Antichiropus echinus Car, 2019

Car, Catherine A., Harvey, Mark S., Hillyer, Mia J. & Huey, Joel A., 2019, The millipede genus Antichiropus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), part 3: species of the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia, Zootaxa 4617 (1), pp. 1-71 : 26-28

Antichiropus echinus Car , n. sp.

( Figs 13 A–F, 16)

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Type material examined. Australia: Western Australia: holotype male, 13 km SSW. of Giles Point, Pilbara Biological Survey site RHNC 01 , 23°21’40”S, 119°06’44”E, May 2004, CALM staff (Pilbara Biological Survey) ( WAM T144610 ). Paratype: 1 female (damaged) , collected with holotype ( WAM T76075) .

Other material examined. Australia: Western Australia: 1 male, collected with holotype ( WAM T 112620, GenBank accession number 12S, MK 735759 ) ; 1 juvenile (damaged), collected with holotype ( WAM T146708 ) .

Diagnosis. Gonopod: Antichiropus echinus Car , n. sp. is similar to two other species from the Pilbara region, A. gibbus Car , n. sp. ( Fig 18 ) and A. hystricosus Car , n. sp. ( Fig 19 ); in each of the three species, the base of the solenomere is studded with short spines. Antichiropus gibbus is easily distinguishable by its femorite that carries a pronounced, rounded protuberance in its apical 1/3, entirely lacking in the other two species. Antichiropus echinus has a slender, pointed solenomere tip while that of A. hystricosus is relatively broad and pointed.

Description. Male holotype: Body ca. 15 mm long; midbody ring ca. 1.5 mm wide, with smooth waist, metazonite of similar width to prozonite; noticeable transverse furrow dorsally on metazonite. Colour (in alcohol) uniform dark brown, paler ventrally ( Fig 13A ): legs slightly lighter than body. No paranota ( Fig 13B ).

Sternites without obvious processes/tubercles, sternal lamella distinctive two-lobed heart-shaped. Leg coxal processes absent. Anterior spiracles at midbody, small, ovoid, flat.

Head smooth without noticeable sculpturing; frons smooth, moderately setose; face narrow, maximum width ca. 3x the distance between antennal sockets; sockets separated by ca. 2 x width of socket.

Antennae of moderate length, reaching to ring 2, segments robust, clavate.

Collum 1x as long as head (in lateral view) ( Fig 13A ).

.

Gonopod of medium length, reaching posterior edge of ring 5; coxa much more robust, shorter, than femorite, with slight ridge on anterior surface (not shown in Fig 13 ); prefemur (PF) 1/2 length of femorite, setose, with pronounced lip; femorite (F) 2/3 curving, generally broadening to apex; triangular protuberance (tp) at base of F (not labelled in Figure 13 ); main femoral process (MFP) at least 1/3 of femorite length, pointed; prolongation of femorite (prof) relatively slender, L-shaped, triangular, pointed; solenomere (S) long, forming>1 loop/circle, ribbon-like, curved back on itself, narrowing towards tip, distinctive teeth (St) at solenomere base; solenomere tip flattened, pointed; solenomere process (sp1) 2/3 along length of solenomere, relatively long and pointed ( Figs 13 C–F).

Female: Similar to the male but slightly broader (ca. 2 mm) and stouter (lateral view) with shorter, more slender legs (WAM T76075).

Distribution. The few specimens collected were all found at the same time from near Giles Point in the Pilbara ( Fig 16 ).

Etymology. The species’ name refers to the spines at the base of the solenomere (Latin, noun, echinus , hedgehog).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Antichiropus echinus Car, n. sp., holotype male (WAM T144610): A–B, habitus: A, lateral view; B, dorsal view; C–F, left gonopod: C, posterior view; D, anterior view; E, medial view; F, lateral view. Abbreviations: F, femorite; MFP, main femoral process; PF, prefemur; prof, prolongation of femorite; S, solenomere; sp1, solenomere process 1; St, solenomere teeth. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 1 mm; C–F = 0.5 mm

FIGURE 16. Map showing the known distributions of A. cunicularis Car, n. sp., A. echinus Car, n. sp., A. filiolus Car, n. sp., A. forcipatus Car, n. sp., A. georginae Car, n. sp., and A. gibbus Car, n. sp.

FIGURE 18. Antichiropus gibbus Car, n. sp., holotype male (WAM T144578): A–B habitus: A, lateral view; B, dorsal view; C–F, left gonopod: C, posterior view; D, anterior view; E, medial view; F, lateral view. Abbreviations: F, femorite; MFP, main femoral process; PF, prefemur; prof, prolongation of femorite; S, solenomere; sp1, solenomere process1. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 2 mm; C–F = 0. 5 mm.

FIGURE 19. Antichiropus hystricosus Car, n. sp., holotype male (WAM T124621): A–B, habitus: A, lateral view; B, dorsal view; C–F, left gonopod: C, posterior view; D, anterior view; E, medial view; F, lateral view. Abbreviations: C, coxa; F, femo- rite; MFP, main femoral process; PF, prefemur; S, solenomere; serr, serrations; sp1, solenomere process 1. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 1 mm; C–F = 0. 5 mm.