Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935

Wesener, Thomas, 2015, The Giant Pill-Millipedes of Nepal (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae) *, Zootaxa 3964 (3), pp. 301-320 : 309-311

Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935

Figures 2 C, 3B, 6A–E.

Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935: 128 (first description) Kophosphaera politissima — Attems 1936: 180 (description) Kophosphaera politissima — Jeekel 2001: 16 (list).

Types. 4 M and F syntypes, NHMW 100/189, India: Dobie Jhora, Kurseong; Sureil, Darjeeling distr., Eastern Himalayas.

Remarks. Mr. Schiller thankfully provided photographs of one male syntype specimen of the type series, which is not available for loan. The photographed specimen is in all characters identical with the Nepalese specimen described below.

Material examined. 1 M ( ZFMK Myr4176), 'field label 373 ' N6, Nepal, Taplejung District, lower Gunsa Khola to Lungthung [27°32'32.94"N, 87°55'8.47"E], open forest, bushes, 1650–1870 m, leg. J. Martens & W. Schawaller, 18.V.1988.

Re-diagnosis. Male anal shield only weakly bell-shaped, single long locking carina. Sensilla of gnathochilarium palpi in clusters. Podomere 2 of posterior telopods in apical half rapidly tapering.

Description. Measurements: male: 24.1 mm long, 10.5 mm (2nd) wide, 6.1 mm (2nd, highest!) high. Colouration faded because of long preservation in ethanol. Head, collum and remaining tergites light brown with a darker posterior margin, appendages light brown.

Head: Eyes with ca. 60 ocelli. Antennae short, protruding back to coxa 4. Antennomeres 1–5 with few longer setae, 6 more densely pubescent. Antennomere 6 laterally flattened. Size relations of antennomeres 1=2=3=4=5<<6. Disc with 72/77 apical cones. Mouthparts not dissected. Palpi of gnathochilarium with sensory cones arranged in clusters.

Collum glabrous except for marginal setae.

Thoracic shield surface like those of following tergites. Grooves shallow, without any ledges. Tergites 3–12 smooth, glabrous, shiny. Paratergite tips not projecting.

Anal shield massive, weakly bell-shaped ( Fig. 3 B), shiny and completely covered by tiny setae. Underside carrying single locking carina of medium length. Carina located close to margin.

Endotergum inner section covered with medium-length setae, each inserting in an elevated area ( Fig. 2 C). Between ridge and inner section, single, weak row of circular cuticular impressions. Externally, two rows of marginal bristles ( Fig. 2 C). Bristles short, ending well before tergite margin ( Fig. 2 C).

First stigma-carrying plate with a well-rounded projecting apex.

Pleurite 1 laterally elongated into a slender, sharp process. Pleurite 2 also weakly elongated into a broader and wellrounded process.

Leg 1 with 2 or 3, 2 with 3 or 5, 3 with 5 or 6 ventral spines. Leg pairs 4–21 with 6 or 7 ventral spines, many of them broken off. Legs 3–21 with single apical spine, which is absent in leg pairs 1 and 2. Coxa process strongly developed and well-rounded ( Fig. 6 A), absent from leg pair 1 and 2. Femur 1.7, tarsus 3.9 times longer than wide. Femur with short toothed ridge.

Male gonopore simple pit located centrally at the mesal margin of coxa 2.

Anterior telopod ( Figs 6 B, C): syncoxite narrow, only slightly wider than podomere 1, with few setae. Podomere 1 only slightly larger than podomere 2 or 3, rectangular, as narrow as podomere 2. Podomere 2 large, posterior process well visible in anterior view, process wide, curved towards podomere 3 and 4. Podomere 3 as long as but much slenderer than podomere 2. Podomere 4 long, reaching 1/3 the size of podomere 3, towards process of podomere 2 with two long sclerotized spines. All podomeres but 4th densely covered with long setae.

Posterior telopod ( Figs 6 D, E): typical for Kophosphaera , with 4 podomeres, 2 membranous ledges and lacking any lobes, spines or sclerotized teeth. Podomere 3 straight, 1.9 times longer than wide. Hollowed-out inner margin with membranous ledge. Podomere 4 well-developed, half as long as podomere 3. Immovable finger wide, apically tapering, shorter than podomeres 3 and 4. Podomere 1 and 2 in anterior view completely covered with setae, in posterior view podomere 1 setose, but podomere 2 only with marginal hair. Podomere 3 and 4 in posterior view glabrous, in anterior view podomere 3 with few setae at margins and basally, otherwise glabrous.

Female not examined.

Distribution. Originally described from Darjeeling, India, this species apparently also occurs in eastern-most Nepal.

Figures

FIGURE 2. SEM of tergites or endoterga of different Zephronia and Kophosphaera species. A: Zephronia montana (Karsch, 1881), ZMB 55, tergite surface; B: Zephronia nepalensis n. sp., holotype, SMF, endotergum; C: Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935, ZFMK MYR 4176, endotergum; D: K. shivapuri n. sp., holotype, SMF, endotergum; E: K. martensi n. sp., holotype, SMF, endotergum.

FIGURE 3. Multi-layer photographs, anal shield and posterior tergites, lateral view. All specimens were males. A: Zephronia nepalensis n. sp., holotype, SMF; B: Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935, ZFMK MYR 4176; C: K. shivapuri n. sp., holotype, SMF; D: K. martensi n. sp., holotype, SMF. Abbreviations: 12 T = tergite 12; AS = anal shield. Not to scale.

FIGURE 6. Kophosphaera politissima Attems, 1935, male, ZFMK MYR 4176. A: left leg 9, posterior view; B: right half of anterior telopod, anterior view; C: right anterior telopod, podomeres 2 – 4, lateral view; D: right posterior telopod, posterior view; E: right posterior telopod, anterior view. Abbreviations: IH = position of inner horns; Syn = syncoxite; numbers refer to podomere. Scale bars = 1 mm.