape cylindrical, male apical disc with 55/56 apical sensory cones ( Fig. 8B ), that of female with 48/51 apical cones. Organ of Tömösváry located on a special crest-like brim at margin of antennal groove, orientated towards eyes. Gnathochilarium: structure typical of the order. Stipites and paramentum bearing several long setae. Mandibles (not examined). Stigmatic plates: first stigmatic plate triangular, apex broadly rounded, curved towards coxa 1. Laterotergites: first laterotergite tip weakly extended, well-rounded. Collum: glabrous, except for margins which have a few isolated and long setae. Thoracic shield: surface as in tergites. Shallow grooves filled with numerous long setae, no keels. Tergites: surface shiny, glabrous, weakly coriaceous. Tips of paratergites of midbody tergites straight, not projecting posteriorly. Endotergum: inner section without spines or longer setae, tiny setae visible. Middle area with a single row of round, sparse, cuticular impressions. Apically, 3–4 dense rows of short marginal bristles, the latter not reaching the tergal margin ( Fig. 9A ). Bristles not smooth, but with numerous small spicules ( Fig. 9A ). Anal shield: large and well-rounded, glabrous. Surface similar to that of tergites. Underside carrying a single, black, locking carina of medium length, which is close to tergal margin. Legs: leg-pair 1 with 2 or 3, leg-pair 2 with 4, leg-pair 3 with 5 or 6 ventral spines. First two leg-pairs without an apical spine. Leg-pairs 4–21 with 9 ventral spines and an apical spine. In leg-pair 9, femur as long as wide, tarsus 3.9X longer than wide ( Fig. 7H ). All podomeres setose. Coxa with a large, well-rounded process. Prefemur expanded into a dentate mesal margin featuring ca 12 teeth. Femur mesally expanded into a dentate margin featuring 12–14 teeth.

Female sexual characters: vulva large, covering 1/2 of coxa, extending mesally to half of prefemur length ( Fig. 7G ). Operculum rounded, projecting into a well-rounded mesal lobe.

Subanal plate: large, tall, triangular, with a well-rounded tip.

Male sexual characters: gonopore covered with a single, undivided, triangular, sclerotized plate. Anterior telopods ( Figs 7A–C ): first telopoditomere rectangular, slightly longer than wide. Telopoditomere 2 large, as long as telopoditomeres 3 and 4 combined. Process of telopoditomere 2 located posteriorly, but partly visible laterally in anterior view. Process wide, broader than telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Process tapering apically, well-rounded.

Telopoditomere 3 slender, 2.3X longer than wide, more than 4X longer than short telopoditomere 4. Telopoditomere 3 posteriorly with a row of 8 teeth apicolaterally, at midpoint with a single spine mesally. Telopoditomere 4 very short, in posterior aspect without any teeth, but with two prominent spines. All podomeres covered with long sparse setae, except for posterior surface of telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Posterior telopods ( Figs 7E, F ): first telopoditomere stout and narrow, twice as wide as high. Immovable finger (process of telopoditomere 2) longer than movable finger and consisting of telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Immovable finger slender, 2.8X longer than wide, weakly tapering apically, not curved. Margin towards movable finger genus-characteristic, with two large, triangular, membranous lobes and several rows of circular sclerotized spots. Telopoditomere 3 elongated, typical of the genus, 3.8X longer than telopoditomere 4. Margin near immovable finger with a large membranous lobe and a single long and slender spine, posterior surface with a row of 12 crenulate and sclerotized teeth. Telopoditomere 4 slender, only half as wide as telopoditomere 3, 3.6X longer than wide, slightly tapering apically, at inner margin with two long spines and a single membranous lobe. Entire telopod on anterior side covered with long setae, except for telopoditomere 4. In posterior view, telopoditomeres 3 and 4 setose only at lateral margins.

Distribution and Ecology. In May, this species is widespread on several slopes (up to 80° inclination) and hill tops at 700–900 m elevations. Both mature and disturbed forests are inhabited by these millipedes, which are found only in a single small area in the National Park, while other similar adjacent forests seem to lack this species. The millipedes inhabit leaf litter and walk on the forest floor. Their density is higher in forest patches with thick leaf litter. Activity occurs both in daylight and at night. When disturbed, the millipedes roll up, but unroll quite quickly and start actively moving.

Name. Adjective, to emphasize Kon Ka Kinh National Park, its type locality ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map with pictures of live specimens. A. Sphaerobelum cattiense sp. nov.; B. Sphaerobelum konkakinhense sp. nov.; C. Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov.; D. Zephronia montis sp. nov.

FIGURE 7. Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov., A–F, H = male holotype (ZMUM), G = female paratype (ZFMK MYR6260). A. right anterior telopod, anterior view; B. right anterior telopod, lateral view; C. right anterior telopod, posterior view; D. left antenna; E. right posterior telopod, posterior view; F. left posterior telopod, anterior view; G. left coxa and prefemur with vulva; H. right leg 9, anterior view.

FIGURE 8. Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM), right antenna. A. lateral view; B. apical view of disc. Scale bars: A = 1000 µm; B = 200 µm.

FIGURE 9. Endoterga of midbody rings. A. Zephronia konkakinhensis sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM); B. Zephronia montis sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM). Scale bars: 100 µm.

FIGURE 10. Zephronia montis sp. nov. A–G = male holotype, H = female paratype (ZFMK MYR6435). A. anterior telopod, anterior view; B. anterior telopod, lateral view: C. anterior telopod, posterior view; D. leg 9, anterior view; E. posterior telopod, anterior view; F. anterior telopod, posterior view; G. right antenna; H: vulva.