Pseudotremia schneiderae, Shear, William A., 2008

Shear, William A., 2008, Cave millipeds of the United States. VII. New species and records of the genus Pseudotremia Cope. I. Species from West Virginia, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), Zootaxa 1764, pp. 53-65 : 61-62

Pseudotremia schneiderae , n. sp.

Figs. 9–12

Types: male holotype and female paratype (VMNH) from Matts Black Cave, 3 miles north of Frankford, Greenbrier Co., WEST VIRGINIA, collected 12 June 2002 by Katie Schneider.

Diagnosis: Distinct from P. fulgida and P. l u s c i o s a, other depigmented species from West Virginia, in having about 18 ocelli in each eyepatch, opposed to 7, in having 10–12 elongate rugae on midbody metazonites rather than being nearly smooth, and in the shorter third antennal segment. The gonopods of P. schneiderae are distinctive in having relatively small colpocoxites arising from a large posterior plate and curving sharply anterior, much as in P. deprehendor ; the dorsal colpocoxite process is shorter, not enormously long as in fulgida , and the median angiocoxites bear a subterminal spine not seen in fulgida .

Etymology: The species is named for the collector, speleobiologist Katie Schneider.

Description: Male holotype about 20 mm long, 1.6 mm wide; third antennal segment 0.9 mm long. Ocelli 18 on each side in loosely organized oval eyepatch, unpigmented, transparent, variable in size. Segmental shoulders moderate, reduced to level of lateral striae by about segment 20. Metazonites with 10–12 low, elongate rugae beginning about segment 8, anterior metazonites smooth; 6–8 indistinct lateral striations. Color entirely white.

Anterior gonopods (figs.9, 10): median angiocoxites short, posteriorly curved, subapical spine short; lateral angiocoxites elongate, entire, sinuous, extending well posterior of colpocoxites. Colpocoxites fused basally into large, broad, distinct plate, then curving anteriorly, only indistinctly bilobed on each side. Ventral colpocoxite process blunt, three-lobed distally, dorsal colpocoxite process relatively short, acute, curved. Ninth legpair (fig. 11) strongly reduced, coxa deeply excavate mesally.

Female paratype similar to male. Cyphopods (fig. 12) with mesal valve much longer than lateral valve, curved laterally.

Notes: This species seems closest to P. l u s c i o s a in gonopod anatomy, but has more ocelli and a rougher dorsum. The complete depigmentation and smaller-than-average size suggests that it is troglobiotic.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 12. Pseudotremia schneiderae, n. sp. 9. Gonopods, anterior view. 10. Gonopods, lateral view. 11. Right leg 9 of male, anterior view. 12. Right cyphopod, ventral view.