Thagria asperitas, NIELSON, 2013

NIELSON, M. W., 2013, <strong> New records of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic sea anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) from the Weddell Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, and Scotia Arc </ strong>, Zootaxa 3625 (1), pp. 1-105 : 44

Thagria asperitas , sp. nov.

( Plate 1B , Figs. 8–14 )

Length. Male 7.80 mm; female unknown.

External morphology. Moderately long, slender species. General color dark brown. Crown yellow; eyes brown; pronotum and mesontum dark brown, with light brown markings on pronotum; forewings translucent light brown, without markings ( Plate 1B ); face light yellow with dark brown to black markings in sutures. Head narrower than pronotum, anterior margin obtusely rounded; crown broad, wider than eye width, produced about 1/ 3 entire median length, lateral margins convergent basally, disk depressed forming weak lateral carina; eyes large, slightly elongate ovoid; pronotum large, slightly longer medially than length of crown, weak, median longitudinal carina present, surface mildly rugulose; mesonotum large, slightly longer medially than length of pronotum; forewings typical; clypeus long, broad in anterior half, slightly convergent in distal half; clypellus short, base broad, inflated, abruptly convergent distally, apex rounded.

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view with short caudoventral lobe, lateral margins narrowed to rounded apex, caudodorsal margin with short, digitate lobe directed posterioventrally ( Fig. 8 ); segment X ventral processes concealed; aedeagus in dorsal view symmetrical, very long, about 3/4 as long as ventral paraphysis ( Figs.9, 10 ); ventral paraphysis asymmetrical, long with 2 apical processes, each directed laterally in dorsal view, processes unequal in length ( Figs.11, 12 ); style long, reaching to about midlength of paraphysis, very slender in distal half (Figs.12,13); connective typical; dorsal connective in dorsobasal view narrowly Y-shape, rami long. attached distally to lateral arms of segment X ventral process, stem short, narrow ( Fig.13 ); subgenital plate typical, tuft of long setae apically ( Fig. 14 ).

Material examined. Holotype male. CHINA: Nan ling Ruyuan Guangdong stream, 1500 m., 9.V.2004, Leg P. Grootaert ( IRSNB).

Etymology. The name is descriptive for uneven length of the apical, ventral paraphysis processes.

Remarks. From damenglongensis Zhang to which it is similar in male genitalia, asperitas can be separated by the configuration of apical process of the ventral paraphysis, the narrower pygofer caudoventral lobe, shorter pygofer caudodorsal process which is directed posteriorly and by the more slender apophysis of the style.

Figures

PLATE 1. A–H. Thagria, dorsal habitus. (A) Thagria aenigmatis, sp. nov., holotype; (B) Thagria asperitas, sp. nov., holotype; (C) Thagria biretrorsa, sp. nov., holotype; (D) Thagria colorata, sp. nov., holotype; (E) Thagria coniunctionis, sp. nov., holotype; (F) Thagria constanti, sp. nov., holotype; (G) Thagria fidelitas, sp. nov., holotype; (H) Thagria freytagi, sp.

FIGURES 8–14. Thagria asperitas, sp. nov. (8) pygofer and concealed ventral process of segment X, lateral view; (9) aedeagus and ventral paraphysis, dorsal view; (10) aedeagus and ventral paraphysis, lateral view; (11) style, lateral view; (12) style, dorsal view); (13) dorsal connective and concealed ventral process of segment X, dorsobasal view; (14) subgenital plate, lateral view.