Asticopyrgodesmus maiala Mesibov

Mesibov, Robert, 2012, The first native Pyrgodesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from Australia, ZooKeys 217, pp. 63-85 : 65-67

Asticopyrgodesmus maiala Mesibov sp. n. Figs 2A, 2C, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 7B

Holotype.

Male, Maiala National Park, Qld, 27°20'S, 152°46'E ± 2 km, 635 m, 13 March 1973, R.J. Kohout, ANIC berlesate 450, rainforest, ANIC 64-000219.

Paratypes.ANIC: 7 males, 1 female, details as for holotype, 64-000218; 9 males, 7 females, same details but R.W. Taylor, ANIC berlesate 451, 64-000220.

Other material.

ANIC: 38 males, 4 females, 1 stadium 6 female, Joalah National Park [now the Joalah section of Tamborine National Park], Qld, 27°55'S, 153°12'E ± 2 km, 380 m, 14 March 1973, R.J. Kohout, ANIC berlesate 454, rainforest, 64-000221; 13 males, 14 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 453, 64-000222; 8 males, same details but ANIC berlesate 452, 64-000223; 9 males, same locality but 27°56'S, 153°12'E ± 2 km, 18-21 October 1978, J. Lawrence and T.A. Weir, ANIC berlesate 653, rainforest litter, 64-000224; 10 males, 2 females, same locality but 27°58'S, 153°11'E ± 2 km, 23 July 1979, J. Lawrence, ANIC berlesate 656, flood debris and leaf litter, 64-000225; 2 males, O'Reillys, Lamington National Park, Qld, 28°14'S, 153°08'E ± 2 km, 920 m, 21 March 1973, R.W. Taylor, ANIC berlesate 459, rainforest, 64-000226; 14 males, 1 female, same locality but 22-27 November 1978, J. Lawrence and T.A. Weir, ANIC berlesate 655, rainforest litter, 64-000227. QM: 5 males, 6 females, O'Reillys Guesthouse, Lamington National Park, Qld, 28°14'08"S, 153°08'12"E ± 500 m, 900 m, 14 December 1981, R. Raven, G. Monteith and D. Yeates, QM berlesate 377, rainforest, sieved litter, S92790; 1 male, Mistake Mountains via Goomburra, Sylvesters Track, Qld, 27°58'37"S, 152°22'58"E ± 500 m, 1040 m, 21-22 November 1987, P.M. Johns, rainforest logs and litter, S92788; 1 male, Springbrook Repeater, Qld, 28°14'23"S, 153°15'58"E ± 500 m, 1000 m, 14 March 1997, G. Monteith and E. Russell, QM berlesate 922, rainforest, sieved litter, S40086; 2 males, 1 female, Mt Superbus, Qld, 28°13'31"S, 152°27'17"E ± 500 m, 1370 m, 24 October 1998, G. Monteith, QM berlesate 973, rainforest, stick brushing, S92789.

Diagnosis. Readily distinguished from Asticopyrgodesmus lamingtonensis sp. n. in having head + 19 rings, anterior margin of paranota higher than posterior margin, ozopores on porosteles on rings 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15.

Description.

Colour in alcohol light yellowish brown with sparse encrustation of soil particles on vertex, collum, tergites, metatergites and preanal ring. Males and females with head + 19 rings. Male and female approximate measurements: length ca 5 mm; ring 12: overall width 0.7 mm, overall width/prozonite width 1.5, maximum vertical diameter 0.5 mm.

Head (Fig. 2A) with vertex and frons roughened; largest tubercles in rows either side of vertigial sulcus; clypeus smooth and setose. Postantennal groove deep; antennal sockets separated by ca 1 × a socket diameter; antennomere relative widths 5>6>(2,3,4), relative lengths 5>2>(3,4,6).

Collum not covering head in dorsal view (Fig. 3A); anterior margin divided into 10 rounded lobes. Overall ring widths 2-14 about equal, gradually decreasing on rings 15-18.

Midbody metatergite sculpture usually obscured by encrusted soil particles, patterned in 4 transverse rows of variably sized, rounded tubercles; enlarged paramedian or dorsolateral tubercles not evident on any rings (Fig. 4A). Anterior metatergal margins indistinctly divided into ca 16 lobes, posterior margin into 14 lobes, the lateralmost lobe on each side largest and most clearly demarcated.

Paranota (Fig. 5A) very short, arising low on body, slightly declined, pitched so anterior margin is higher than posterior margin. Ring 2 paranotum expanded anterodistally, lateral margin weakly divided into 3 rounded lobes. From ring 3 onwards, anterior margin very slightly convex, undivided; 2 weakly demarcated lateral marginal lobes, the anterior lobe larger; posterior margin short, slightly convex.

Metatergal surface details obscured by soil particles and secretions; no setae evident on collum, tergites or metatergites. Prozonites with lozenge-shaped raised elements anterior to suture and subspherical knobs posterior to suture; suture marked by a ridge of longitudinally elongated elements. Limbus a single row of very thin lobes with more or less straight distal margins, and with 1-2 very thin spikes above each lobe (Fig. 2C).

Ozopores (Fig. 5A) on prominent porosteles arising from posterobasal corner of paranota on rings 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15.

Sternites not setose, about as wide as long; transverse impression wider than longitudinal. Legs short, hidden by paranota in dorsal view; relative podomere lengths tarsus>femur>prefemur>(postfemur, tibia). Spiracles not evident.

Preanal ring (Fig. 6A) with 4+4 lobes; epiproct very short, bifurcate; spinnerets in square array below apex; hypoproct rounded-triangular.

Gonopore a small, inconspicuous opening on medial surface of leg 2 coxa (Fig. 2A). Aperture transversely rectangular, ca 1/2 width of ring 7 prozonite, slightly constricted anteriorly at midline (Fig. 7A). Gonocoxa covering most of telopodite with roughened, sparsely setose, slightly convex outer surface when gonopods retracted. Gonocoxa deeply excavate medially, forming gonocoel. Telopodite (Fig. 7A) with wide base in gonocoel; tapering abruptly from base, swollen and roughened posteroventrally, sparsely setose, the posteromedial corner of the base extended and more densely setose. Distal portion of telopodite (Figs 7A, B) divided into medial and lateral branches; medial branch cup-like, the posteromedial rim of the cup produced as short, distolaterally curving solenomere; lateral branch of telopodite extending posterolaterally as tongue-shaped process, slightly concave ventrolaterally. Prostatic groove running on medial surface of medial branch of telopodite, opening at tip of solenomere.

Female with epigyne ca 1/2 ring width, slightly raised, rounded-rectangular with straight distal margin; cyphopods not examined.

Distribution.

Rainforest in southeastern Queensland, from D’Aguilar National Park northwest of Brisbane almost to the New South Wales border, a north-south distance of ca 110 km (Fig. 11). Co-occurs with Asticopyrgodesmus lamingtonensis sp. n. in Lamington National Park.

Etymology.

For the Maiala section of D’Aguilar National Park, the type locality; noun in apposition.

Remarks.

Two of the males in ANIC 64-000220 are noticeably smaller than the other seven in the sample, but seem to have the same gonopod structure in situ at high optical magnification. While the smaller ' Asticopyrgodesmus maiala ' specimens may represent a third species of Asticopyrgodesmus , I have not been able to detect differences in somatic features between them and the seven larger males in ANIC 64-000220.