Zephronia montis Semenyuk, Golovatch and 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 : 547-549

Zephronia montis Semenyuk, Golovatch and Wesener , sp. nov.

Figs 1D , 9B , 10 , 11

Material examined: Type specimens. Holotype male ( ZMUM), Vietnam, Gia Lai Province, Kon Ka Kinh National Park , near park headquarters (N 14°12' E 108°18', 1400–1500 m. a.s.l.), mixed tropical cloud forest, slopes, litter and under logs, V.2017, leg. I.I. Semenyuk . Paratype: 1 female ( ZFMK MYR 6435 ), same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Small, 28.5 mm long, chestnut-brown Zephronia with traces of green coloration on anterior tergites and with dark posterior margins. Surface shiny, glabrous, appendages dark green. Zephronia montis sp. nov. in its general characteristics fits into the Zephronia sensu stricto group, but differs from all known Zephronia species except Z. konkakinhensis sp. nov. in characters of their walking legs, in which the prefemora and femora are greatly expanded mesally, as long as wide and carrying numerous spine-like projections ( Fig. 10D ). Zephronia montis sp. nov. differs from Z. konkakinhensis sp. nov. mainly in anterior telopod structure; in the former its telopoditomere 4 ( Fig. 10A ) is much longer than in the latter ( Fig. 7A ).

Description. Measurements: Holotype male. Body length ca 30 mm, width of thoracic shield = 13.4 mm, of tergite 8 = 14.0 mm (= broadest), height of thoracic shield = 8 mm (= highest). Female paratype: length ca 28.6 mm, width of thoracic shield = 13.4 mm, of tergite 9 = 14.1 mm (= broadest), height of thoracic shield = 7.8 mm, of tergite 9 = 8.4 mm (= highest).

Coloration: Head dark brown. Tergites shiny, chocolate brown with slight green hue, coloration darker towards posterior of each tergite. Anal shield chocolate brown ( Fig. 1D ). Antennae and legs pale beige. Head: wide and short. Eyes with>65 ocelli. Aberrant ocellus located inside antennal groove. Antennae short, with rounded joints, protruding posteriorly to leg-pair 2 ( Fig. 10G ). Antennomere 1 with cuticular scales ( Fig. 11A ). Sizes of antennomeres 1>2>3=4=5<<6 ( Fig. 11A ). Antennomere 6 densely pubescent, with a single row of sensilla basiconica surrounding apical disc. Shape cylindrical, male apical disc with 48/38 apical sensory cones ( Fig. 11B ), that of female with 16/30 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 anterior margin carrying 4–8 isolated long setae. Thoracic shield: surface as in tergites (see below). Shallow grooves filled with numerous long setae, no keels. Tergites: surface shiny, glabrous. Tips of paratergites of midbody tergites straight, not projecting. Endotergum: inner section lacking any spines or long setae, tiny setae barely visible. Middle area with a single row of round, sparse, cuticular impressions. Apically, 2–3 rows of short marginal bristles protruding slightly beyond tergal margin ( Fig. 9B ). Bristles not smooth, with numerous small spicules ( Fig. 9B ). Anal shield: large and well-rounded, glabrous. Surface similar to that of tergites. Underside carrying a single, black, locking carina of medium length, located close to tergal margin. Legs: leg-pair 1 with 2, leg-pair 2 with 4, leg-pair 3 with 5 ventral spines. First two leg-pairs without an apical spine. Leg-pairs 4–21 with 8 ventral spines and an apical spine. In leg-pair 9, femur slightly wider than long, tarsus 3.1X longer than wide ( Fig. 10D ). All podomeres setose. Coxa with a large, well-rounded process. Prefemur with mesal margin expanded into a dentate margin featuring ca 10 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 1/3 of prefemur length ( Fig. 10H ). Operculum rounded, projecting in a well-rounded mesal lobe. Subanal plate: large, high, triangular, with a well-rounded tip.

Male sexual characters: gonopore covered with a single, undivided, triangular, sclerotized plate. Anterior telopods ( Figs 10A–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 broad, wider than telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Process tapering apically, well-rounded, Telopoditomere 3 slender, 2.3X longer than wide, twice as long as telopoditomere 4. Telopoditomere 3 posteriorly with a row of ca 7 teeth apicolaterally, at midpoint with a single spine mesally. Telopoditomere 4 more slender and only half as long as telopoditomere 3, in posterior aspect without any teeth, but with two prominent spines. All podomeres covered with long sparse setae. Posterior telopods ( Figs 10E, F ): first telopoditomere narrow and wide, 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, 2.2X longer than wide, not curved, tapering apically. 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, 2.4X longer than telopoditomere 4. Margin towards immovable finger with a large membranous lobe and a single long and slender spine, posterior surface with a row of 16 crenulated and sclerotized teeth. Telopoditomere 4 slender, only half as wide as telopoditomere 3, 2.1X 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 with setae only at lateral margins.

Distribution and Ecology. The species is found sympatrically with Sphaerobelum konkakinhense sp. nov. The population density of Zephronia montis sp. nov. is even less than that of the Sphaerobelum . The same semisedentary lifestyle as in Sphaerobelum konkakinhense sp. nov. was observed in Zephronia montis sp. nov.

Name. Adjective, to emphasize the montane habitat restricted to the very top of a mountain.

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 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.

FIGURE 11. Zephronia montis sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM), right antenna. A. lateral view; B. apical view of disc. Scale bars: A = 1000 µm; B = 100 µm.