Haasia jalzici Antić and Dražina, 2015

Antić, Dragan, Dražina, Tvrtko, Raða, Tonći, Tomić, Vladimir T. & Makarov, Slobodan E., 2015, Review of the family Anthogonidae (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida), with descriptions of three new species from the Balkan Peninsula, Zootaxa 3948 (2), pp. 151-181 : 158-160

Haasia jalzici Antić and Dražina , sp.n.

Figs 19–29

Material examined. Holotype male: Ponor Sušik Cave, Drežničko Polje, village of Drežnica, near Ogulin, Gorski Kotar, Croatia, 45°8'43.00"N, 15°5'35.00"E, 09.VI.2007, leg. N. Raguž ( CBSS, DIP 416). Paratype male: same data as for holotype (IZB ANG HM 100–1).

Etymology. The new species is named after Branko Jalžić, renowned Croatian biospeleologist, a man who has led and is still leading numerous speleological, biospeleological, and paleontological explorations of Ponor Sušik Cave.

Diagnosis. Differs from all other Haasia species in the presence of a biramous medial sternal process on the posterior gonopods ( Fig. 29 ).

Description. Body with 30 segments (including telson).

Measurements: Holotype male 11.5 mm long, vertical diameter of its largest pleurotergite 1 mm; paratype male 11 mm long, vertical diameter of its largest pleurotergite 1 mm.

Coloration: Pigmentless, yellowish white.

Head (holotype ♂): With slightly convex frontal side. Labrum with three medial labral teeth, and with 4+4 outer, less distinct teeth. With 4+4 labral and 2+2 supralabral setae. Promentum triangular, without setae; lingual plates with 6+6 setae in two rows (5+5 setae in the outer row and 1+ 1 in the inner row); stipites with 20+20 setae. Antennae elongated, 2.4 mm long. Length of antennomeres: I (0.12), II (0.27), III (0.59), IV (0.4), V (0.57), VI (0.21), VII (0.22), and VIII (0.02), respectively. Length/breadth ratios of antennomeres I-VII: I (1), II (2), III (4.5), IV (3), V (4), VI (1.5), and VII (2.2). Antennomeres II, IV, and V slightly clavate. Antennomeres II, IV, V, VI, and VII with one, three, one, four and one sensillum (sensilla), respectively. Blind.

Collum: Narrower than head, with six macrochaetae. Anterior side semicircular, posterior side slightly concave.

Body segments: Prozonites with hexagonal tiles ( Fig. 19 ). Metazonites with scale-like structures ( Fig. 21 ). Dorso-medial areas of metazonites smooth ( Fig. 19 ). Edge of metazonites with longitudinal outgrowths which communicate with some denticles of the limbus ( Figs 20 and 21 ). Lateral keels developed, but absent from pleurotergites XXVIII and XXIX. Macrochaetae medium-sized on anterior pleurotergites, on knobs; fallen off from the other pleurotergites. Macrochaetal index CIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 0.45; median index MIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 1.30; paratergal index PIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 0.40; macrochaetal angle MA (pleurotergite 15) ~120° ( Fig. 20 ).

Telson: Epiproct with a pair of spinnerets and six setae arranged in two rows (2+2 marginal trichoid setae and 1+1 paramedial bacilliform seta). Hypoproct with two apical trichoid setae. Paraprocts with 3+3 marginal trichoid setae.

Walking legs: Elongated. Leg pairs 1 and 2 with tarsal combs, prefemora with several long and robust setae, femora and postfemora with numerous long and robust setae.

Male sexual characters: Leg pairs 3–7 slightly enlarged. Leg pair 7 with saber-like tarsi. Without other peculiarities on leg pairs 3–7. Leg pairs 10 and 11 with coxal glands, without other peculiarities.

Anterior gonopods ( Figs 23–28 ): Constructed according to the type in other species of the genus Haasia . Oral side with a transverse basal sternal plate (sp), while caudal side includes two medially connected arches (ar). The most dominant and highest structures are the anterior shield-like coxal processes (a) [= telopodites sensu Verhoeff (1930) and Strasser (1935, 1940, 1966a, 1966b, 1971b) or the anterior coxal stem sensu Mršić (1992)], which are very broad in the basal part, gradually tapering towards the top (distally). These parts are clearly separated from each other and are laterally connected with the syncoxite (sco). At the widest part of the shield-like process, there are two short horns, an outer larger one (h1) and an inner smaller one (h2); also present are apical posterior denticles (d) and postero-mesal protrusions (p). Syncoxite almost the same width as both shield-like processes; consisting of a triangulum (t) and two bristle apparatuses on each side: inner (b1) and posterior (b2) one. The medial part of the syncoxite is horizontal and covered with very short barely visible hairs; it represents the top of the trianglum, which is connected with the highest, antero-mesally curved, lateral parts of the syncoxite (lp), also covered with minute hairs. Extremely laterally on each side of the syncoxite there is one horn (h3).

Posterior gonopods ( Fig. 29 ): Medial sternal process (m) [= medianen Aufsatz sensu Verhoeff (1930), Mittelfortsatz/Mittelaufsatz sensu Strasser (1935, 1940, 1966a, 1966b), or medial sternite process sensu Mršić (1992)] is divided into two long, orally curved horns. In situ these horns touch the medial area of the syncoxite (top of the triangulum). Lateral coxal processes (lcp) [= gonopodialen Fortsätze sensu Verhoeff (1930) and Strasser (1935, 1966b), Seitenteile sensu Strasser (1940, 1966b), or lateral sternite processes sensu Mršić (1992)] are well developed, wide, and shield-like in lateral view. Both anterior and posterior sides strongly denticulated. Posterior side with the greater number of denticles. Anterior side with a few denticles, of which the basal one is the largest.

Habitat. Ponor Sušik Cave is a branching cave with an underground stream in the main channel. This cave functions as a periodic sinkhole. It is still being investigated speleologically and for now there are over 1.5 km of known channels. In one fossil channel numerous skeletal remains of cave bear ( Ursus spelaeus ) and so-called “bear polishes” were found ( Malez et al. 1988).

Figures

FIGURES 19 – 22. Haasia jalzici sp. n., paratype male from the Ponor Sušik Cave, Gorski Kotar. 19: body segments XIV and XV, dorsal view; 20: macrochaetal knobs of body segment XV; 21: scale-like structures of metazonite XV; 22: cross-section of body segment XV, posterior view.

FIGURES 23 – 26. Haasia jalzici sp. n., paratype male from the Ponor Sušik Cave, Gorski Kotar, anterior gonopods. 23: anterior view; 24: lateral view; 25: posterior view; 26: postero-distal view. Designations: a: anterior shield-like coxal processes, d: apical posterior denticles, p: postero-mesal protrusion, t: triangulum, ar: arch, b 1: inner bristles apparatus, b 2: posterior bristles apparatus, h 1: outer horn, h 2: inner horn, h 3: lateral horn, lp: lateral parts of syncoxite, sp: basal sternal plate, sco: syncoxite. Scale line: 0.4 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 29. Haasia jalzici sp. n., paratype male from the Ponor Sušik Cave, Gorski Kotar, gonopods. 27: anterior gonopods, anterior view; 28: anterior gonopods, posterior view; 29: posterior gonopods, anterior view. Designations: m: biramous medial sternal process, lcp: lateral coxal process. Scale line: 0.4 mm for Figs 27 and 28, 0.2 mm for Fig. 29.