Desmoxytes lingulata, Liu, Weixin, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Tian, Mingyi, 2014

Liu, Weixin, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Tian, Mingyi, 2014, A review of the dragon millipede genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923 in China, with descriptions of four new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 448, pp. 9-26 : 11

Taxon classification Animalia Polydesmida Paradoxosomatidae

Desmoxytes lingulata sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 3

Holotype.

♂ (SCAU), China, Guangxi, Guilin City, Pingle County, Ertang Town, Chaotianyan, 24°37.075'N, 110°45.501'E, 257 m, 29.IV.2013, leg. Tian Mingyi, Liu Weixin, Sun Feifei & Yin Haomin.

Paratypes.

3 ♂ (SCAU), same locality and collecting data as of the holotype.

Name.

To emphasize a peculiar, paramedian, linguiform, sternal process between ♂ coxae 5.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners in the paraterga being antler-shaped, the humped ♂ femur 6, combined with small, setose tubercles between ♂ coxae 3 and a peculiar sternal process between ♂ coxae 5, as well as the shout and curved gonopod femorite and a condensed solenophore.

Description.

Length ca 18.0-18.5 mm (♂), width of pro- and metaterga together with paraterga 0.8-1.0 and 1.8-2.0 mm (♂), respectively. Holotype 18.0 mm long, 0.8 and 2.0 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively. Head broadest, 1.2-1.4 mm (♂) (Fig. 1D). Coloration of material rather uniformly dark brownish (Fig. 1). Antennomeres 5 and 6, paraterga, posterior parts of metaterga, and sterna brownish to yellow brownish; apex of antennomere 7 pallid; a few basal podomeres yellowish (Fig. 1). Head densely setose, epicranial suture distinct (Fig. 1A). Antennae rather long and slender, reaching back until segment 7 or 8 (♂) when stretched dorsally, antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a compact apicodorsal group of bacilliform sensilla.

Prozonae very delicately microalveolate; surface below paraterga 2-4 rather shagreened and microspinulate (Fig. 2B), surface below following paraterga and metaterga finely microgranulate and moderately setose (Fig. 1D, E). Collum with three transverse rows of large, setigerous spines: 4+4 anterior, 2+2 intermediate, 1+1 posterior; paraterga stout and spiniform, directed dorsolaterad, with a setigerous spine anteriorly at base (Figs 1D, 2A). Metaterga 2-4 with 2+2 and 2+2 large setigerous spines arranged in two transverse rows (Figs 1D, 2B); metaterga 5-18 with three transverse rows of setigerous spines: 1+1 anterior; 1+1 intermediate, located at base of paraterga; 2+2 posterior, lateral spines of posterior rows much larger than the others in metaterga 2-18 (Figs 1E, 2C); metatergum 19 with 2+2(3) anterior and 2+2(3) posterior rows of setigerous spines of same size (Fig. 1F). Paraterga antler-shaped, very strongly developed, ca 0.8-1.0 times as long as body height. Paraterga 2-4 subvertical (Fig. 2B); following paraterga 5-18 rather long, evidently 2- or 3-dentate laterally, near tip of each denticle with a seta, directed dorsolaterally and ending up clearly above dorsum (Figs 1E, 2C); paraterga 19 short spines directed caudad (Fig. 1F). Ozopores rather inconspicuous. Transverse sulcus visible on metaterga 2-18. Pleurosternal carinae very evident on ♂ segments 2 and 3, obscure on the rest. Epiproct with 2+2 setigerous tubercles on lateral sides, and 1+1 paramedian ones near midway dorsally, tip subtruncate, lateral pre-apical papillae very distinct, tuberculiform. Hypoproct subtrapeziform, caudal margin very slightly concave, setigerous cones at caudal edge very small, widely separated (Fig. 1C, F). Axial line missing.

Sterna sparsely setose, cross-impressions faint (Fig. 1B). A paramedian pair of entirely separated, very small, setose tubercles between ♂ coxae 3 (Fig. 2D). A peculiar, paramedian, linguiform sternal process between ♂ coxae 5 (Figs 1A, G, 2E). Legs 1 short, following ones increasingly longer and slenderer towards telson, ca 3.5-4.0 (♂) times longer than body height. ♂ femur 6 with a very strong, mesal, distoventrally densely pilose apophysis in distal half (Figs 1I, 2F).

Gonopods (Figs 1H, 3A, B) subfalcate. Coxite subcylindrical, poorly setose distodorsally, about 1/3 as long as telopodite. Prefemoral portion rather long, about as long as acropodite, densely setose. Femorite short, curved dorsad, with seminal groove running entirely on mesal side, apically with a strongly condensed solenophore. Solenomere short, flagelliform, folded apically, rather faintly separated at base from solenophore.

Remarks.

This species seems to be especially similar to Desmoxytes cornuta Zhang & Li, 1982, from Guangxi, Guilin, Yangshuo. Obvious differences lie in a peculiar linguiform sternal process between ♂ coxae 5, combined with the stout, curved gonopod femorite and a condensed solenophore in Desmoxytes lingulata sp. n., as opposed to an elongated and suberect one in Desmoxytes cornuta (cf. Zhang and Li 1982).