Desmoxytes waepyanensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha

Srisonchai, Ruttapon, Enghoff, Henrik, Likhitrakarn, Natdanai & Panha, Somsak, 2018, A revision of dragon millipedes I: genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, with the description of eight new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 761, pp. 1-177 : 1

Desmoxytes waepyanensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha sp. n. Figs 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98

Holotype.

Male (CUMZ), MYANMAR, Kayin State, 12 km south of Kamarmuang City, Wae Pyan Cave, 17°13'38"N, 97°37'24"E, ca. 24 m a.s.l., 20 June 2015, leg. S. Panha and FFI staffs.

Paratypes.

5 males, 12 females, 1 juvenile (CUMZ), 1 male, 1 female (ZMUC), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Differs from all congeners by having: metaterga 2-8 with two rows of 2+2 (anterior) setiferous cones and 3(2)+3(2) (posterior) setiferous spines; metaterga 9-18 with two rows of 3+3 (anterior) setiferous cones and 4(3)+4(3) (posterior) setiferous spines; ventral lobe (vll) of lamina lateralis short and stout, digitiform; process (plm) of lamina lateralis tube-like, quite long.

Etymology.

The name is a Latin adjective, referring to the type locality.

Description.

SIZE: Length 29-33 mm (male), 33-35 mm (female); width of midbody metazona ca. 2.2 mm (male), 2.8 mm (female). Width of head <collum = body ring 2 <3 = 4 <5-16, thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson.

COLOUR (Fig. 93 A–D): In life with body pinkish brown; paraterga pink; antenna brownish black, except distal part of antennomere 7 and antennomere 8 whitish; collum and metaterga pinkish brown; head, surface below paraterga, sterna and epiproct brown; legs brownish black; a few basal podomeres pink.

ANTENNAE (Fig. 94D): Moderately long and slender, reaching to body ring 6 (male) and 4-5 (female) when stretched dorsally.

COLLUM (Fig. 94A): With 3 transverse rows of setiferous tubercles, 4(5)+4(5) anterior, 1+1 intermediate and 3(2)+3(2) posterior tubercles (lateral tubercles of anterior row located almost at base of paraterga in some specimens); paraterga of collum low, elevated at ca. 15°-20°, directed caudolaterad, with one conspicuous setiferous notch on lateral margin.

TEGUMENT: Quite dull, but slightly shining; collum and metaterga microgranulate; prozona finely shagreened; surface below paraterga finely microgranulate; sterna and epiproct somewhat smooth.

METATERGA (Fig. 94 A–C): With 2 transverse rows of setiferous cones and spines; metaterga 2-8 with 2+2 anterior cones and 3(2)+3(2) posterior spines; metaterga 9-18 with 3+3 anterior cones and 4(3)+4(3) posterior spines; metatergum 19 with 3+3 anterior cones and 4+4 posterior cones.

PARATERGA (Fig. 94E, F): Directed caudolaterad on body rings 2-17, elevated at ca. 50° (male) 45° (female); directed increasingly caudad on body rings 18 and 19; anterior margin with 2 distinct notches, on lateral margin of body rings 9, 10, 12, 13, 15-18 with tiny denticle near the tip.

TELSON (Fig. 95 C–G): Epiproct: tip subtruncate, lateral setiferous tubercles and apical tubercles inconspicuous. Hypoproct subtrapeziform; caudal margin round, with small but conspicuous setiferous tubercles.

STERNA (Fig. 96): Cross-impressions shallow. Sternal lobe between male coxae 4 trapeziform, tip truncate, thin in lateral view.

LEGS (Fig. 95 H–J): Long and slender. Male femora 5 and 6 moderately humped ventrally in middle portion.

GONOPODS (Figs 97, 98): Coxa (cx) longer than prefemur. Cannula (ca) slender. Prefemur (pfe) ca. 2/3 as long as femur. Femur (fe) long and slender. Mesal sulcus (ms) and lateral sulcus (ls) conspicuous, deep. Postfemur (pof) conspicuous, ventrally wide. Solenophore (sph) well-developed: lamina lateralis (ll) swollen, broad; ventral lobe (vll) conspicuous, short and stout, digitiform: lamina medialis (lm) well-developed; process (plm) somewhat long, tube-like, tip usually terminating in three or two sharp small spines (in some specimens just one spine or tip blunt); distal lobe (dlm) distally with two lamellae, mesal lamella smaller and shorter than lateral one; broad lobe (blm) thick dorsally with ridges on edge. Solenomere (sl) relatively long.

Distribution and habitat.

Known only from the type locality in a limestone area (Fig. 93E). We assume that it is distributed in Kayin State. We made an intensive search for this species in September 2016 in Mawlamyine State (very close to Kayin State), however, no further specimens were found. Since it is so far known only from the type locality, D. waepyanensis sp. n. should be regarded as endemic to Myanmar.

Remarks.

The tip of process (plm) on lamina medialis is quite variable, having one, two, or three small spine(s), or being almost blunt in some specimens.

This species seems to be aposematic, to judge by the remarkable pink paraterga and pinkish brown body.

Coexisting species.

None known.