Nedyopus caudatus, Chen & Golovatch & Chang, 2006

Chen, Chao-Chun, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Chang, Hseuh-Wen, 2006, The millipede tribe Nedyopodini, with special reference to the fauna of Taiwan (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), Journal of Natural History 39 (47), pp. 3997-4030 : 4009-4011

Nedyopus caudatus , new species

( Figures 22–31 , 73–80 , 109–114 ) Holotype: „ ( NSYSUB-DI 390 ), Taiwan ( R.O.C.), PingTung County, UTai, ALi, 1600 m a.s.l., 19 January 2005, leg. M.-H. Syu. Paratypes: 1 „, 5♀ ( NSYSUB-DI 391–396 ), 1 „, 1♀

(ZMUM), same place, date, and collectors as the holotype. 1♀ ( NSYSUB-DI 229 ) , Kaohsiung County, TaoYuan, JhongJhihGuan 2024 m a.s.l., 19 October 2002, leg. H.-W. Chang. 1 „ (JDLee 20021114001), NanTou County, LuGu, SiiTou, ShenMu walking path, 1058 m a.s.l., 15 November 2002, leg. J.-D. Lee. 2♀ ( NMNS 4418-007 ) , same county FengHuangGu, lawn region behind the administration building, 1698 m a.s.l., 24 August to 25 September 1996, leg. W.-H. Chou. 3♀ ( NMNS 4418-008 ) , same locality, YinTan , natural forest, ca 750 m a.s.l., 25 August to 26 September 1996, same collector. 2♀ ( NMNS 4418-009 ) , same locality and collector, February 1997. 3 „, 2♀ ( NCHUL), same county, RenAi, HueiSun Farm , 1664 m a.s.l., 27 November 1997, leg. S.-H. Wu. 2 „ ( NCHUL) , same locality, in decayed wood in natural forest, 1664 m a.s.l., 27 December 1997, same collector. 1♀ ( NMNS 4418-010 ) , Taichung City, TungHai University , in decayed branches and leaves, ca. 100 m a.s.l., 26 March 2000, collector unknown. 1♀ ( NSYSUB-DI 231 ) , Chia-I County, ALiShan, ALiShan, LongTou , in bamboo forest, 1300 m a.s.l., 21 April 2002, leg. J.-L. Chao. 1♀ ( TFRI) , Ilan County, DaTong, SihJi forest path, JiiaLuo Lake , 2000 m a.s.l., date unknown, leg. W.-C. Ye. 1 „, 4♀ ( NSYSUB-DI 223–227 ) , Taichung County, HePing, Syuan , no. 710 forest path, ca 2050–2100 m a.s.l., 21 August 2002, leg. C.-C. Chen and Y.-H. Lin. Non-type: one juvenile (NSYSUB- DI 228), same place, date, and collector as for holotype, five juveniles ( NSYSUB-DI 399–403 ) .

Diagnosis

Differs from congeners by the widely bifid epiproct, the pleurosternal carinae only on segments 2–4, the sternum between „ coxae 4 with two cones, the tarsal brushes missing, as well as in some more somatic and gonopod characters (see below and key).

Description

Length ca 21–30 („, n 55) or 19–32 mm (♀, n 510); width of midbody metazona 1.5–3.0 („) or 2.0–3.5 mm (♀). Holotype ca 30 mm long and 2.8 mm wide.

Coloration in alcohol light brown, marbled; antennae increasingly blackish distally, but tip contrastingly pallid; head, collum, segments 2–4 slightly darker brown; a wide, yellow to whitish, axial stripe moniliform, broadened subtrapeziform on metaterga; paraterga and entire region below, including sterna and legs, rather light brown to pallid. Coloration of ♀ usually much lighter brown to pale brown, colour pattern same in both sexes.

