Brunsonia chelanoparva, Shear & Richart & Wong, 2020

Shear, William A., Richart, Casey H. & Wong, Victoria L., 2020, The millipede family Conotylidae in northwestern North America, with a complete bibliography of the family (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Heterochordeumatidea, Conotyloidea), Zootaxa 4753 (1), pp. 1-78 : 44-45

Brunsonia chelanoparva , new species

Figs. 168–172

Types: Male holotype, five male paratypes and nine female paratypes from WASHINGTON: Chelan Co., Lake Chelan , Wenatchee National Forest , Fields Point , elev. 360 m., 47.9699°N, - 120.2160°W, collected 26 October 2007, by W. Leonard, J. Baugh .

Diagnosis: The anterior gonopods are roughly similar to those of B. albertana , but more acute at the tip and with a short, anterior branch, while the posterior gonopod coxites are less complex, relatively smaller than that species, and with a very prominent warty area on the main branch.

Etymology: The species name is a combination of Lake Chelan, the type locality, and Latin parvus, noting the fact that it is the smaller of two species of Brunsonia syntopic there.

Description: Male holotype: Length, 12.5 mm. 21–23 ocelli in triangular patch. Metazonites with well-developed shoulders on all trunk segments, on midbody segments shoulders slightly below midline dorsum, with angular posterior corners, segmental setae acute, curved, moderately long. Color pale to medium brown, with well-defined dark purplish brown spots on segmental shoulders, lateral prozonites, less well-defined spots on either side of midline. Legpairs three to seven slightly encrassate compared to postgonopodal legs, femoral knobs on legpairs 4 and 5 only. Anterior gonopods ( Figs. 168 , 170, 171 ) very similar to those of B. albertana , but apically more acute, anterolateral rugose area less so. Channel from pore to gonopod tip occupied by long, filamentous pseudoflagellum ( Fig. 171 ). Posterior gonopod coxites ( Figs. 169 , 172 ) massive, channeled branch somewhat reduced, basal process displaced toward body of coxa, other branches apparently absent. Posterior gonopod prefemora distinctly clavate. Legpair 10 enlarged, with glands, legpair 11 prefemora with dorsally directed stout processes.

Female 12.5–13.0 mm long, nonsexual characters similar to male.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Notes: The filamentous structure occupying the posterior groove of the anterior gonopod is not known from any other species. It is hollow or possibly channeled, with a pore opening at the tip, which is slightly flared. The species and the following were in a mixed collection and when sorted out by size proved to be two different species. It is unusual to have two species of the same genus syntopic; perhaps each has distinct microhabitat preferences that were not recorded on the collection label.

Figures

FIGS. 161–169. Brunsonia spp. Figs. 161–167. Brunsonia wenatchee. Fig. 161. Anterior gonopods, anterior view. Fig. 162. Left posterior gonopod, posterior view. Figs. 163–167. Male legs 3–7, respectively. Figs. 168, 169. Brunsonia chelanoparva. Fig. 168. Left anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 169. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.

FIGS. 170–172. Brunsonia chelanoparva. Fig. 170. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 171. Detail of right anterior gonopod, ventral view. Fig. 172. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.