Balkanopetalum petrovi, Stoev & Enghoff, 2003

Stoev, Pavel & Enghoff, Henrik, 2003, Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of genus Balkanopetalum Verhoeff, 1926 (Diplopoda: Callipodida: Schizopetalidae), Zootaxa 272 (1), pp. 1-26 : 12-14

Balkanopetalum petrovi sp. n.

Figs 10­12 .

Material examined (all from Bulgaria): Holotype: adult M; 54 pleurotergites, length ca. 65 mm, width ca. 4 mm; NMNH­Sofia, Callipodida collection; Bulgaria, Eastern Rhodopi Mts. , Momchilgrad District , Ribino Village, Samara Cave, 11.10.1995, B. Petrov, P. Stoev leg. — Paratypes: East Rhodopi Mts. : 3 subad., Ribino Village, Samara Cave, 20.04.1995, B. Petrov leg. ; F, 2 subad., same locality, 11.10.1995, B. Petrov, P. Stoev leg. ; F, same locality, 20.09.1996, T. Ivanova , A. Georgieva leg. ; M, F, same locality and collectors, 03.01.1997; F, same locality, 01.05.1998, T. Ivanova leg .; 2 FF, subad., same village, Ogledalnata Peshtera (Aina­ini) Cave , guano, clay, 10.02.1998, B. Petrov leg. ; 2 MM, F, 4 juv. (1M, 1F, 4 juv., ZMUC), Kremen (Akcha) Village , Zlatnata yama (= Kremenskata Peshtera) Cave, 27.04.1996, B. Petrov, P. Stoev leg. ; M, 14 FF, same locality, 250 m alt., clay, 27.04.1996, P. Stoev, B. Petrov leg. ; 3 MM, F, same locality, 20.07.1996, T. Ivanova , T. Troanski leg .; F, 2 subad., same locality, 07.11.1999, B. Petrov, S. Beshkov, D. Vasilev leg. ; F, Krumovgrad Distr. , Krun Village near Kukuryak, mine gallery on the road, 700 m alt., under stones, 07.11.1999, B. Petrov, S. Beshkov, D. Vasilev leg.

Etymology. The species honors Boyan Petrov, a friend and colleague of P.S., who collected most of the specimens that are object of this study.

Description. Length: ca. 65 mm, Width ca. 4 mm, 53­54 body pleurotergites. Head concavity in males hairless; row of several bristles between the concavity and the labrum. Ocellaria composed of ca. 36­37 black ocelli. Antennomeres 1 and 5­8 white, 2­4 brown, speckled with irregular white spots.

Collum pale yellowish with much darker posterior part; with two anterior and six posterior setae.

All legs whitish­yellowish.

Usually sixteen (8+8) setae in posterior position on the seventh pleurotergite.

Chaetotaxy, see Table 4.

Male gonopods: coxa with a single anterior coxal process divided apically into two tines and with sparse setae. Posterior coxal process long, apically with a hook curving posteriad, i.e., in opposite direction of the femoroid. Femoroid elongate, apically curved anteriad. Distal process angular, sharp, pointed. Ovoid plate moderately long, rounded. Solenomerite trifid ( Figs 10, 11 ). Prefemur of male 7th leg­pair not swollen, mesally covered with sparse setae ( Fig. 12 ).

Notes. This species occurs in caves and deserted mine galleries in the regions of Ribino, Krun and Kremen, the East Rhodopi Mts. It is morphologically close to graecum , but differs in many aspects, most striking difference being the elongated stem of the femoroid (not broadened as a shield), the shape of the distal process of the femoroid and the unmodified prefemur of the male 7th leg­pair. In the region of Ribino it coexists with Harpolithobius banaticus rhodopensis Kaczmarek, 1975 (Chilopoda) and Trichoniscus rhodopiense Vandel, 1965 (Isopoda) .

Figures

FIGURES 10­12. Balkanopetalum petrovi sp.n. Figs. 10­11. Male gonopods, mesal (Fig. 10) and lateral (Fig. 11) views. Cx ­ Coxa; ACxPr ­ Anterior coxal process; PCxPr ­ Posterior coxal process; Fe ­ Femoroid; FePr ­ Femoroidal process; DPr ­ Distal process; OP ­ Ovoid plate; ST ­ Solenomerite; SG ­ Seminal groove. Fig. 12. Coxa, trochanter, prefemur and femur of male 7th legpair. Cx ­ Coxa; PFe ­ Prefemur; Fe ­ Femur.