Pseudotremia piscator, Shear, William A., 2011

Shear, William A., 2011, Cave millipeds of the United States. X. New species and records of the genus Pseudotremia Cope. 2. Species from Virginia, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), Zootaxa 3109, pp. 1-38 : 29

Pseudotremia piscator , n. sp.

Figs. 91–97

Types: Male holotype and female paratype from Fisher Cave, Lee Co., VIRGINIA, collected 30 September 1979 by T. C. Barr, Jr. Parts of the types, including the head, gonopods, ninth legs and some segments of the male, and female genitalia, are on SEM stub WS22–9.

Diagnosis: This large species is distinguished from all others by the large numbers of small, regular warts decorating its metazonites (figs. 91, 93), and the following combination of gonopod features: long, mesally directed MAP subapical spines, very short undivided LAPs, and large, aliform colpocoxites.

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin noun in apposition, “fisherman,” referring to the type locality. Suggested vernacular name: Fisher Cave Milliped.

Description: Male holotype about 34 mm long, 3.2 mm wide, third antennal segment 1.75 mm long. Ocelli 21 on each side, well-formed, contiguous (fig. 92). Segmental shoulders very strong, dorsal lobe of each shoulder with two or three projecting warts, ventral lobe with strong rim; midbody metazonites shallowly convex, covered by distinct small warts diminishing in size toward the smooth midline area (fig. 91). About six to eight poorly demarcated lateral striae on each side (fig. 93). Specimen bleached white by long preservation.

Gonopods (figs. 94–96) with angiocoxites basally well-separated, distally converging; MAPs narrow in anterior view (fig. 95), broad, curved seen laterally (fig. 94), with very long subapical spines directed mesally, crossing in midline, subapical spines about one-third length of apical spines, directed anteriorly; LAPs, short, slightly curved, thin, with prominent channel. Colpocoxites long, narrow, widely diverging, alate; DCP, long, narrow, curved, extending between MAPs (fig. 94; DCP is broken) Ninth legs (fig. 97) with coxoprefemur longer than femur, bearing strong basal knob; three distal reduced segments well-defined.

Female paratype similar to male.

Notes: Pseudotremia piscator is likely a troglophile at most, based on its size and well-developed eyes, but the types have been bleached to white by long preservation. At the type locality, this species is syntopic with Pseudotremia culveri (see below), a troglobiont, from which it may easily be distinguished.

Figures

FIGURES 86 – 91. New and previously described species of Pseudotremia. Figs. 86 – 90, Pseudotremia valga. Fig. 86, gonopods, lateral view. Fig. 87, right ninth leg, anterior view. Fig. 88, metazonite, lateral view. Fig. 89, gonopods, anterior view. Fig. 90, metazonite, dorsal view. Fig. 91, P. piscator, n. sp., metazonite, dorsal view.

FIGURES 92 – 98. New species of Pseudotremia. Figs. 92 – 97, Pseudotremia piscator, n. sp. Fig. 92, ocelli. Fig. 93, metazonite, lateral view. Fig. 94, gonopods, lateral view. Fig. 95, gonopods, anterior view. Fig. 96, gonopods, ventral view. Fig. 97, right ninth leg, anterior view. Fig. 98, P. culveri, n. sp., eleventh coxae, posterior view.