Nephopyrgodesmus eungella Mesibov

Mesibov, Robert, 2012, The first native Pyrgodesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from Australia, ZooKeys 217, pp. 63-85 : 68-70

Nephopyrgodesmus eungella Mesibov sp. n. Figs 2D, 3B, 4C, 5C, 9 A–C, 7E, 8B

Holotype.

Male, Eungella National Park, Qld, 21°09'S, 148°30'E ± 2 km, 760 m, 10 November 1976, R.W. Taylor and T.A. Weir, ANIC berlesate 562, rainforest, ANIC 64-000232.

Paratypes.

ANIC: 9 males, 13 females, details as for holotype, 64-000231; 6 males, 6 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 563, 64-000229; 10 males, 9 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 564, 64-000228; 1 male, 2 females, Broken River, Eungella National Park, Qld, 21°10'S, 148°31'E ± 2 km, 700 m, 10-12 November 1976, R.W. Taylor and T.A. Weir, ANIC berlesate 559, 64-000234; 3 males, 1 female, same details but ANIC berlesate 560, 64-000237; 4 males, 3 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 561, 64-000235; 5 males, 2 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 568, 64-000236; 4 males, 2 females, same details but ANIC berlesate 570, 64-000233.

Other material.

ANIC: 3 males, 3 females, 3 stadium 7 females, 3 km S of Eungella, Qld, 21°09'S, 148°29'E ± 2 km, 780 m, 26 March 1975, R.W. Taylor, ANIC berlesate 489, 64-000230; 4 males, 5 females, 1 stadium 6 female, Finch Hatton Gorge, Qld, 21°05'S, 148°38'E ± 2 km, 200 m, 11 November 1976, R.W. Taylor and T.A. Weir, ANIC berlesate 565, rainforest, 64-000238. QM: 1 female, Eungella schoolhouse, Qld, 21°07'51"S, 148°29'32"E ± 2 km, 13 February 1986, J. Gallon and R. Raven, QM berlesate 709, rainforest, S92792; 4 females, Finch Hatton Gorge, Qld, 21°04'13"S, 148°38'11"E ± 500 m, 300 m, 18 November 1992, G. Monteith, G. Thompson, D. Cook and H. Janetzki, S92791.

Description.

Colour in alcohol pale yellow, with brown encrusted soil particles on vertex, frons, collum, tergites, metatergites, preanal ring, gonocoxae and midline of sternites (Fig. 9A). Males and females with head + 20 rings. Male and female approximate measurements: length 7 mm; ring 12: overall width 1.5 mm, overall width/prozonite width 2.2, maximum vertical diameter 0.8 mm.

Head (Fig. 9B) with vertex and frons roughened, 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>(2,6)>(3,4).

Collum completely covering head in dorsal view (Fig. 3B); anterior margin of collum parallel to ground, weakly divided into 10 rounded lobes; main part of collum nearly perpendicular to ground in lateral view. Overall ring widths 2-17 about equal; rings 18 and 19 narrower.

Midbody metatergite sculpture usually obscured by encrusted soil particles, patterned in 3 transverse rows; 3 small, short, rounded-conical paramedian tubercles, the posterior pair sometimes confluent; 2-3 small, short, rounded-conical dorsolateral tubercles, the second tubercle largest. Paramedian tubercles only slightly enlarged on rings 17-19 (Fig. 4C). Anterior metatergal margin typically weakly divided into 14 rounded lobes; posterior metatergal margin into 12 subquadrate lobes.

Paranota (Fig. 5C) arising low on body, very slightly directed posteriorly, declined at ca 45°, pitched slightly so anterior margin is lower than posterior margin. Ring 2 paranotum expanded anterodistally, lateral margin very weakly divided into 3 rounded lobes. From ring 3 onwards, anterior margin straight, undivided; 3 weakly demarcated lateral marginal lobes on poriferous rings, 2 on non-poriferous rings; posterior margin with deep notch dividing margin into 2 lobes with straight distal margins, the basal lobe smaller. Rings 18 and 19 paranota directed posterolaterally.

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. 2D).

Ozopores (Fig. 5C) not on porosteles, difficult to detect, opening near medial, basal corner of largest (most lateral) posterior marginal lobe of paranota on rings 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15-17 (and 18 and 19?).

Sternites slightly roughened, not setose, longer than wide; transverse impression deeper than longitudinal. Legs short, hidden by paranota in dorsal view; relative podomere lengths (femur, tarsus)>prefemur>(postfemur, tibia). Spiracles small; anterior spiracle above anterior leg, posterior spiracle above and anterior to posterior leg.

Preanal ring with 3+3 lobes; epiproct short, bluntly rounded, spinnerets in square array below apex; hypoproct rounded-triangular.

Gonopore a small, inconspicuous opening on medial surface of leg 2 coxa. Aperture tranversely ovoid, between 1/3 and 1/2 width of ring 7 prozonite. Gonocoxa shallowly concave medially, forming gonocoel, with a few setae on outer ventromedial and inner dorsomedial surfaces, and with small, setose knob on medial surface near base. Telopodite (Figs 7E, 8B) arising on anteromedial surface of gonocoel, cylindrical near base, the distal two-thirds bent posterolaterally and divided into a large, complex, main branch and a flagellum-like, anteromedial solenomere. Main branch subdivided into lateral and medial portions; lateral portion slightly flattened mediolaterally, posterior margin expanded basally, anterior margin folded over medially; medial portion of main branch ca 2/3 length of lateral portion and narrower, apex acuminate, closely pressed to lateral portion, and with small, thin tab on medial surface directed posteromedially. Solenomere a little longer than medial portion of main branch, normally lying in groove between folded-over anterior margin of lateral portion of main branch and anterior margin of medial portion (Fig. 7E). Prostatic groove running on anteromedial surface of telopodite base before entering flagellum, apparently opening on flagellum tip. When retracted (Fig. 9C), gonocoxae forming two low, rounded mounds, the distomedial edges almost meeting anteriorly but separated posteriorly, exposing anterior surface of telopodite.

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

Distribution.

Known from rainforest in the Eungella area in central (near-coastal) Queensland and from Finch Hatton Gorge, ca 15 km distant (Fig. 11).

Etymology.

For Eungella National Park, the type locality; noun in apposition. The name Eungella is "Derived from [the] town and pastoral run name first used by Ernest Favenc (1845-1908), explorer, journalist and historian, in July 1876, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating land of cloud" (http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/details.php?id=46868; accessed 12 July 2012).

Remarks.

Nephopyrgodesmus eungella is one of the few Australian pyrgodesmids which can be found partly coiled in preservation (Fig. 9A).