Amblyiulus hirtus, Evsyukov & Golovatch & Antić, 2021

Evsyukov, Aleksandr P., Golovatch, Sergei I. & Antic, Dragan Z., 2021, The millipede genera Amblyiulus Silvestri, 1896 and Syrioiulus Verhoeff, 1914 in the Caucasus, with notes on their distributions (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae), ZooKeys 1048, pp. 109-143 : 109

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1048.68454
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FC201D04-9877-4583-92C2-84CC80BB75A5
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/38675EEE-B4FE-4B8B-BDF2-3E77DAADE5BE
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:38675EEE-B4FE-4B8B-BDF2-3E77DAADE5BE
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Amblyiulus hirtus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Amblyiulus hirtus sp. nov.

Figs 1B View Figure 1 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 , 15B View Figure 15 , 16 View Figure 16

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ (ZMUM), Azerbaijan, NW above Bash-Layski ca. 20 km NNW of Sheki, 1250 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus , Acer , etc. forest, litter, 3.V.1987, leg. S. Golovatch, K. Eskov. Paratypes: 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (ZMUM), same collection data as holotype .

Non-type material.

Azerbaijan: 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ (ZMUM), SW of Kuba, 750 m a.s.l., Fagus , Quercus , Carpinus , etc. forest, litter and under bark, 23.IV.1987, leg. S. Golovatch, K. Eskov; Russia, Dagestan: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Kurush, 2550 m a.s.l., S slope, subalpine and alpine meadows, 20.VIII.1990, leg. G. Magomedov.

Diagnosis.

Assigned to the genus Amblyiulus primarily because of the presence of a rod on the posterior gonopod opisthomere. Differs from A. georgicus , perhaps the most similar congener known to date, by the following combination of somatic and gonopodal characters. Head with frontal setae; collum and metazonae of body rings each with a posterior whorl of setae. Promere narrow, with two side ridges. Solenomere apically with small filament-like processes. Rod of opisthomere relatively long.

Name.

To emphasise the presence of metazonal setae; adjective.

Description.

Holotype: length 27 mm, width 1.3 mm, number of body rings 51+2+T. Paratypes: length 25-30 mm, width 1.2-1.4 mm, number of body rings in adults, 45-67+1-3+T (♂♂); or length 27-28 mm, width 1.1-1.3 mm, number of body rings, 46-55+2-3+T (♀♀). Body subcylindrical (typical of Julidae ), metazonae and prozonae yellowish grey (Fig. 1B View Figure 1 ). Head, a few postcollum rings and telson slightly lighter than other body rings. Collum slightly more vividly reddish. Antennae, mouthparts, and legs yellow (Fig. 4A-C View Figure 4 ). Eyes absent. Metazonae with weak, dense, and regular striations, 21-23 striae per quarter of metazonal surface, i.e., that between dorsal axial line and ozopore (Fig. 4A-G View Figure 4 ). Ozopores relatively large, with a stria in front, lying behind suture without touching it (Fig. 4H View Figure 4 ).

Antennae relatively long, in situ reaching ring 4. Head with 1+1 frontal, 8+8-9+9 labral and 2+2 supralabral setae (Fig. 4A-C View Figure 4 ). Gnathochilarium with three thick setae on each lamella lingualis; stipites without setae in medial part, but with three long setae at anterolateral margin (Fig. 4I View Figure 4 ). Collum and each following metazona with a whorl of setae at posterior margin (Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ). Epiproct poorly developed, triangular, with several setae (Fig. 4E, F View Figure 4 ). Hypoproct subtriangular, covered with long setae (Fig. 4G View Figure 4 ). Telson and anal valves densely setose, setae being long.

Male. Mandibular stipites unmodified (Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ). Leg pair 1 small, unciform, with a group of setae on coxa and at base of telopodite; telopodites curved anteriad, not anteromesad as in other species of Julidae (Fig. 4J, K View Figure 4 ). Leg pair 2 with a large pad on tibia and a small one on postfemur (Fig. 4L View Figure 4 ). Penes short and bifurcate. Ventral edge of male pleurotergum 7 with small subtriangular lamellae bordering the gonopodal aperture (Fig. 4M View Figure 4 ).

Gonopods (Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ) with anterior and posterior pair equal in height. Promere spoon-shaped, relatively narrow, constricted in basal third; with two ridges: mesal ridge prominent all along; lateral ridge short, located only in apical part of promere (Fig. 5B, H View Figure 5 ). Mesomeral process simple, flattened, ribbon-shaped, with a small membranous lobe on top (Fig. 5A, C, G, I View Figure 5 ). Opisthomere tripartite (Fig. 5A, C, E, F View Figure 5 ). Solenomere long, slightly curved, with a caudomesal lamella notched apically; apical part with a fovea and short filament-like processes (Fig. 5A, C, G, I View Figure 5 ). Solenomere sometimes with an additional filiform process apically (see Remarks under Syrioiulus taliscius ). Anterior process notched apically (Fig. 5A, C, E View Figure 5 ). Rod of solenomere relatively long, consisting of filament-like structures, lateral in position (Fig. 5A, D-G, I View Figure 5 ).

Female. First two leg pairs unmodified. Vulva rounded, operculum higher than bursa (Fig. 15B View Figure 15 ) and bilobed apically. Bursa asymmetric, lateral valve higher than mesal one. Each valve with two rows of long setae. Median field of bursa very short, narrow; emargination of median field suboval.

Remarks.

This species seems to be endemic to the eastern part of the Caucasus Major within both northeastern Azerbaijan and the Republic of Dagestan, Russia (Fig. 16 View Figure 16 ).

It is the presence of a laterally positioned rod that brings both A. georgicus and A. hirtus sp. nov. particularly close together. However, the rod in these two species is located laterally, whereas that in A. barroisi anteromesally ( Enghoff 1992: fig. 11; Golovatch 2018: fig. 10C). These differences seem to be quite important, but because those three species share not only the presence of a rod, but also a small, but discernible fovea on top of the solenomere, for the time being it seems best to regard the trio as members of Amblyiulus .