Phyllhermannia gigas, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 22-23

Phyllhermannia gigas sp. nov.

( Figs. 11, 34h)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 944 µm breadth 546 µm; paratype female lengths 866, 936 µm, breadths 465, 551 µm. Paratype male length 778 µm, breadth 427 µm. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.31 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum with inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 20 µm, spiniform, straight, smooth ( Fig. 11a). Lamellar seta (le) 46 µm, straight, stout, barbed, on slight tubercle on lateral margin of prodorsum. With transverse lamellar ridge incomplete medially. Without lateral ridge between base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I. Prodorsal margin lateral of bothridium with cluster of tubercles. Surface of prodorsum porose, smooth. Interlamellar setae (in) 40 µm, phylliform, broad, pointed apically, finely barbed along entire length, on broad inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge with sparse tubercles. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 148 µm, evenly thick, apex tapering, pointed, smooth. Exobothridial seta (ex) 15 µm long. Interbothridial region densely and strongly porose, divided medially by non-porose region. Median condyles present.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.21. Dorsosejugal suture smooth. With network of minute tubercles: narrow median line, broader between median and lateral files; with transverse lines between setae c 1 and c 2, d 1 and c 3, e 1 and e 2 and f 1 and e 2 ( Fig. 11a). Rest of notogaster smooth, porose. Setae straight, pointed, strongly-barbed, phylliform, each lacking a basal stalk; not overlapping. Setae of c series all directed posteriorly, c 2 closer to c 3 than to c 1. Distance between bases of setae c 1 about 0.5 × that between c 1 and c 2 and 0.3 × that between bases of d 1. Distance between d 2 1.5 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 1.3 × that between f 1. Lyrifissurae im obtuse.

Coxisternum: Posteriolateral margins of rostrum smooth, lateral margins of epimeres I, III and IV tuberculate; posteriolateral margin of epimere I a blunt spur ( Fig. 11b). Anterior sternal apodeme straight, crenellated. Apodeme III transverse, broader than others, with well-developed tubercles and median U-shaped ridge. Posterior margin of epimere IV with well-developed tubercles, opposed by ridge of tubercles anterior of genital plate. Epimere IV with sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5. Setae 1a, 2a 3a, 4a and 4b short, sub-equal (ca. 15–20 µm); 1b, 1c and 3b longer (ca. 42–53 µm). Setae 3c longest of epimeral setae (125 µm); setae on epimeral plate III positioned on anterior part of plate. Setae 4c shortest of lateral setae on epimeral plate IV (75 µm) then 4d (88 µm), 4e the longest (108 µm). Setae of epimeral plate IV positioned on posterior half of plate.

Anogenital region: Posterior and lateral regions of genital plates surrounded by narrow zone of smooth cuticle, slightly heavily sclerotised than rest of ventral plate ( Fig. 11b). Each genital plate 151 µm long, 74 µm broad with six short (18 µm) setiform setae in median file; g 1 in line with others, not displaced laterally. With three setae in lateral file, anteriolateral seta (g 4) long (41 µm), thick, spiniform; others slightly longer (25 µm) and thicker than median setae. Two pairs of well-developed (32 µm) aggenital setae. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 205 µm long, 94 µm broad, with two very short (12 µm) setae on central part of plate. Adanal setae stout, spiniform, ad 1 longer (42 µm) than others (31 µm).

Legs: Femur I massive, 246 µm long, heavily sclerotised with prominent medial and posteriolateral spur proximally ( Fig. 34h). Cuticle with strongly alveolate pattern. Setae d and l ” straight, squat, phylliform, barbed apically, bluntly pointed, sub-equal in length (30–34 µm long); l ' straight, curved basally, barbed, much longer than others (82 µm). Seta v ' 53 µm long.

Material examined. Holotype female, two paratype females, paratype male, ANIC 299 , litter, wet sclerophyll forest, Mount Donna Buang, Yarra Ranges National Park , Victoria, 37°42'S, 145°41'E, 1050 m., coll. R. W. Taylor & R. J. Bartell, 5.xi.1970 . Holotype and paratypes deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra .

Etymology. The specific name, gigas , is from the Latin meaning ‘large’ or ‘giant’, referring to the proportions of the animal, especially the large, broad notogaster.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia gigas can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the stout, straight, barbed lamellar and interlamellar setae; 2) the line of small tubercles on the prodorsal margin lateral of the bothridium; 3) the large broad, elongated notogaster bearing flat, straight, strongly-barbed, phylliform setae that are pointed apically; 4) the notogaster with a network of lines of minute tubercles between setae d 1 and e 1, medially and extending laterally between e 2 and f 1; 5) with epimeral setae 4a and 4b short, sub-equal; 6) the strongly tuberculate lateral margins of epimeres I, III and IV apodemes III, sternal apodeme and posterior margin of epimeral plate IV; 7) setae of epimeral plate III are on the anterior part of plate, those of plate IV are on the posterior region; 8) the smooth perigenital region; 9) genital seta g 4 are longer than others in the lateral file; 10) the stout, well-developed adanal setae.

Phyllhermannia gigas is morphologically most similar to P. acalepha (cf. remarks section for the latter species above) and to P. lemannae (cf. below).