Gasterogramma rusticum, Mesibov, 2003

Mesibov, Robert, 2003, The millipede genus Gasterogramma (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) in Tasmania, Australia, with descriptions of seven new species, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60 (2), pp. 207-219 : 216-217

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.24199/j.mmv.2003.60.21
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F6470A-FFF2-D754-FCCA-33E906FDFE8A
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Gasterogramma rusticum
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Gasterogramma rusticum View in CoL sp. nov.

Figures 8 View Figure 8 , 12 View Figure 12 (map)

Material examined. Holotype. Male. Australia, Tasmania. Christmas Hill, DQ 697095, 340 m, 10 Nov 1993, R. Mesibov, wet eucalypt forest, QVM 23 View Materials :16476.

Paratypes. 2 males, Little Claytons Rivulet, DQ 321385 [41º12´06´´ 146º11´24´´], 80 m, 31 Oct 1996, R. Mesibov, wet eucalypt forest, QVM 23 View Materials :40594; 2 males, Elizabeth Town , DQ633091 [41º28´07´´ 146º33´37´´], 210 m, 17 Sep 1997, R. Mesibov, wet eucalypt forest, QVM 23 View Materials :40600; 5 males, Gawler R., DQ277347 [41º14´08´´ 146º08´14´´], 150 m, 29 Apr 1999, K. Bonham, site 6b, blackwood forest, AM KS 85100 (formerly QVM 23 View Materials :41901) .

Other material. 31 males from 21 unique localities in northern Tasmania, including Caroline Creek, Christmas Hill, Dalgarth Forest Reserve, Dasher R., Don Reserve , Dulverton, Dysodile Hills, East Gawler R., Gog Range, Kelcey Tier, Latrobe, Lobster Rivulet, Long Hill, Marine Creek , Mersey R., Nook, Staggs Hill, Stella Glen, Warners Sugarloaf and Winter Brook .

Diagnosis. Gonopod with no femoral process or tibiotarsus; telopodite in posterior view with broadly notched tip, i.e. with 2 well-separated terminal teeth.

Description. Males c. 17–20 mm long and c. 1.8–2.0 mm wide at midbody. Body in both sexes lightly mottled with brownishpink pigmentation. Gonopod telopodites slender, more or less straight, lightly joined for about middle third of their length, a few short, coarse setae near bases just inside aperture (fig. 8). Aperture more or less ovoid, long axis transverse, posterior margin not noticeably raised. Telopodite slightly sinuous in lateral view, curving first anteriorly, then distally, then anteriorly, anterioposteriorly flattened towards its end and bending slightly laterally, broadly notched at its terminus to form two subequal teeth. No evidence of femoral process or tibiotarsus. Solenomerite short, helical, tapering process arising at about three-quarters of length of telopodite on its posterior face. Prostatic groove running distally and posteriorly on mesal side of telopodite, then bending first laterally, then mesally on posterior telopodite surface before running distally to enter solenomerite on its mesal side.

Distribution. In rainforest and wet eucalypt forest over c. 2300 km 2 in north-central Tasmania (fig. 12), from sea level to c. 700 m. Syntopic with G. psi at various locations through its range.

Etymology. From Latin rusticus, rural, adjective. Much of the range of this species is now an intensively farmed landscape.