Nannopetalum pattersonorum, Shear, William A., 2003

Shear, William A., 2003, The milliped family Trichopetalidae, Part 1: Introduction and Genera Trigenotyla Causey, Nannopetalum n. gen., and Causeyella n. gen. (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida, Cleidogonoidea), Zootaxa 321, pp. 1-36 : 14-15

Nannopetalum pattersonorum , n. sp.

Figs. 1–4

Types: Male holotype, 2 male paratypes and 3 female paratypes (FMNH) from Virginia, Prince Edward County, Hampden­Sydney College campus, Wilson Trail, near stream in maple­sycamore litter, collected 7 December 1988 by W. A. Shear. Male paratype (FMNH) from same locality, but behind Gilmer Hall, in pine bark­fern litter, collected 15 November 1987 by W. A. Shear.

Diagnosis: a larger species of Nannopetalum with seven (rarely six) ocelli on each side of the head.

Etymology: Named for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Patterson, whose generous bequest to Hampden­Sydney College aided this work.

Male holotype: Total length, 6.2 mm; width, 0.6 mm. Seven ocelli in T­shaped rows. Unpigmented. Segmental setae 50% body width. Segments with pronounced lateral striations; segmental shoulders moderately developed. Legpairs 3–7 enlarged, pairs 3 and 4 the most robust, pairs 5 to 7 more slender but still markedly larger than postgonopodal legs.

Gonopods ( Figs. 1–3 ) small, partly concealed. Sternal lobes moderately developed (s, Fig. 1 ). Coxae (cc, Fig. 1 ) with 2 lateral setae each on moderate shoulders; angiocoxites (acx, Fig. 1 ) strongly projecting basally, basal half set with typical trichomes, becoming longer distolaterally; 3 basal setae; anterior process with 5–6 coarse teeth, 4 apical setae; posterior process mesal, subtriangular, posteriorly curved. Fimbriate branch reduced. Colpocoxites (cc, Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 ) lobelike, squarish, small plumose processes on anterior faces. Ninth legs ( Fig. 4 ) as usual for the family; coxae slightly excavated on mesal side. Legpairs 10 and 11 with coxal glands, otherwise unmodified.

Female paratype: Total length 8.0 mm (extended specimens); width, 0.7 mm. Ocelli 7, curved row of 6, plus one out­of­row ocellus.

Distribution: Definitely known only from the Hampden­Sydney College campus, but six females taken in Prince Edward Co., Virginia, along the Bush River 3.2 miles northwest of Meherrin, from beech litter, conform to this species. These specimens were collected by me on May 15, 1977.

Discussion: Despite repeated sampling over the years of the exact spot where the types were collected, no further material came to light; however, none of these later samples were taken in winter. Finally, in January, 2003, a sample from the type locality contained a single male and two females.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Nannopetalum pattersonorum, n. sp. 1, gonopod complex, ventral view (SEM). 2, gonopods, anterior view. 3, gonopod colopocoxites, anterior view. 4, male ninth legpair, posterior view. Scale lines = 0.1 mm (100 µm).