Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980

Golovatch, Sergei, Evsyukov, Aleksandr & Reip, Hans S., 2015, Colobognatha millipedes in the Caucasus (Diplopoda: Polyzoniida, Platydesmida, Siphonocryptida), Zootaxa 3972 (2), pp. 250-266 : 257-259

Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980

Figs 4 , 5 , 9

Fioria sp.: Lokšina & Golovatch, 1979: 382 (M).

Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980: 459 (D).

Fioria hyrcana: Golovatch, 1981: 425 (R); Bababekova, 1996: 90 (M); Enghoff & Moravvej, 2005: 62 (M).

Material examined. 1 female ( ZMUM ρ2637), AZERBAIJAN, Istisu ca 8 km SW of Masally, Quercus , Acer , Carpinus etc., 80–140 m a.s.l., litter, under bark & stones, 19–20.X.1983; 1 female ( ZMUM ρ2638), Lenkoran Distr., Apo ca 8 km SW of Alekseevka, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, Quercus , Acer , Carpinus , Parrotia etc. forest, 250–370 m a.s.l., litter, rotten wood & under stones, 14–16.X.1983; 9 males, 4 females, 2 juveniles ( ZMUM ρ2639, ρ2640), Lenkoran Distr., Alekseevka, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, 50 m a.s.l., Quercus , Parrotia , Carpinus etc. forest, litter, rotten wood, 13.X.1983, all leg. S. Golovatch; 1 female ( ZMUM ρ2641), same locality, litter, 26.I.– 4.II.1985, leg. A. Druk; 1 male, 1 juvenile (HR), Lerik Distr., Hyrcan Nature Reserve, Piran, northwestern town exit, N38.7340, E48.6441, 230 m a.s.l., pasture with single trees ( Parrotia , Zelkova , Crataegus ), under logs, 26.III.2015; 1 male, 2 females (HR), one female (UBS), Lerik Distr., Hyrcan Nature Reserve, road Lǝnkǝran–Lerik at road-km 32, N38.7638, E48.5819, 400 m a.s.l., small side valley, forest of Parrotia trees with some Quercus , in thick leaf litter, 26.III.2015; 4 males, 1 female, 1 juvenile (HR), one male, one female and one juvenile (UBS), Astara Distr., Hyrcan Nature Reserve, SW of Zünqüləş, N38.4480, E48.7597, 130 m a.s.l., end of small valley, steep slope, Parrotia , Quercus , Acer trees, in leaves, under tree trunks, 27.III.2015; 2 females (HR), Astara Distr., Hyrcan Nature Reserve, W of Zünqüləş, N38.4575, E48.7477, 50 m a.s.l., open valley with single Parrotia & Populus trees, meadow, under logs, 27.III.2015; 3 males, 4 females, 1 juvenile (HR), Lǝnkǝran Distr., Hyrcan Nature Reserve, SW of Aşağı Apu, N38.6726, E48.7362, 180 m a.s.l., Quercus forest, in leaves and rotten wood, 27.III.2015, all leg. H. Reip, D. Antić & F. Walther.

Descriptive notes. Length of adults 4.5–10.0 mm, width.0.8–1.0 mm, with 23–43 podous + 3–1 apodous segments + telson, regardless of sex. Length to width ratio (except for smallest juveniles)> 8:1.

Live coloration uniformly red-brown to yellow, alcohol material usually somewhat faded ( Fig. 4 ). Body only moderately flattened dorsoventrally, vermiform, regularly and modestly broadened until segment 4, similarly regularly and modestly narrowing towards telson on last 3 segments. Head small, subtriangular, only slightly narrower than collum and longer than broad, labrum broadly and regularly rounded, without a rostrum ( Fig. 4 A, C). Ocelli absent. Antennae short, C-shaped, strongly clavate; antennomere 6 largest ( Figs 4 A, 5A).

Collum ovoid, paraterga small, broadly rounded, dorsal surface with two transverse rows of 2+2 large, rounded tubercles. Following paraterga much larger, mostly set at about half of body height, broadly rounded and obtuseangled anteriorly, more narrowly rounded and acute-angled posteriorly, somewhat drawn behind tergal margin only in penultimate segment ( Fig. 4 ). Each metatergum likewise clearly domed and with two transverse rows of 2+2 (segments 2–4) or 3+3 (all following segments before telson) large, rounded tubercles. Tegument extremely densely micro-hirsute and dull all over. Ozopores lateral, small, inconspicuous, lying at bottom of a small incision at about half of paratergal length, starting with segment 5. Telson coniform, completely exposed in dorsal view ( Fig. 4 A, F).

Sterna large, but coxae almost in touch medially, mostly divided by a small, but evident, elongated elevation ( Fig. 4 E). Legs 6-segmented. Male coxa 2 with a short, tube-shaped, simple, basal gonapophysis directed caudomesad. Claws usually simple, only a few anteriormost ones each with a minute accessory claw at base. Coxal sacks starting with leg 3.

Anterior gonopods ( Fig. 5 B, C) plate-shaped, 6-segmented, strongly incrassate and stout. Posterior gonopods ( Fig. 5 D) 7-segmented, much slenderer, tarsus longest, with a long, midway, spiniform filament and a slightly expanded tip.

Remarks. This species, originally described from the Hyrcan Nature Reserve in SE Azerbaijan ( Golovatch 1980), seems to be endemic to Hyrcania within both the Republic of Azerbaijan’s southeastern part and northwestern Iran ( Golovatch 1980, 1981).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980), female (A) and male (B – F) topotypes. A: habitus, lateral view. B, C: anterior part of body, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. D, E: middle part of body, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. F: posterior part of body, dorsal view. Pictures by K. Makarov, taken not to scale.

FIGURE 5. Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980, male holotype. A: antenna, lateral view. B, C: anterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively. D: left posterior gonopod, anterior view. Scale bars: A, 0.3 mm; B – D, 0.1 mm. After Golovatch (1980).

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Colobognatha in the Caucasus and adjacent parts of Turkey and Iran. Blue square— Hirudisoma roseum (Victor, 1839); red asterisk— Fioria hyrcana Golovatch, 1980; green triangle— Hirudicryptus abchasicus sp. nov.