Chaleponcus schioetzae, Enghoff, 2022

Enghoff, Henrik, 2022, Mountains of millipedes. The family Odontopygidae in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida), European Journal of Taxonomy 803, pp. 1-136 : 46-47

Chaleponcus schioetzae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:76ECCFEE-C783-4B6B-8C58-2A1137DD6491

Figs 29–30

Diagnosis

Differs from all other Chaleponcus species except C. soerensenae sp. nov., by the large metaplical palette. Differs from C. soerensenae sp. nov. by lacking a latero-posterior coxal spine.

Etymology

After Vibeke Schiøtz, the first Danish zoologist to describe new millipede species from tropical Africa ( Schiøtz 1966a, 1966b).

Material examined (total 3 ♂♂)

Holotype TANZANIA • ♂; Uluguru Mts , Lupanga, West; 1400 m a.s.l.; 1 Jul. 1981, M. Stoltze and N. Scharff leg.; under stone; NHMD 621725 .

Paratypes TANZANIA • 1 ♂; Uluguru Mts , Lupanga, West; 1800 m a.s.l.; 1 Jul. 1981; M. Stoltze and N. Scharff leg.; in trunk; NHMD 621726 • 1 ♂; Uluguru Mts , Lupanga, Peak; 2138 m a.s.l.; 10 Sep. 1981; N. Scharff leg.; pitfall trap; NHMD 621727 .

Description (male)

SIZE. Length 30–39 mm, diameter 2.4–3.1 mm, 44–48 podous rings, no apodous rings in front of telson.

COLOUR. After 37 years in alcohol strongly faded, only posterior amber zone of metazonites and faint traces of longitudinal dorsal stripe preserved.

SUPRALABRAL SETAE. 6.

MANDIBULAR STIPES. Distal margin almost straight, only very shallowly bilobed.

ANAL VALVES. With large dorsal spine/hook and faint ventral ‘corner’, free margins not raised, each with three sessile setae.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 29H ). Striate, no cellular structure, margin completely straight, no lobes.

LEGS. Postfemoral and tibial pads obvious from 2 nd pair until anterior post-gonopodal legs, thereafter reduced in size and eventually disappearing.

FIRST PAIR OF LEGS ( Fig. 29A–C ). Prefemoral lobes relatively long, slender-triangular in ventral view. Three coxosternal setae (CXS) close to lateral margin of coxosternum, well separated from prefemoral lobes. Prefemora with two mesapical setae (APS) but apparently without further setae or sensilla.

STERNUM 9 ( Fig. 29D ). Triangular; lateral margins convex, almost angled, sternum hence almost pentagonal.

GONOPOD COXA ( Fig. 29E–G ). With a slender shaft with a slightly convex lateral margin; apically strongly expanded, distolaterally drawn out into short, blunt process in specimen from 1400 m a.s.l., almost evenly rounded in specimens from 1800 and 2138 a.s.l. Proplica (PP) with straight mesal margin, ending in small proplical lobe (PPL). Metaplica (MP) basally with a poorly delimited flange (MF), apically with a very large mesal palette (mpa) with irregularly undulate margin, in posterior view with a sub-hemispherical lobe (ml) and, just basal to ml, with a small-ridged shelf (ms).

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 30 ). Arculus 90°. Torsotope (TT) moderately compact, no post-torsal spine. Post-torsal narrowing (PN) not very pronounded. Solenomere (SLM) very long, much longer than telomere, whiplike, with several coils, tip simple, without a proximal spine. Telomere (TM) basally narrow, shortly after separation from solenomere expanded into very complicated folded sheet with a small basal, triangular lobe (tml1) on anterior side, an apical (ventral) semicircular lobe (tml2), a domed lobe (tml3) with microdentate margin, closely juxtaposed to tml2, a large distal, irregularly circular domed lobe (tml4) with a microtrichose area fitting under tml2, and an anterior bandlike, terminally hooked lobe (tml5).

Distribution and habitat

Known only from Lupanga in the Uluguru Mts, altitude 1400–2138 m a.s.l.

Remarks

The significance of the slight variation of the gonopod coxa outline cannot be assessed with just three specimens at hand. Very similar to C. soerensenae sp. nov. These two species might be placed in a separate species group, the Chaleponcus schioetzae group, characterized by having a completely smooth limbus, a large mesal metaplical palette on the gonopod coxa and a very compact and complicated telomere. The C. schioetzae group forms a (very much less diverse) Ulugurus counterpart to the large C. dabagaensis group in the Udzungwa Mts ( Enghoff 2014).

Figures

Fig. 29. Chaleponcus schioetzae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621725). A–C. First pair of legs. A. Sublateral view. B. Anterior view. C. Ventral view. D. Sternum 9. E–G. Left gonopod coxa E. Anterior view. F. Mesal view. G. Lateral view. H. Midbody dorsal limbus. Abbreviations: APS =mesapical prefemoral setae; CXS = coxosternal setae; MF=metaplical flange; ml =metaplical lobe; mpa= metaplical palette; ms =metaplical shelf; PP = proplica; PPL =proplical lobe. Scale bars: A–G =0.1 mm; H =0.02 mm.

Fig. 30. Chaleponcus schioetzae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621725), left gonopod telepodite. A. Anterior view, tml5 highlighted. B. Close-up of microtrichose area of tml4. C. Basal (dorsal) view. D. Distal (ventral) view. E. Posterior view. F. Anterior-ventral view. G. Close-up of tml2 and tml3. Abbreviations: PN =post-torsal narrowing; SLM = solenomere;tml1 -5 =telomeral lobes;TT =torsotope. Scale bars: A, C–F =0.1 mm; B, G =0.01 mm.