Main somatic and gonopod characters as in N. hsientienensis , but width of head5segment 5.2.collum54. 3,6–16 in „, or either head>collum54,2.3,5Ḳ6Ḳ7–15 or head53,collum.2.4,5Ḳ6Ḳ 7–15 in ♀, segments (6)7–15(16) always being broadest. Antennae short but slender, reaching midway of metatergum 2 dorsally in „ ( Figures 22 , 73, 74 ). Paraterga very poorly developed ( Figures 22–24 , 74–76 ); calluses only delimited by a clear-cut sulcus dorsally; starting from segment 6, sometimes a more or less poorly developed line in place of a ventral sulcus; calluses mostly like low ridges (poreless segments) or flat discs (pore-bearing segments), slightly surpassing caudal tergal contour only on segment 2 ( Figures 22 , 74 ). Paraterga with two to three minute denticles at lateral margin. Axial line evidently visible on anterior metaterga, onward poorly visible in places, usually present in „, sometimes wanting to just traceable (on midbody metaterga) in „. Transverse sulcus sometimes present up to segment 17 in ♀, very finely beaded at bottom, not reaching base of paraterga ( Figures 23, 24 , 75, 76 ). Surface rugulose in places; metazona below paraterga usually evidently and densely granulose on segments 2–19 („) or 2–18 (♀), particularly on segments 2–7 ( Figure 22 ) („) or only on segments 2–3 in (♀), thereafter granulation sometimes barely traceable until segment 13 (♀) or 14 („, ♀). Stricture between pro- and metaterga evidently but not very strongly beaded. Tergal setae short, pattern 2+2 anteriorly on collum, sometimes abraded (usually in ♀), onward always abraded. Ozopores lateral, lying on callus ca one-quarter metatergal length from caudal edge („) ( Figures 23, 24 , 75, 76 ). Pleurosternal carinae present, slightly reduced in ♀, like wide rounded ridges on segments 2–4, thereafter increasingly poorly developed, like low bosses traceable until segments 7 („) ( Figures 22, 23 , 74, 76 ) or 5 (♀), further on virtually missing; sometimes the carinae like narrow ridges on segments 2–4, like rounded ridges on segments 5–7, with small but evident teeth caudally only in „. Epiproct very long in lateral view, ratio of epiproct length to pre-epiproct length of telson 1:1.9 in „ ( Figure 78 ), in dorsal view widely bifid; pre-apical papillae wanting ( Figures 25 , 77 ). Hypoproct roundly („) or straightly (♀) subtrapeziform ( Figures 26 , 79 ), sides straight („) or concave (♀) at base.

Sterna sparsely setose, not modified except for two setose cones between „ coxae 4 ( Figures 27 , 80 ).

Male legs without tarsal brushes ( Figure 28 ). Legs short, nearly as long as midbody height (♀), slightly longer in „ ( Figures 23 , 76 ).

Gonopods ( Figures 29–31 , 109–114 ) complex, much as in N. hsientienensis , but lamella l larger and carrying a smooth to denticulate margin in distal part, not divided into two parts, end of sph divided into three distinct lobes: a denticulate A, and rugulose B and C.

Etymology

To emphasize the particular tip of the epiproct.

Figures

Figures 22–31. Nedyopus caudatus n. sp., male paratype from Syuan. (22) Anterior body portion, lateral view. (23) Segment 12, lateral view. (24) Left half of metatergum 12, dorsal view. (25) Epiproct, dorsal view. (26) Hypoproct, ventral view. (27) Sternal cones between coxae 4, ventral view. (28) Leg 19. (29–31) Left gonopod, medial, ventral, and lateral views, respectively. sph, solenophore; l, A, B, C, lobes of solenophore; m, lobe at base of solenomere. Scale bar: 1.0 mm (22–24); 0.5 mm (25–28); 0.25 mm (29–31).

Figures 73–80. Nedyopus caudatus n. sp., male paratype from HueiSun Farm. (73) Entire body, dorsal view. (74) Anterior body portion, lateral view. (75, 76) Segment 10 (S 10), dorsal and lateral views, respectively. (77, 78) Epiproct, dorsal and lateral views, respectively. (79) Hypoproct, ventral view. (80) Sternal cones between coxae 4, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (74, 76); 0.4 mm (75, 77, 78); 0.2 mm (79, 80).

Figures 109–114. Nedyopus caudatus n. sp., male paratype from HueiSun Farm, left gonopod. (109, 112, 114) Entire, medial, lateral, and dorsal views, respectively. (110, 111, 113) Telopodite tip, medial, ventral, and lateral views, respectively. sph, solenophore; l, A, B, lobes of solenophore; m, lobe at base of solenomere. Scale bars: 500 Mm (109, 112, 114); 200 Mm (110, 111, 113).