Inodesmus miconiae, Romero-Rincon & Alvear & Martínez-Torres & Robles-Piñeros, 2025

Romero-Rincon, Juan, Alvear, Santiago, Martínez-Torres, Daniela & Robles-Piñeros, Jairo, 2025, First record of the millipede family Haplodesmidae (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) from Colombia: two new species of Inodesmus Cook, 1896 from the Northern Andes, European Journal of Taxonomy 976 (1), pp. 33-46 : 40-43

Inodesmus miconiae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1DF9788E-9651-4D3A-89FE-825CC7662F34

Figs 5–8

Diagnosis

Males with head + 19 rings, females with head + 20 rings. Differs from other species of Inodesmus in the following telopodite features: pp straight; at large, pointed, and bent posteriorly; dp triangular and concave, directed laterobasally; mab partially curved behind meb (lateral process only), divided into two large processes; the medial process is directed laterally and shows strong torsion, bifurcated distally with two subtriangular processes; lateral process flattened and divided into two processes; the lateral process is formed by three small subtriangular processes, one trifurcated sub-process, and a simple medial process directed mediobasally; meb wide and flattened at its base, directed laterobasally with acuminate apex ( Fig. 6 ).

Etymology

The specific epithet, miconiae (noun, genetive case), is derived from the abundance of flowering plants of the genus Miconia in the only known habitat of the species.

Material examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♂; Cauca, Popayán, Hacienda Río Blanco , oak forest; [02°29.235′ N, 76°32.101′ W]; 1993 m a.s.l.; 9 Sep. 2023; A.S. Alvear leg.; under bark of decaying branch; daytime hand collection; MHNUC-MD-170.

Paratypes (total: 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 1 immature)

COLOMBIA • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; MHNUC-MD-176 • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; MHN-UPN-MD-198 • 1 ♀, 1 immature; same data as for holotype; MHNUC-MD-177 • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 10 Sep. 2023; A.S. Alvear and D. Dueñas leg.; ICN-MD-2914 • 3 ♀♀; same locality as for holotype; 2 Sep. 2023; A.S. Alvear and D. Pancho leg.; MHNUC-MD-175 .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Male with head + 19 rings, female with head + 20 rings ( Fig. 5 ). Average measurement of adult type specimens: male/female ca 7/ 9 mm long; maximum width ca 0.5/ 0.8 mm.

COLORATION. Collum and pleurotergites deep reddish brown 41 to dark reddish brown 44; prefemora moderate yellowish brown 77; remaining podomeres, head, sternites, and antennae yellowish white 92 to moderate yellowish pink 29.

HEAD. Head wider than high; narrower than collum; facing downwards ( Fig. 7A–C ); clypeus microvillous, with needle-like setae; frons, epicranium, and genae microgranulate ( Fig. 7A ). Antennae ( Fig. 7A–C ) short, stout, clavate, densely setose, and held close to head. Antennomere relative lengths as follows: 6> 5>1> 4>2> 3>7. Antennae with 4 sensory apical cones.

TRUNK. Anterior and posterior margins of collum broadly convex; corners rounded and hidden by paranota of second segment ( Fig. 7B–C ). Ring 2 tergite largest, extending laterally and anteriorly; paranota of ring 2 with three faintly defined tubercles ( Fig. 7B–C ). Posterior rings ( Fig. 7C, G ), up to ring 18, with a lateral row of 3 small tubercles, neither enlarged nor forming pseudo-paranota. Ozopore ( Fig. 7F ) very small, of irregular shape, and with double aperture. Internal closing of ozopore traceable, with neither evident elevation nor porostele. Pores internally and externally bordered by microtubercules, located just above or in middle of last lateral row of tubercles ( Fig. 7G ). Pore formula normal (5, 7, 9–10, 12–13, 15–19). Diplosternites ( Fig. 7D ) with a longitudinal impression slightly deeper than transverse impression. Ring 5 with eight acicular setae on anterior sternites and six on posterior sternites. Legs ( Fig. 7A, C, G ) short and stout; relative lengths of podomeres: tarsus>(prefemur≥ femur)> (tibia ≥ postfemur); claw about half length of postfemur. Spiracles not evident. Telson facing downwards. Paraprocts parallel to substrate and almost flat ( Fig. 7G–H ). Epiproct ( Fig. 7H–I ) distally projected, but short, flattened dorsoventrally, with four inconspicuous setae (spinnerets), each spinneret with a single low sheath, each seta inside a circular, deep, walled depression ( Fig. 7I ). Hypoproct ( Fig. 7H ) subtrapeziform with a slightly convex anterior margin. Tegument with microsculpture, especially along posterior edge of metazonites, anterior edge of head, collum, prozonites, lateral part of metazonite of second ring, and telson ( Fig. 7 ), mostly as a cellular mesh with narrow irregular folds. Integument further raised into subcircular tubercles of different sizes arranged in three transverse rows on collum and metatergites in rings 3–18 ( Fig. 7B–C, G ); all tubercles with a single short, acicular seta. Cell boundaries in posterior part of metazonite not extending basally past limbus ( Fig. 7E ). Primary limbus element with a regular set of rounded lobes and on secondary limbus element lobes more tooth-like ( Fig. 7E ). Prozonites sharply demarcated from metazonites ( Fig. 7B–C, G ). Anterior part of prozonite (a), transverse ridge (r) and posterior part of prozonite (b) not traceable ( Fig. 7E ).

GONOPOD. Oval aperture, rim slightly raised laterally and posteriorly. Cx ( Fig. 6 ) with microgranular integumental sculpture and two large setae. Telopodite ( Fig. 6 ) short, not reaching metazonite of segment 6 ( Fig. 5A ). Basal portion of telopodite with blunt, posteriorly directed projection arising posteromedially to junction with cx; with three large setae basally, increasing in size, positioned in a row on lateral edge of apical tab ( Fig. 6 ).

Remarks

Although the type locality of the species has been widely sampled, all specimens originate from a single location within a depression in the oak forest. The specimens were collected in an area measuring about 1.5 × 3.0 m that featured a notable abundance of plants of the genus Miconia ( Melastomataceae ). All specimens were discovered beneath the bark of small decomposing branches.

Distribution

Only known from the Hacienda Río Blanco in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

Fig. 5. Habitus of Inodesmus miconiae sp. nov., male holotype (above; MHNUC-MD-170) and female paratype (below; MHNUC-MD- 175). Scale bar: 2 mm.

Fig. 6. Inodesmus miconiae sp. nov., male paratype (MHN-UPN-MD-198). A. Ventral view of the gonopods. B. Left gonopod in ventral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 7. Inodesmus miconiae sp. nov., male paratype (A, D, H–I; ICN-MD-2914) and male paratype (B–C, E–G; MHN-UPN-MD-198). A. Ventrolateral view of head. B. Dorsal view of the anterior part of the body. C. Lateral view of the anterior part of the body. D. Midbody sternite. E. Sculpture of the prozonite. F. Ozopore. G. Lateral view of the posterior part of the body. H. Ventral view of telson. I. Spinnerets. Abbreviations: L = limbus; lo = lobe; o = ozopore; t = tooth-like lobe. Scale bars: A–B, G = 0.2 mm; C = 0.5 mm; D = 0.05 mm; E–F, I = 0.02 mm; H = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 8. Distribution map of the known species of Inodesmus Cook, 1896 in Colombia.