Desmoxytes lui, Golovatch, Sergei I., Li, Youbang, Liu, Weixin & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2012

Golovatch, Sergei I., Li, Youbang, Liu, Weixin & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2012, Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 185, pp. 1-17 : 9-11

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.185.3082

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8E8A37DD-0AD8-B3E3-427B-8DE9F9062757

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Desmoxytes lui
status

sp. n.

Desmoxytes lui   ZBK sp. n. Figs 56

Holotype.

♂(IZAS), China, Guangxi Prov., Yongfu County, Shangxiao, Cave Dachong Dong, 17.I.2012, leg. Li Youbang and Lu Shiyi (CHIgx12-LYB03).

Paratypes.

1 ♀ (GNUG), 1 ♀ juv. (MNHN JA 131), same locality, together with holotype.

Name.

To honour Mr Lu Shiyi, one of the collectors.

Diagnosis.

Differs in the paraterga being spiniform only until segment 5, combined with the gonopods being strongly condensed, ♂femora 6 humped. See also Key below.

Description.

Length ca 36 (♂), 43 mm (♀) or 40 mm (1 ♀ juvenile with 19 segments); width of pro- and metaterga together with paraterga 2.0 and 2.2 (♂), 3.2 and 3.4 mm (♀) or 3.0 and 3.1 mm (1 ♀ juvenile with 19 segments), respectively.

Body strongly moniliform (Fig. 5 A–C). Coloration of alcohol material rather uniformly light pink-brownish to nearly pallid, anterior body part a little darker, pinkish (Fig. 5). Antennomere 7 dark brown (even in the juvenile). In width, segment 3 = 4 <head <collum = segment 2 <6 = 16; thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson. Head very densely setose throughout, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae extremely long and slender, reaching back to segment 9 (♂) or 7 (♀) dorsally, antennomeres 5 and 6 each with an apicodorsal compact group of bacilliform sensilla.

Tegument rather smooth and poorly shining, prozona very delicately microalveolate, metaterga finely shagreened to microgranulate/microspiculate, surface below paraterga finely shagreened to microgranulate. Collum with 6+6(7) evident setigerous spinules in a row at front margin, behind it with about 4+4 smaller spinules in an irregular transverse row.

Following metaterga with a pattern of similar, smaller, 3+3 and 3+3 spinules in two transverse rows, last row gradually growing up to 6+6 until segment 19. Collum and following metaterga 2-4 with straight, spiniform paraterga, about as long as body height in ♂, a little shorter in ♀ and juvenile (Fig. 5 A–C), directed much more dorsally than laterally and ending up clearly above dorsum; paraterga 5 only slightly shorter than preceding ones; paraterga 6-18 contrasting short, coni- to dentiform; paraterga 19 subhorizontal, about level with dorsum, directed clearly caudad and reaching behind until about midlength (♂) or front third (♀) along telson. Paraterga 1-5 with two rather evident, setigerous indentations/spinules/knobs frontally and a short tooth posteriorly at base (Fig. 5A). Stricture between pro- and metazona very broad and shallow, always smooth at bottom (Fig. 5B, C). Pore formula normal; ozopores inconspicuous, located just at base on lateral side of poriferous paraterga. Transverse sulcus usually very vague, traceable in segments 4-18. Pleurosternal carinae evident only in segments 2 and 3 (Fig. 5A). Epiproct (Fig. 5C, D) rather simple, lateral pre-apical papillae very distinct, finger-shaped. Hypoproct (Fig. 5D) subtrapeziform, caudal margin emarginate, setigerous cones at caudal edge very large, widely separated. Axial line missing.

Sterna quite densely setose, cross-impressions faint. A paramedian pair of entirely separated, short, rounded, setose tubercles between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 6A). Legs (Fig. 5A, B) extremely long and slender, ca 6.0 (♂) or 4.5 (♀) times longer than midbody height. ♂femora 6 strongly inflated ventrally in distal quarter (Fig. 5B).

Gonopods (Fig. 6 B–D) simple. Coxite rather short, subcylindrical, poorly setose distodorsally, about 1/3 times as long as telopodite. Prefemoral portion (= densely setose) about half as long as acropodite. Femorite (fe) rather slender, elongate, only slightly enlarged distad, with seminal groove running entirely on mesal face, also with a distinct sulcus demarcating a short, strongly condensed solenophore (sph). The latter distinguished by a somewhat folded lamina medialis (lm) and a simpler lamina lateralis (ll). Solenomere (sl) similarly short, flagelliform, evidently separated at base from solenophore.