Chaleponcus krai, Enghoff, 2014

Enghoff, Henrik, 2014, A mountain of millipedes I: An endemic species-group of the genus Chaleponcus Attems, 1914, from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 100, pp. 1-75 : 37-39

Chaleponcus krai sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:751A38C1-6F20-4375-A119-79C08025F6C5

Figs 4 , 9 , 19

Diagnosis

Large. Gonopod coxa ( Fig. 9 ) without a lateral process; metaplical shelf-spine long, stout. Telomere with characteristically shaped anterior lamella divided into a horizontal lobe with deeply laciniate edges and a long, straight, distal spine-like part.

Etymology

The name honours Otto Kraus in recognition of his extremely valuable monographs on Odontopygidae ; the name is constructed on a pretended Latin origin of his surname.

Material studied (total: 6 ♂♂)

Holotype

TANZANIA: ♂, Iringa Region, Iringa District, New Dabaga / Ulangambi FR, 08°05’ 37.9” S, 35°54’ 05.6” E, fallow/cultivation, 1900–1920 m asl, plot FP, casual, 26–28 Nov. 2000, Frontier Tanzania UMPS leg. ( ZMUC).

Paratypes

All from TANZANIA, Iringa Region, Iringa District: 2 ♂♂, data as holotype (ZMUC); 3 ♂♂, Kalimbazi Mtn, near Mazombe, 2000–2100 m asl, forest floor, Jan. 1984, Jan Kielland (VMNH).

Type locality

TANZANIA: Iringa Region, Iringa District, New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR, 08°05’ 37.9” S, 35°54’ 05.6” E, fallow/cultivation, 1900–1920 m asl.

Description (male)

DIAMETER. 3.0– 3.2 mm, 51 podous rings.

COLOUR. After 12 years in alcohol faded, with traces of pale dorsal band, bordered by dark paramedian bands.

ANAL VALVES. Each with a long, slightly curving dorsal spine and a well-developed ventral one; marginal rim raised, setiferous tubercles on ‘ravelins’.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 4G ). With low, apically truncated and strongly serrated lobes; lobes less than half as long as wide, indistinctly striate on external surface.

TARSAL SETATION. Normal.

GONOPOD COXA ( Figs 9 , 19 ). Almost 4 × as long as wide. Lateral margin regularly convex from base to tip; cucullus (cu) small, triangular in outline. Metaplical flange ending in long, triangular process (mfp), pointing distad. Metaplical shelf (ms) regularly rounded, projecting posteriad as well as mesad just distal to arculus. Metaplical shelf-spine (mss) originating from anterior-mesal end of ms, massive, long, regularly curved, first anteriad, then disto-mesad, in situ crossing over with opposite mss.

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 19 ). Solenomere with very long, straight proximal spine (ps), distally with

three branches:

• an anterior lamella (al) divided into a horizontal lobe with deeply laciniate edges and a long, straight, distal spine-like part,

• a large, simple intermediate lamella (il), projecting distad and closely appressed to spine-like part of al,

• a small, inconspicuous, rounded posterior lamella (pl).

Distribution and habitat

Known from New Dabaga-Ulangambi FR and from Kalimbazi Mtn, near Mazombe. Altitudinal range: 1900–2100 m asl. Habitat: fallow/cultivation; forest floor.

Coexisting species

In New Dabaga-Ulangambi FR C. gracilior sp. nov. was found in the same sample as C. krai sp. nov. In addition, C. vilici sp. nov., C. teres sp. nov., C. termini sp. nov., C. netus sp. nov., C. nectarinia sp. nov., C. malleolus sp. nov., C. mwabvui sp. nov., C. dabagaensis and C. vandenspiegeli sp. nov. occur in New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR. C. gracilior sp. nov. also occurs on Kalimbazi Mtn.

Note

The anterior telomeral lamella of C. krai sp. nov. is remarkably similar to the posterior lamella in C. nectarinia sp. nov., cf. note in the general description of the C. dabagaensis group.

Figures

Fig. 4. Limbus types in Chaleponcus species, SEM micrographs, external view, except I: internal view. — A. Lobes pointed, more than twice as long as broad (C. scopus sp. nov.). B. Lobes pointed, slightly less than twice as long as broad (C. howelli sp. nov.). C. Lobes pointed, almost equilateral triangles (C. netus sp. nov.), D. Lobes rounded, slightly longer than broad (C. dabagaensis Kraus, 1958). E. Lobes broadly rounded, slightly shorter than broad (C. hamerae sp. nov.). F. Lobes spatulate (C. gracilior sp. nov.). G. Lobes rounded, broader than long, spinose, ridged (C. krai sp. nov.). H. Lobes ca. 3 times as broad as high, rounded, spinose (C. teres sp. nov.). I. Lobes rounded, much broader than high, smooth (C. malleolus sp. nov.). J. No lobes (C. circumvallatus sp. nov.). Scales: 0.01 mm (A– F, J), 0.001 mm (G–I).

Fig. 9. Chaleponcus spp., outline of coxite of left gonopod, posterior view. (The ’transverse’ plane of the gonopod is usually slightly at angles with the exact transverse plane of the millipede, so it may be necessary to tilt the gonopod slightly in order to obtain the view shown on the drawings.) The stippled lines indicate the place where the telopodital basomere emerges from the coxal cavity. Not to scale.

Fig. 19. Chaleponcus krai sp. nov., gonopods. Specimens from New Dabaga-Ulangambi (A) and Kalimbazi Mtn (B-D). A. Left gonopod, anterior view. B–D. Right gonopod. B. Mesal-dorsal view. C. Telopodite, mesal view. D. Posterior view. al = anterior lobe of telomere, cu = cucullus, il = intermediate lobe of telomere, mfp = metaplical flange process, mss = metaplical shelf-spine, pl = posterior lobe of telomere, ps = proximal spine of solenomere. Scales 0.1 mm.