Clinopodes azadi, Zarei & Bonato, 2022

Zarei, Roghaieh & Bonato, Lucio, 2022, A new giant species of Clinopodes from the Alborz Mountains, at the eastern edge of the genus range (Chilopoda: Geophilidae), Zootaxa 5222 (1), pp. 49-58 : 50-54

Clinopodes azadi n. sp.

Holotype: female, 116 mm long, 89 leg pairs, from Neirang forest , Mazandaran province, Iran (N 36° 37′ 15.8ʺ, E 51° 27ʹ 29.4ʺ). Collection Code 4749.

Etymology. This species was named after the first author’s mother, Fatemeh Azad, who has always been a supportive and encouraging teacher. She has never given up her thirst for knowledge, which is why she helped in sampling. The term Azad in Persian means free.

Diagnosis. A Clinopodes species with body length up to more than 11 cm; around 89–91 pairs of legs; first maxillary coxosternite divided mid-longitudinally by a sulcus; denticles on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite wider than long; chitin-lines almost reaching the condyles; sternal pore-fields accompanied by additional groups of pores at the anterior corners of the metasternites and the procoxae and metacoxae; the largest sternal pore-fields on the posterior leg-bearing segments reaching the mid-length of the metasternite, on the four most posterior segments other than penultimate; coxal organs opening through distinct separate pores, many tens of pores in adults (>120 pores on each coxopleuron, when body length> 11 cm), sparse from the ventral to the dorsal sides of the coxopleura, without distinctly isolated pores; metasternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment longer than wide ( table 1 ).

Description of holotype (Code: 4749)

General features. Head detached from trunk, and maxillary complex detached from cephalic capsule. Body length 116 mm, with 89 pairs of legs. Slightly narrowing forward, more tapered towards the posterior tip. Color (in ethanol 70%) almost uniformly yellow.

TABLE 1. (Continued)

Cephalic capsule ( figs. 2 , 3 ). Cephalic plate sub-quadrate, slightly wider than long (width/length=1.1); lateral margins parallel, anterior margin slightly convex, posterior margin straight, areolation uniform on the entire surface, transverse suture evident.

Clypeus uniformly areolate, without finely areolate clypeal areas; ca. 80 setae on the anterior part of clypeus, higher density on the corners and in the central part, no setae near the labrum. Labral margin slightly concave medially; a row of 14 slender hyaline filaments on the intermediate part, sclerotized at the base, and a row of ca. 20 non-sclerotized filaments on each lateral part.

Antennae. Each antenna 2.8 times as long as head. Articles slightly narrowing and shortening from article II, which is 1.4 times as long as wide, to article XIII, which is 1.1 times as long as wide. Article XIV sub-ovoid, 1.7 times as long as wide. Setae gradually denser and shorter from the basal articles to the distal ones. Apical sensilla ca. 10 µm long, spear-like, slender, narrowing quite abruptly from about mid-length. Club-like sensilla ca. 15 µm long, only on article XIV, grouped on the distal parts of both the internal and external sides.

Mandible. A single pectinate lamella with ca. 100 hyaline teeth.

First maxillae ( figs. 2 , 3 ). Coxosternite divided by a mid-longitudinal sulcus, with elongate lappets. Coxal projections sub-triangular, longer than wide. Telopodites slightly longer than the coxal projections, composed of two articles, with elongate lappets. Both the coxal projections and the distal article of the telopodites with setae on the basal part, spine-like sensilla close to the tip, and fine scales covering the tip.

Second maxillae ( figs. 2 , 3 ). Coxosternite entire, uniformly areolate. Telopodites composed of three articles, gradually narrowing towards the tips. Pretarsus claw-like, simple, almost straight and gradually tapering.

