Boreohesperus alcyonis, Car & Harvey, 2017

Car, Catherine A. & Harvey, Mark S., 2017, New species of Boreohesperus (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae) from north-western Australia, European Journal of Taxonomy 320 (320), pp. 1-11 : 4-5

Boreohesperus alcyonis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0D2CB02B-91F7-4C02-903B-FC4C7B9D8530

Figs 2 , 5

Diagnosis

This species is readily distinguished from those previously described by its large, robust gonopod with a long, broad femorite. It differs from Boreohesperus psittacinus sp. nov. and B. vascellus sp. nov. in its long, curled solenomere on the gonopod which lacks a tip process: this process is present in the other two species. B. alcyonis sp. nov. also has a distinctive long, slender non-seminiferous branch process on the gonopod that curves to the solenomere tip.

Etymology

This species is named for the island on which it was found, Kingfisher Island (from the Latin ‘ alcyon, -is ’, noun, kingfisher).

Type material

Holotype

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: ♂, Kingfisher Island , 16º04′55″ S, 124º04′15″ E, Biota site ref. D20100209 KIS3-171-1, vine thicket, 9 Feb. 2010, R. Teale leg. ( WAM T108780 ).

Paratypes

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype ( WAM T 140186).

Description

Male (holotype)

Body approximately 16 mm long; mid-body approximately 2 mm wide dorsally with distinct waist between prozonite and metazonite; legs of moderate length, approximately equal to length of 1–2 midbody rings. Colour uniform chestnut brown. Paranota absent. Sternites, other than those of the fifth body ring, with no noticeable features. Sternal lamella broad, square and short, reaching just above the coxae of the second pair of legs on body ring 5. Anterior spiracles at mid-body elliptical, small, facing slightly posteriorly. Antennae not obviously clavate, fifth and sixth antennomeres only slightly wider than proximal ones, short, not extending to body ring 2, antennomeres relatively slender ( Fig. 2A ). Gonopod ( Fig. 2 C–F) extending to posterior edge of fifth body ring; coxa (C) robust and approximately 2× as long as broad; prefemur (PF) short, sub-triangular; femorite (F) half the length of acropodite, slightly narrower at base, then broadening noticeably; non-seminiferous branch (NSB) extending almost to solenomere tip as an upright, broad, pointed process; process on medial surface of NSB (nsbp) long and very slender, arising approximately midway on the length of the NSB and curving upwards almost to the solenomere tip; solenomere (S) relatively long and slender, arising midway between NSB tip and PF, basal third curving away from NSB and tip curling back towards gonopod midline to form a slender loop; solenomere tip undivided with no process; solenomere process (sp) absent; separate posterior process (pp) arising near solenomere base, long, slender, pointed and at least half solenomere length.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

This species is known from three males only, collected from Kingfisher Island.

Figures

Fig. 2. Boreohesperus alcyonis sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (WAM T108780). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C–F. Left gonopod. C. Posterior view. D. Anterior view. E. Medial view. F. Lateral view. Abbreviations: bs = solenomere base; C = coxa; F = femorite; NSB = non-seminiferous branch; nsbp = non-seminiferous branch process; PF = prefemur; pp = posterior process; S = solenomere. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 1 mm; C–F = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 5. Map of the Kimberley region of north-western Australia showing the distributions of the three new species of Boreohesperus Shear, 1992.