Martvilia parva, Antić & Reip, 2020

Antić, Dragan Ž. & Reip, Hans S., 2020, The millipede genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 in the Caucasus, with descriptions of eleven new species, erection of a new monotypic genus and notes on the tribe Leucogeorgiini (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 713, pp. 1-106 : 81-84

Martvilia parva gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8EDFD6FB-21FA-4C5D-8B56-89EE5EAEFC74

Figs 50–51 , 56 , 58

Diagnosis

As for the genus.

Etymology

From the Latin ʻ parvus ʼ (= ʻsmallʼ), reflecting the small size of the species. Adjective.

Material examined

Holotype

CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti • ♂; Askhi karst Massif , near Martvili, Jortsku Cave ; 42.51° N, 42.42° E; 2 Feb. 2017; D.M. Palatov and A.M. Sokolova leg.; ZMUM.

Paratypes

CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZMUM .

Other material

CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti • 1 ♀; Martvili District, Askhi karst Massif , near Balda village, Motena Cave ; 42.47° N, 42.39° E; 30 Jan. 2017; D.M. Palatov leg.; IZB .

Description

SIZE AND NUMBER OF BODY RINGS. Holotype male 12 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.15 mm, body with 27 podous rings + 1 apodous ring + telson. Paratype male 15 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.2 mm, body with 30 podous rings + 2 apodous rings + telson. Paratype female 11.5 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.15 mm, body with 25 podous rings + 1 apodous ring + telson. Non-type female 15 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.5 mm, body with 33 podous rings + 0 apodous ring + telson.

COLOUR ( Fig. 50 ). Yellowish white in alcohol.

HEAD ( Fig. 50B ). Without ommatidia. Frontal setae absent. Mouthparts modified. Labrum without labral teeth, with five supralabral setae in holotype and paratype males, and 24 labral setae in paratype male. Gnathochilarium (paratype male) with a subtriangular promentum; lamellae linguales with 2+2 long distal setae; stipites with 2+2 long distolateral setae; no other setae. Antennae 1.7 mm long in holotype male, their length ca 150% of vertical diameter of largest body ring. Lengths of antennomeres I–VIII (in mm): 0.11 (I), 0.43 (II), 0.33 (III), 0.3 (IV), 0.29 (V), 0.16 (VI), 0.06 (VII) and 0.02 (VIII). Length/width ratio of antennomeres I–VII: 0.8 (I), 2.8 (II), 2.2 (III), 2 (IV), 1.7 (V), 0.9 (VI) and 0.57 (VII).Antennomeres V and VI each with a terminal corolla of large sensilla basiconica bacilliformia; antennomere VII with a terminal corolla of small sensilla basiconica bacilliformia.

BODY RINGS ( Fig. 50D ). Ventral and ventrolateral sides of metazonal areas with longitudinal striations. Dorsal side with poorly visible striations. Midbody setae short, barely visible, ca 4% of vertical diameter of rings.

TELSON ( Fig. 50C, F ). Epiproct with a short and blunt caudal process. Paraprocts rounded, with a few setae. Hypoproct subtrapezoid, with two long apical setae. Setae on telson mainly broken off.

LEGS IN MALES. First pair of legs modified, hook-shaped ( Fig. 51D ), with three podomeres; coxa with one seta; prefemur with two setae; femora, postfemora and tibiotarsi coalesced; femur with two setae, postfemur with one seta. Tip slightly tuberculate. Postfemoral and tibial ventral pads poorly developed on pregonopodal legs, then gradually disappearing on postgonopodal legs.

VENTRAL MARGIN OF MALE BODY RING 7 ( Fig. 50E ). Poorly developed, low, subquadrangular in lateral view.

PENES ( Fig. 51E ). More or less elongate, subquadrangular, apically with short subtriangular lobes.

GONOPODS ( Fig. 51 A–C). Promere (p) long and slender, straight, wider at base in anteroposterior view, with a flagellum (f); apical part excavate, with denticulate margins; basal half with two ridges. Mesomere (m) with a slender, straight, columnar anterior part, apically with a denticulate mesomeral claw (mc); mesomeral lamella (ml) reduced in size, directed posteriad, anterior margin smooth, posterodistal margin fimbriate, entire lamella covered with fimbriae. Opisthomere (o) bipartite. Anterior branch of o with a solenomere (s) with a medium-sized tip and a fimbriate velum (v). Posterior branch of o in form of a shield-like protective lamella (pl). Mesomere and opisthomere connected basally with an accessory membrane (am).

Distribution

Known only from two caves in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti ( Fig. 56 , green triangles; Fig. 58 , red circles).

Remarks

In both caves, this species has been found together with Leucogeorgia lobata sp. nov.

Figures

Fig. 50. Martvilia parva gen. et sp. nov. (A–C, E: holotype ♂ from Jortsku Cave (ZMUM); D, F: non-type ♀ from Motena Cave (IZB)). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Anterior part of body, lateral view. C. Posterior part of body, lateral view. D. Midbody rings, lateral view. E. Body ring 7, lateral view. F. Telson, posterior view. Arrow indicates metazonal seta. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 51. Martvilia parva gen. et sp. nov., type ♂♂ (ZMUM). A. Holotype, left gonopods, mesal view. B. Holotype, left gonopods, lateral view. C. Paratype, right promere, posteromesal view. D. Paratype, leg-pair 1, anterior view. E. Paratype, penes, posterior view. Abbreviations: am = accessory membrane; f = flagellum; m = mesomere; mc = mesomeral claw; ml = mesomeral lamella; o = opisthomere; p = promere; pl = protective lamella; s = solenomere; v = velum. Scale bar: 0.3 mm.

Fig. 56. General distribution of the Caucasian leucogeorgiinines. The white dashed line hypothetically indicates the boundary between the northwestern and southeastern groups of species of the genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930.

Fig. 58. Distribution of the southeastern group of the genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 and the species Martvilia parva gen. et sp. nov.