Forcipular segment ( fig. 2 ). Tergite subtrapezoidal, 2.6 times as wide as long; anterior margin distinctly concave, no pretergite visible; lateral margins evidently converging forward. Exposed part of coxosternite 1.7 times as wide as long; a medial pair of dark subtrapezoidal denticles on the anterior margin, 2.6 times as wide as long. Coxopleural sutures entirely ventral, converging backward. Chitin-lines pointing forward towards the condyles, vanishing forward but almost reaching the condyles. Trochanteroprefemur 1.1 times as wide as long, external side 1.4 times as long as the internal side, without denticles. Forcipular intermediate articles distinct, without denticles. Tarsungulum abruptly narrowing near the base, the distal part curved and tapering uniformly; a small basal denticle.

Leg-bearing segments ( fig. 4 ). Tergite 1 wider than tergite 2, lateral margins converging slightly backward, no distinct pretergite. Metasternite 1 smaller than the next one, lateral margins slightly convex, and almost converging forward. Metasternites from 2 to penultimate sub-rectangular. “Carpophagus” pits on the anterior margin of metasternites 13 to 25, their maximum size on metasternite 21 (slightly bilobed, ca. 0.7 times as wide as the anterior margin of the metasternite), gradually decreasing in size both forward and backward.

A transversal, posterior band of pores on all metasternites from 1 to penultimate; on most segments, the band is limited to the posterior third of the metasternite; on the four most posterior segments other than penultimate segment, it extends mid-longitudinally forward, reaching the maximum extent on leg-bearing segment 86 (reaching the mid-length of the metasternite). Groups of few pores on the anterior corners of the metasternites, on procoxae and on metacoxae, from approximately segment 2 to the penultimate one. Legs 1 smaller than the others, legs 2 to penultimate legs similar in size and shape; pretarsus claw-like, with two accessory spines; the anterior accessory spine longer than the posterior.

Ultimate leg-bearing segment ( fig. 5 ). Pleuropretergite entire, 5.2 times as wide as long, without suture. Metatergite ca. 1.2 times as wide as long, lateral margin convex and converging backward, posterior margin truncate. Metasternite sub-trapezoid, ca. 1.2 times as long as wide, lateral margins slightly convex and converging backward; posterior margin straight, setae uniformly scattered. Coxal organs opening through distinct pores, ca. 120 on each coxopleuron, sparse on the entire surface of the coxopleuron. Ultimate telopodite 1.5 times as long as the penultimate telopodite, without pretarsus but only with a tiny spine or spine-like sensillum.

Postpedal segments ( fig. 5 ). Gonopodal lamina distinctly bilobed, with setae on each lobe. A pair of distinct anal organs and pores.

Differences in male. Examined specimen: male, 61 mm long, 91 leg pairs, from Zirab, Mazandaran province, Iran (N 36° 10ʹ 56.9ʺ E 52° 53ʹ 13.5ʺ). Collection Code 4422 .

Telopodites of ultimate leg-bearing segment swollen (width of ultimate telopodite/width of penultimate=2.1). First genital sternite separated from pleurites by distinct sulci converging forward. Gonopods bi-articulate, conical penis in between.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Clinopodes azadi n. sp., female (holotype, code 4749): A, head and forcipular segment, ventral view; B, head and forcipular segment, dorsal view; C, maxillary complex, after dissection, ventral view.

FIGURE 3. Clinopodes azadi n. sp., female (holotype, code 4749): A, anterior part of head, detached from the trunk, ventral view; B, anterior part of cephalic capsule, without maxillae and mandibles, ventral view.

FIGURE 4. Clinopodes azadi n. sp., female (holotype, code 4749): distribution of pores on leg-bearing segment 19, ventral view.

FIGURE 5. Clinopodes azadi n. sp., female (holotype, code 4749): A, ultimate leg-bearing segment and postpedal segments, ventral view; B, ultimate leg-bearing segment and postpedal segments, dorsal view. Clinopodes azadi n. sp., male (code 4422): C, ultimate leg-bearing segment and postpedal segments, ventral view.