Zoosphaerium broelemanni, Wesener, 2009

Wesener, Thomas, 2009, Unexplored richness: discovery of 31 new species of Giant Pill-Millipedes endemic to Madagascar, with a special emphasis on microendemism (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida), Zootaxa 2097 (1), pp. 1-134 : 70-72

Zoosphaerium broelemanni , new species

Zoosphaerium hippocastanum, Brolemann 1922

NOT Zoosphaerium hippocastanum (Gervais, 1847)

Derivatio nominis: broelemanni , named after the myriapodologist Henry Wilfred Broelemann (1860–1933).

Studied material: 4 M, 3 F.

Holotype: 1 M (44 mm long), MNHN CB029 . Locus typicus: Madagascar, Province Antananarivo, "env. de Tanarive", coll. Academy Malgache, leg. Brolemann 1922.

Paratypes: 2 M, 3 F, MNHN CB029 , same data as holotype . 1 M, MNHN CB030 , same collection data as holotype .

Distribution: The exact type locality is unknown. This remarkable species was not found in recent collections made around Antananarivo.

Diagnosis: Large, almost 60 mm long. Males slightly (circa 10 mm) smaller than females. Color faded to brownish. Texture of tergites smooth and glabrous. First antennomere with groove, antennomeres 1–5 with sclerotized teeth, disc with circa 37–54 apical cones. Movable finger of posterior telopods slender and strongly elongated, not curved, with three thin spines (Fig. 48H), posterior side with circa 12 sclerotized teeth (Fig. 48I). One stridulation rib on male harp (Fig. 48E) and two on each side of female washboard. Third podomere of anterior telopods large, elongated (Fig. 48F). Two locking carinae on the anal shield, anterior carinae short, posterior three times longer than first (Fig. 48B). Operculum of vulva special-shaped, anterior margin weakly notched, prolonging operculum into two sharply-pointed lobes, both lobes of almost equal length (Fig. 48C).

Similar species: The special-shaped posterior telopods are unique in giant pill-millipedes. The anterior telopods are very similar to those of Z. tsingy , n. sp. the posterior telopods to those of Z. corystoides , n. sp. and the operculum of vulva to Z. platylabum ( de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) .

Description: Body length: Males (4 specimens): length up to 46 mm, width of thoracic shield up to 28.6 mm, height of thoracic shield up to 14.7 mm. Females (3 specimens): length up to 58 mm, width up to 30.3 mm, height up to 16.4 mm. Females 5–10 mm larger than males.

Coloration: In alcohol almost completely faded to brown. Natural coloration unknown.

Head: Eyes with more than 75 ocelli.

Antennae: Length of antennomeres: 1<2=3=4=5<6, sixth antennomere bearing disc with 37–54 apical cones. First antennomere of largest width, short and cylindrical, with groove. Sclerotized teeth at base of antennomeres 1–5.

Mouthparts not dissected.

Collum: Median part of collum glabrous.

Thoracic shield: Concave lateral extension wide and deeply excavated.

Tergites: Smooth and mostly glabrous. At high magnification (90x) very small, dot-like pits become visible. Paratergites margin projecting slightly posteriorly.

Endotergum: Inner section with numerous short spines and long bristles. Between marginal ridge and inner area with one row of circular cuticular impressions. Circular impressions small, in regular distance of each other. Distance equal to two times of patterns diameter. Externally one row of marginal bristles, standing very closely to each other. Bristles scaly, short, reaching half to 2/3 towards tergite margin.

Anal shield: Sexually dimorphic, in females well-rounded, neither bell-shaped nor tapered. In males weakly bell-shaped. Ventral side with two black locking carinae, located closely to laterotergites. Anterior carina short, posterior carina straight and long, three times longer than first (Fig. 48B).

Legs: Tarsi of first pair of legs with five up to seven, second with six up to eight and third with 8–10 ventral spines. First two leg pairs with only weakly curved claws and without apical spine. Tarsi of legs 4–21 with curved claws, 10–12 ventral spines and one apical spine. Femur 1.9 and tarsi 4.9 times longer than wide.

Stigmatic plates: First plate lobe long, with pointed tip (Fig. 48A).

FIGURE 048. Zoosphaerium broelemanni n. sp., A, B, D–I holotype, C, female paratype, A: first left coxa with first stigmatic plate, posterior view; B: left side of anal shield with locking carinae, ventral view; C: right second coxa with vulva, posterior view; D: left second coxa with gonopore, posterior view; E: right half of anterior telopod, anterior view; F: last three podomeres of anterior telopod, posterior view; G: posterior telopod pair with inner horns, anterior view; H: right chela of posterior telopod, posterior view; I: detail of left chela of posterior telopods, posterior view. Abbreviations: 12T = 12th tergite; AS = anal shield; cav = cavity; cr-t = crenulated teeth; Cx = coxa; EP = external plate of vulva; IH = inner horns; IP = mesal plate of vulva; LT = laterotergite; O = operculum; s-p = sclerotized spot; scl-t = sclerotized teeth; SR = stridulation ribs; St = stigmatic plate. Drawings E–I not to scale. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Female sexual characters: Subanal plate with washboard, consisting of short, incontinuous stridulation ribs, with two ribs on each half. Vulva large, covering more than half of coxa. Operculum long, slightly extending beyond coxa. Apical margin of operculum medially weakly notched, elongated into two narrow, same-sized lobes with sharply-pointed tip (Fig. 48C). Mesal plate long, extending beyond coxa almost up to operculum height (Fig. 48C).

Male sexual characters: Male gonopore covered with large, sclerotized, undivided and rounded plate. Apical part of plate membranous (Fig. 48D). Anal shield weakly bell-shaped.

Anterior telopods (Figs 48E, F): Harp with single stridulation rib, rib strong and well-developed. Second podomere process lobe-like and little curved with rounded edges, reaching up to half of third joints height, apically with sclerotized spots. Third podomere almost as long as first podomere, cavity mesally with numerous sclerotized spots and circa five thin, sclerotized spines, laterally with circa eight crenulated, small teeth. One sclerotized spot and located apically.

Posterior telopods (Figs 48G–I): Movable finger slender and long, length 5 times greater than width, not tapering towards well-rounded tip. Hollowed-out inner margin with three small, sclerotized spines, on posterior aspect with circa 12 sclerotized teeth. Movable finger as wide as but slightly longer than fixed finger. Margin of fixed finger apically covered with few, minute sclerotized spots. First podomere glabrous, podomeres 2 and 3 covered on both sides with numerous, long isolated hairs, only tips of chela glabrous. Inner horns of syncoxite with pointed, slender tip.

Intraspecific variation: the number of apical cones on the antenna varies a lot, even in the same specimen. Too few specimens are known to evaluate the intraspecific variation of other characters.