Xystopyge voluntariorum, Enghoff, 2022

Enghoff, Henrik, 2022, Mountains of millipedes. The family Odontopygidae in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida), European Journal of Taxonomy 803, pp. 1-136 : 124-127

Xystopyge voluntariorum sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D6AE9E01-70CD-4159-BC2B-1DC243A3FA97

Figs 75–76

Diagnosis

Differs from other species of Xystopyge by the very long, stout, slightly curving, apically positioned and laterad directed lateral coxal spine.

Etymology

Named after the volunteers working for Frontier Tanzania, in recognition of the abundant and interesting collections they made in the Eastern Arc Mountains. Noun in plural genitive.

Material examined (total 1 ♂)

Holotype TANZANIA • ♂; Tanga Region, Muheza District , Manga FR ; 5°02′ S, 38°47′ E; 4 Aug. 1994; Frontier Tanzania leg.; plot 30:2; NHMD 621776 .

Description

SIZE. Length 64 mm, diameter 4.4 mm, 62 podous rings; no podous rings in fornt of telson-

COLOUR. After 26 years in alcohol with anterior parts of prozonae pale yellow, posterior parts of prozonae as well as metazona and preanal ring grey, analvalves brown, legs yellow.

SUPRALABRAL SETAE. 6.

MANDIBULAR STIPES. With large rounded disto-ventral lobe; distal margin slightly sigmoid

ANAL VALVES. Each with a big dorsal spine and 2 setae on the lateral side of distintly raised margins; no ventral spine.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 75I ). Margin with very slender, smooth, rounded, finger-shaped lobes.

LEGS. With postfemoral and tibial pads from leg-pair 4 till the end.

FIRST PAIR OF LEGS ( Fig. 75A–C ). Prefemoral lobes short, subrectangular in ventral view. Five long coxosternal setae (CXS) adjacent to lateral side of prefemoral process; prefemur with a two long and one short mesapical setae (APS) and ca 10 peglike lateral sensilla (LPS).

GONOPOD STERNUM (STERNUM 8). Tongue-shaped, ca twice as long as broad, slightly tapering towards emarginate tip, as in X. corolla ¸but slightly stouter, cf. VandenSpiegel & Pierrard (2004: fig. 1).

STERNUM 9 ( Fig. 75D ). Transverse trapezoidal, ca twice as broad as long, with slightly concave diversging sides; subapically with a pair of connected circular shallow pits.

GONOPOD COXA ( Fig. 75E–H ). Slender. Proplica (PP) parallel-sided in anterior view, ca at mid-length with short, blunt, oblique ridge (or); lateral coxal spine (LCS) positioned apically (actually part of cucullus), long, stout, pointed, curving slightly distad. Cucullus (CU) short, mesally produced into beak-shaped process. Metaplica (MP) with poorly delimited basal metaplical flange (MF) and semicircular mesal lobe (scl) projecting just basal to proplical lobe (PPL).

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 76 ). Arculus 135°. Torsotope not very well-delimited. Solenomere (SLM) almost as long as telomere, at rest nesting in hollow inner surface of the latter, in basal ¾ slender with a subcircular cross section; at base with stout, perpendicular basal spine (BSS); distally expanded and divided into a lamellate, pointed lobe (sdl) and a smooth, bifurcate process (sdp). Telomere (TM) simple, without processes, overall consisting of a ribbon describing a full circle and at the same time folded lengthwise forming a concavity along the inner side of the circle; distal ¼ expanded, divided into two lobes (dtl1, dtl2) delimiting a mesal window.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from Manga FR in the East Usambara Mts. See Doggart et al. (1999) for information on this area. Found in same sample as X. hippocampus sp. nov.

Figures

Fig. 75. Xystopyge voluntariorum sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621774). A–C. First pair of legs. A. Sublateral view. B. Anterior view. C. Ventral view.D. Sternum 9.E–H. Left gonopod coxa. E.Anterior view. F. Mesal view. G. Posterior view. H. Lateral view. I. Midbody dorsal limbus. Abbreviations: APS =mesapical prefemoral setae; CU =cucullus; CXS = coxosternal setae; LCS I= Lateral coxal spine; LPS = lateral prefemoral sensilla; MF=metaplical flange; MP= metaplica; or =oblique ridge; PP = proplica; PPL =proplical lobe;scl =semicircular lobe. Scale bars: A–H= 0.2 mm; I= 0.01 mm.

Fig. 76. Xystopyge voluntariorum sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621774). A–F. Left gonopod telopodite. A. Anterior view. B. Posterior view. C. Dorsal view. D. Ventral view. E. Mesal view. F. Mesal view, close-up, showing part of solenomere. G. Right solenomere, tip. Abbreviations: BSS =basal solenomeral spine; dtl1, dtl2 = distal telomeral lobes; sdl =soloenomeral distal lobe; sdp = solenomeral distal process; SLM = solenomere; TM =telomere. Scale bars: A–E= 0.2 mm; F =0.02 mm; G not to scale.