Nannopetalum vespertilio, 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 : 16-17

Nannopetalum vespertilio , n. sp.

Figs. 5–7

Types: Male holotype from North Carolina: Henderson Co., Bat Cave, collected in the cave 14 May 1977 by C. Holler (NCMNS).

Diagnosis: A very small species of Nannopetalum , lacking ocelli; the gonopod fimbriae are large and prominent.

Etymology: The species epithet is a noun in apposition, “bat”, and refers to the type locality.

Male holotype: Total length, 3.8 mm; width 0.4 mm. Ocelli absent. Unpigmented. Segmental setae 80% or more of body width, thin and curved; lacking prominent segmental striations; segmental shoulders well­developed, paranota­like. Legpairs three to seven encrassate, pair six the largest.

Gonopods ( Fig. 5 ) with sternal lobes much reduced, shifted laterally; coxae with fimbriations becoming larger distally, eventually forming long, branched process; mesal setal group of three on each side shifted laterally; angiocoxites slender, median process short, acute, lateral process blunt, with two thin apical branches ( Fig. 6 ); colpocoxites much reduced but with large fimbirate branches that appear to be basally fused. Ninth legs ( Fig. 7 ) typical; tenth and eleventh legpairs with coxal glands, otherwise unmodified.

Female unknown.

Distribution: Known only from Bat Cave, an unusual granite fissure cave not located in a karst area.

Notes: It is not at all clear if this species is really troglobitic. It is the smallest known trichopetalid and one of the smallest of all chilognath millipeds.

Nannopetalum fontis , n. sp. Fig. 8

Type: Male holotype and female paratype from Alabama: St. Clair Co., Springville Cave, Springville, collected 31 May 1962 by person or persons unknown (“DZ”) ( FSCA).

Diagnosis: Small, eyeless species with complex gonopods, especially the posterior branch; the gonopods have strongly reduced fimbriae.

Etymology: The species epithet is a noun, Latin for “of the spring or fountain,” and refers to the type locality.

Male holotype: Total length, 4.75 mm; width 0.5 mm. Unpigmented; eyeless. Segments without evident lateral striations; segmental shoulders moderately developed. Legpairs 3–6 only slightly enlarged, legpair 7 about equal to legpair 12.

Gonopods ( Fig. 8 ) with reduced coxosternum. Coxae (c) with median group of 2 setae shifted to posterior position, lateral group of 3 setae on prominent shoulders; angiocoxite branch complex (ac), with 4 terminations; anterior fimbriae reduced to a few hardly visible scales. Colpocoxites (cc) simple, large, lobe­like; fimbriate branch not seen. Ninth legs (t9) typical; prefemur with small terminal nubbin. Legpairs 10 and 11 with glands, coxae not modified.

Female paratype: Total length, 4.5 mm; width, 0.5 mm. All somatic characters similar to male.

Distribution: Known only from the type collection.

Notes: The general appearance of members of this species is that of troglobites. In the vial with the type specimens were a female and an immature specimen of Scoterpes . There are no other records of Scoterpes from Springville Cave, and the only species found in the vicinity is S. syntheticum (Shear) . If the presence of a Scoterpes species in Springville Cave can be verified, this would be the first and only known case of syntopy between two troglobitic trichopetalids.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Gonopods and ninth legs of Nannopetalum fontis, n. sp. Scale line = 0.1 mm (100 µm).

FIGURES 5 – 7. Nannopetalum vespertilio, n. sp. 5, gonopods, anterior view. 6, angiocoxite, mesal view. 7. male left ninth leg telopodite, anterior view. Scale lines = 0.1 mm (100 µm).