Glomeris colorata Golovatch, Mauriès, Akkari & Stoev, 2009

Golovatch, Sergei, Mauriès, Jean-Paul, Akkari, Nesrine, Stoev, Pavel & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2009, The millipede genus Glomeris Latreille, 1802 (Diplopoda, Glomerida, Glomeridae) in North Africa, ZooKeys 12 (12), pp. 47-86 : 56-58

Glomeris colorata Golovatch, Mauriès, Akkari & Stoev , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 3-5

Type material. Tunisia, Siliana Gov., Jebel Sidi Aouidet ( 47 km from Siliana, road El Fahs-Siliana ), 36°15’81″N, 9°46.46″E, alt. approx. 440 m, slope overgrown by conifers close to road, under stones, leaf litter, 28.III.2008, leg. P. Stoev and N. Akkari, holotype ♁ (MNHN CC 167), paratypes: 3 ♀ (MNHN CC 167), 2 ♀ (ZMUM), 1 ♀ (NMNH), 1 ♀ (ZMUC) . Tunisia, Zaghouan Gov., Jebel Mansour, near Sidi Aouidet Village , 36°12’31″N, 9°45’59″E, alt. approx. 510 m. Pinus forest with Rosmarinus officinalis bushes, under stones and leaf litter, 28.III.2008, leg. N. Akkari and P. Stoev, paratypes: 6 ♀ (FMNH), 4 ♁, 1 ♀ (NMNH) .

Name: To emphasize the colourful tergal pattern.

Diagnosis: Especially similar to G. punica and G. flavomaculata , based on the characteristic colour pattern (2+2 rows of spots on terga 2-11), but differs in the presence of a light axial line, of medially coalesced 1+1 spots on the pygidium and the lighter background coloration.

Description: Length of adults of both sexes (extended, alcohol material) ranging between 9.5 (♁) and 10.0- 13.5 mm ( ♀), width between 4.7 (♁) and 5.0- 6.7 mm ( ♀); body broadest at thoracic shield. Holotype ca 9.5 mm long and 4.7 mm wide.

Coloration ( Figs 3 , 4 ) variegated, mostly rather vivid, background usually dark brown, but sometimes mostly yellow due to expanded light spots. Head mostly light brown, evidently marbled near ocelli, with 1+1 and 2+2 small pallid spots against a light brown background just above antennal sockets; labrum pale yellowish; antennae largely dark brown, only tip pallid. Collum with a large, mostly marbled, yellowish central spot ( Figs 3 , 4 ). Thoracic shield with 2+2 large light spots, sometimes interconnected with a transversely oval marbled area in-between, but separated by a more or less evident, often incomplete, light axial line. Subsequent terga, except pygidium, with 1+1 more or less wide, light paramedian spots, usually arranged into clear stripes, a mostly interrupted and sometimes vague, light, axial line, and a pair of marbled, transversely oval, lateral areas. Pygidium with 1+1 light, paramedian, mostly coalesced spots ( Fig. 4 ), less frequently nearly entirely light grey-brown. Venter and legs contrastingly light yellow.

Head usual, transverse; Tömösváry’s organ transversely oval, slightly shorter than in G. troglokabyliana sp. n.; antennae long, antennomere 6 longest, 2.4-2.5 times long- er than wide; ocelli (4)5 black + 1 transparent, all convex.

Collum with two transverse striae.

Thoracic shield with a narrow hyposchism almost reaching caudal tergal contour ( Fig. 5A ); four transverse striae, of which 1-2 anteriormost starting well in front of

schism and crossing entire dorsum, the other two always abbreviated ( Fig. 5A ); anteriormost stria only rarely slightly interrupted dorsally.

Tergum 3 relatively narrowly ( Fig. 5A ) and tergum 4 broadly rounded laterally. Tergal pilosity and mid-dorsal sinuosity absent. Pygidium usually with a completely regularly rounded caudal margin, only rarely extremely faintly sinuated medially at margin.

♁ leg 17 ( Fig. 5B ) with a low outer coxal lobe; telopodite 4-segmented.

♁ leg 18 ( Fig. 5C ) with a broadly subtriangular syncoxital notch; telopodite 4-segmented.

Telopods ( Figs 5D ) with a high, rather regularly rounded, bare, central syncoxital lobe flanked by two setose horns, latter each crowned with a minute bulb and a short setoid filament. Tarsus quite narrowly rounded apically.

Remarks: Based on the narrow tergum 3, G. colorata sp. n. can be attributed to the “ Stenopleuromeris ” type.

Figures

Figure 3. Glomeris colorata sp. n., ♀ paratype from Tunisia, Siliana Gov.; habitus, dorsal view. (Photographed not to scale by I. Muratov).

Figure 4. Glomeris colorata sp. n., ♁ holotype; A, habitus, dorsal view; B, pygidium, caudal view. A schematic, slightly too bright presentation of the colour pattern (del. J.-P. Mauriès).

Figure 5. Glomeris colorata sp. n., ♁ holotype; A, thoracic shield and terga 3 and 4, lateral view; B, leg 17; C, leg 18; D, leg 19 (telopod), frontal view. – Scale bar: 0.5 mm (B-D); drawn not to scale (A).