Eutrichodesmus obliteratus Golovatch, Geoffroy, Mauries & VandenSpiegel

Golovatch, Sergei I., Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, Mauries, Jean-Paul & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2015, Review of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910, in China, with descriptions of new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae), ZooKeys 505, pp. 1-34 : 12-16

Taxon classification Animalia Polydesmida Haplodesmidae

Eutrichodesmus obliteratus Golovatch, Geoffroy, Mauries & VandenSpiegel sp. n. Figs 14, 15

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (MNHN JC 372), China, Guizhou Prov., Guanling County, Huajiang Town, Cave Huashiban Dong (Slippery Cave), 26.VII.2005, leg. L. Latella & D. Avesani.

Paratypes: 1 ♂ (MNHN JC 372), 1 ♀ (SEM), same data, together with holotype.

Name.

To emphasize the mostly obliterate metatergal tuberculation; adjective.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners by the largely obliterate metatergal tuberculation (even those at the fore margin of metetergum 2), the rather broad and strongly declivous paraterga which are set at about 30° to the vertical axis and continue the outline of the sides above paraterga, coupled with three irregular rows of very flat setigerous bosses per metatergum, and the fairly complex gonopod telopodite (see also Key below).

Description.

Length of adults ca 10 mm, width 1.0-1.1 and 2.1-2.2 mm on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively (♂, ♀). Holotype ca 1.1 and 2.2 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively. Coloration entirely pallid.

All characters as in Eutrichodesmus triangularis sp. n., except as follows.

Body with 20 segments (♂, ♀), conglobation pattern typical of “doratodesmoids”, volvation apparently being incomplete because of broad and only rather strongly declivous paraterga. Antennae rather long and poorly clavate (Fig. 14G). Collum not covering the head from above, fore margin clearly lobulate and slightly elevated, with abundant, flat, mostly obliterate bosses arranged in a regular row of lobulations only at anterior margin (Fig. 14A, D, G). Metaterga behind collum with three transverse, rather irregular, mixostictic rows of similarly flat, largely obliterate, longitudinally oblong, setigerous bosses extending onto paraterga, usually about 13-14+13-14 per row (Fig. 14 A–F); mid-dorsal regions of metaterga not elevated; caudomarginal lobulations numerous, usually evident across the dorsum (Fig. 14 A–F); limbus microcrenu late. Paraterga with evident shoulders anteriorly, very broad, rather strongly declivous, directed ventrolaterad at about 70° to similarly declined sides above paraterga (Fig. 14J), tips lying clearly below level of venter, usually rather distinctly tri- to quadrilobate laterally, gradually increasing in number towards paraterga 19; anterolaterals usually wanting, even on segment 2 rather vague (Fig. 14A, G). Paraterga 2 strongly enlarged, directed ventrad (Fig. 14A, D, H), lateral margin broadly rounded, with few, rather vague lobulations; a full row of caudolaterals located above schism, both schism and hyposchism being small (Fig. 14A). Tergal setae short, 2-segmented, apical part setoid (Fig. 14L). Pore formula normal, ozopores indistinct, open flush on surface and located at about caudal 1/3 of paratergite and well removed from lateral margin (Fig. 14K). Epiproct strongly flattened dorsoventrally (Fig. 14C, F, I). Hypoproct subtrapeziform (Fig. 14I).

Sterna usually with a rather deep, narrow depression between coxae (Fig. 14 G–I). Legs long and slender, about as long as body height (Figs 14 G–J, 15A), only coxae and most surface of prefemora finely micropapillate (Fig. 15A).

Gonopods (Fig. 15B, C) rather complex. Coxae subquadrate, large, micropapillate and densely setose on lateral face, with only a small round lobe caudolaterally. Telopodite considerably longer than coxite, moderately curved ventrad, setose over its basal 1/3 until base of a prominent, subspiniform, abundantly microtuberculate, distofemoral process (dp), the latter situated at about basal 1/3 of telopodite, acropodite twisted, in basal 1/3 with two small, flat, subtriangular teeth, one, larger, mesal (x), the other, smaller, lateral (y); tip acuminate and axe-shaped; seminal groove terminating subapically on another low, subtriangular tooth (z); a hairpad wanting.

Remark.

More information on this cave and its fauna can be found in Latella and Hu (2008) and in Latella and Zorzin (2008).