Leptherpum battirolai Bouzan, Means, Ivanov & Brescovit, 2022

Bouzan, Rodrigo S., Means, Jackson C., Ivanov, Kaloyan, Almeida, Thaís Melo de, Brescovit, Antonio Domingos & Iniesta, Luiz Felipe M., 2022, Three new species of the Amazonian millipede genus Leptherpum (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae), Zoologia (e 22020) 39, pp. 1-18 : 11-16

Leptherpum battirolai Bouzan, Means, Ivanov & Brescovit , sp. nov.

Figs 41–53

https://zoobank.org/ D68616D4-B1E9-461E-AA90-E21846619F17

Diagnosis. Adult males differ from all other species of the genus by the following combination of characters: prefemoral process longer than wide, oval; secondary process spatulate, arising from the basal inner margin of the prefemoral process and abruptly curving upward, nearly parallel to the solenomere ( Figs 44, 45 ); prefemur of post-gonopodal legs with a ventroapical projection ( Fig. 47 ); color of body rings light red to red ( Figs 41−43 ).

Description. Male (Holotype, INPA 397). Coloration (preserved in 70% ethanol): head and antennae reddish brown; body and paranotal tips reddish brown ( Figs 41−43 ); legs reddish brown ( Figs 41 , 47 ); telson dark reddish ( Fig. 43 ). Head: labrum and clypeus setose; two (1+1) small setae between the antennal sockets and two additional (1+1) setae above the antennae; vertex of the head with two (1+1) setae; incisura lateralis suboval. Antennae: almost reaching the 5 th body ring; 5 th, 6 th and 7 th antennomere with a grouping of basiconic sensilla in small clusters on the distal and external margins. Body rings: metaterga with a slight horizontal sulcus; metazonites with several small tubercles; some larger tubercles present along the posterior edge region of the metazonites, distributed in two nearly horizontal rows ( Figs 41, 42 ). Sternites of anterior body rings with thin elongate setae; sternite of sixth segment with two pairs of small, acute projections, becoming more conspicuous along the post-gonopodal sternites (arrows; Fig. 48 ). Paranota: anterior border rounded, posterior border sub-rectangular; metazonites 6−7, 9−12, and 15−17 with small “tooth” on the posterior border ( Figs 42, 43 ). Ozopore arrangement: 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–19 (following the typical polydesmidan pore formula); ozopores surrounded by peritremata, positioned medially on the paranota; peritremata subtriangular, projected laterally ( Fig. 42 ). Legs: prefemur of post-gonopodal legs with a ventroapical projection (arrow; Fig. 47 ). Telson: triangular ( Fig. 43 ); epiproct with (4+4) macrosetae on the dorsal side supported by small projections; two pairs (2+2) of spinnerets, superior pair more closely positioned to each other as compared to the inferior one; paraprocts each with two macrosetae; hypoproct subtriangular with one pair of macrosetae supported by small triangular projections. Gonopod aperture transversely oval, as typical for the genus, small, with a lateral pair of sclerotized triangular slits to accommodate the gonopods ( Fig. 8 ).

Total length: 67.30. Total width: 10.52. Antennomere lengths (1−7): 0.56; 1.97; 1.95; 1.72; 1.88; 1.91; 0.38. Podomere lengths (1−7): 0.69; 1.19; 3.22; 0.99; 1.08; 2.36; tarsal claw 0.41. Gonopod aperture: length 0.90, width 2.05. Telson length 1.25. Gonopod:length 1.94, width 1.78. Gonocoxae:length 0.87, width 1.47. Telopodite: length 1.92, width 0.94. Gonopods: gonocoxae subequal to the length of the telopodite, globose, projected on the ectal side ( Fig. 46 ); without a spiniform process; two macrosetae on dorsal side. Prefemoral region ventrally positioned and setose, subequal in size to solenomere ( Fig.44 ). Prefemoral and acropodal regions separated by a cingulum basally (C; Figs 45, 46 ). Prefemoral process(PfP; Fig. 44 ): narrow medially, spoon-shaped apically; longer than the solenomere; containing an elongated and slender secondary process on the inner margin of its basal portion ( Figs 44−46 ); secondary process wider at apex. Solenomere falciform; carrying the seminal groove to apical point (S; Figs 44−46 ).

Female (Paratype, INPA 398). Color light brown, lighter than in males. Legs yellowish. Sternites wider than in males. Larger tubercles mainly distributed in three horizontal rows on the metazonites; metazonites with a slight “tooth” on the posterior border of the majority of paranota. Ventroapical projections of the prefemur of the post-gonopodal legs, more conspicuous than those of males.

Posterior margin of vulvar opening with a rounded epigyne ( Fig. 49 ). Vulvae oval in ventral view ( Figs 50, 51 ), suboval in lateral view ( Fig. 52 ). Total length: 73.10. Total width: 10.48. Width of the posterior margin of the vulvar aperture 2.29. Vulvae: length 1.02, width 0.66. External valve: length 0.80, width 0.36. Internal valve: length 0.71, width 0.29. Operculum: length 0.22, width 0.55. Both valves with scattered setae. Operculum broad with scattered setae (OP; Fig. 51 ) and less projected forward than apical valves in lateral view (OP; Fig. 52 ).

Type material. Holotype: male from Parque Estadual Serra do Aracá (1°30’29.7”N; 63°21’38.7”W), Barcelos, Amazonas, Brazil, 12.viii.2008, A.A. Nogueira leg. ( INPA 397 ) . Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female, same data as for holotype, 14.viii.2008, A.A. Nogueira leg. ( INPA 398 ) .

Distribution. Known only from the Brazilian state of Amazonas ( Fig. 53 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of Dr. Leandro Dênis Battirola for his vast contribution to our knowledge of Amazonian millipedes, and for the kind help he has provided to the authors over the years.

Figures

Figure 53. Distribution map of Leptherpum Attems, 1931 species. Taxa without precise geographic coordinates, i.e., L. californicum, L. huebneri, and L. schomburgkii, are not shown.

Figures 41−46. Leptherpum battirolai sp. nov., male holotype (INPA 397). (41) anterior body rings, dorsal view; (42) midbody rings, dorsal view; (43) posterior body rings, dorsal view; (44) right gonopod, mesal view; (45) right gonopod, ventral view; (46) right gonopod, ectal view. Scale bars: 41−43 = 2 mm; 44−46 = 500 µm.

Figures 47−52. Leptherpum battirolai sp. nov. (47), (48) male holotype (INPA 397). (47) leg of body ring 8, lateral view; (48) sternite of body ring 10, ventral view; (49)−(52) female paratype (INPA 398). (49) epigyne, ventral view; (50), (51) right vulva, ventral view; (52) right vulva, lateral view. Scale bars: 47 = 2 mm; 48−49 = 1 mm; 50−51 = 500 µm.

Figures 3−8. General somatic features of L. carinovatum (Attems, 1898). (3) male (IBSP 8300), head, oral view; (4) male (IBSP 8300), gnathochilarium, ventral view; (5) male (IBSP 8300), antenna, lateral view; (6) male (IBSP 8300), coxae of 2nd pair of legs, showing the gonopores, ventral view; (7) male syntype (ZMH), detail of body rings 6–7, ventral view; (8) male (IBSP 8300), body ring 7, detail of gonopod aperture, ventral view. The arrows point to the gonopores. Scale bars: 3−5, 8 = 1 mm; 6 = 500 µm; 7 = 2.5 mm.