Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev, 2023

Akkari, Nesrine, Macek, Oliver & Stoev, Pavel, 2023, A revision of the millipede family Paracortinidae (Diplopoda, Callipodida), ZooKeys 1187, pp. 341-399 : 341

Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev sp. nov.

Figs 8 , 9 , 10 , 27E , 28

Material examined.

Holotype: China, Yunnan, Shangrila County, Degen, 214 Ntn Road, NE slope of SE Baima Mt. Range , between Cukatongcun & Nali, alt. 2465 m, 28°2'23"N, 99°12'16"E, 8.06.2013, I. Belousov, I. Kabak & G. Davidian leg. (Rd 5349 ZMUM) ; Paratype: 1 male 54PTs, same data as holotype (Rd 5350 ZMUM) .

Etymology.

The species epithet is a patronym to honours of one of the collectors, Ilya Kabak from the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences St Petersburg. Noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis.

Different from all species of the genus Paracortina by the distinctive shape of the distal part of telopodite with the ruffle of distolateral lamella.

Description (Holotype).

Body cylindrical, length 77.4 mm, maximal width ca 3.2 mm at PT5; body narrowing anteriorly and posteriorly from PT6; 60 (59 + 1 apodous) pleurotergites (PTs) + telson. Live colour unknown. Preserved specimen with a general dark brown to greyish aspect contrasted with pale legs and antennae (Fig. 8A, B ), prozona greyish, sputtered with fine brown dots (Fig. 8A, D ); metazona dorsally dark greyish brown especially on crests, anterior part greyish, finely sputtered with pale brown interrupted by larger irregular yellow alveolate spots, colour paler laterally below the ozopores and ventrally; legs yellowish (Fig. 8C, D ). Head: frontal part pale brown to yellowish, vertex dark grey-brown, antennae yellow (Fig. 8A, B ).

Fields of ommatidia subtriangular, black, composed of ~ 75 transparent ommatidia in nine or ten rows. Organ of Tömösváry large, ~ 1.2 mm, 3 × as large as an ommatidium, situated close to and touching anterior side of eye (Fig. 8A ). Antennae long; length of antennomeres (mm): 1 = 0.18; 2 = 1.29; 3 = 1.27; 4 = 1.01; 5 = 1.08; 6 = 0.69; 7 = 0.23.

PTs composed of smooth prozona and carinate metazona, latter being more pronounced in the posterior part. Prozona with no crests, anterior part of metazona with low, fine carinae, posterior part sharply raising forming well-developed longitudinal narrow and subparallel crests, well-separated from one another; crests gradually reduce in size laterally and ventrally (Fig. 8C ). Chaetotaxy follows the pattern of all setae being in anterior position on PTs 1-4, setae b, c, e migrating posteriorly on PT5 and all setae posteriorly on PT6 onwards. Crests moderately developed, also on collum, comprising alternating primary and secondary series, primary slightly higher than secondary; collum with ca nine crests on each hemipleurite. Ozopores visible from 6th to 59thPT, located on 6th (largest) PT. Hypoproct tripartite, median sclerite largest, subrectangular, bearing a pair of basal macrosetae; lateral sclerites smaller, triangular, with one seta each. Paraprocts divided into large ventral and smaller dorsal sclerites, each pair with a pair of long macrosetae. Spinnerets long and slender, arising from the caudal edge of epiproct and extending well beyond the margins of paraprocts.

Male sexual characters.

Head with a pronounced beak-shaped projection covered with minute setae (Fig. 8A, B ). Leg-pairs 1 and 2 reduced and more setose than the rest, leg-pair 2 with a small anterior process and posterior opening of the gonopores. Leg-pair 7 with a large cone-shaped and apically rounded mesal process on coxa, a lateral angular margin separated by a notch, an apical tuft of setae on trochanter, prefemur with a strong constriction proximally on the anterior margin, then strongly swollen distally (Fig. 27F ). Coxal sacs present (noticeable) on leg-pairs 3-13/16.

Gonopods (Figs 9 , 10 ). Parallel, each gonopod with asymmetrical, clavate prefemoroidal processes: a thin, short (pf1) process bearing a few apical setae, and a much larger densely setose (pf2) one (Fig. 9A, B ); coxa with rounded lobes on the anterior side (Ca) and the lateral side (Cl) respectively, engulfing the prefemoroidal processes (Fig. 9 A ), and a long falcate mesal coxal process (b), reaching the distal part of the telopodite (Fig. 9A, B, D ). Telopodite (T) stout and straight, with a uniformly broad stem expanding distally in a complex apex comprising a large hyaline lamella (dl) with a serrated margin extending anterolaterally in a double horizontal ruffle (Fig. 9B ), and a darkly pigmented median projection (dp) apically folded and pointing distolaterad (Figs 9 , 10 ); a slender mesal process, curved 180 degrees and pointing anteriad, slightly swollen apically (Figs 9C, D , 10A ) before further narrowing and bifurcating in solenomere (s) and parasolenomere (ps).

Figures

Figure 8. Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev, sp. nov., male holotype (Rd 5349 ZMUM) A, B head and anterior pleurotergites A lateral view B frontal view C, D midbody pleurotergites C lateral view D dorsal view.

Figure 9. Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev, sp. nov., male holotype (Rd 5349 ZMUM), right gonopod A anterior view B posterior view C lateral view D mesal view. Abbreviations: b = mesal process of coxa; Ca = anterior lobe of coxa; Cl = lateral lobe of coxa; dl = distal lamella of telopodite; dp = a median projection of the distal part of telopodite; pf 1 = prefemoroidal process 1; pf 2 = prefemoroidal process 2; s = solenomere; T = telopodite.

Figure 10. Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev, sp. nov., male holotype (Rd 5349 ZMUM) A-C right gonopod telopodite, distal part, A mesoventral view B posteromesal view C ventral view D detail of solenomere, ventral view. Abbreviations: b = mesal process of coxa 2; dl = distal lamella of telopodite; dp = a median projection of the distal part of telopodite; pf 1 = prefemoroidal process 1; ps = parasolenomere; s = solenomere; T = telopodite.

Figure 27. Modifications on leg-pair 6 and leg-pair 7 in adult males of species of Paracortinidae A, B Paracortina viriosa (Wang & Zhang, 1993), male A leg pair 6 B leg pair 7 C, D Paracortina voluta Wang & Zhang, 1993, male C leg pair 6 D leg pair 7 E Paracortina asciformis Akkari & Stoev, sp. nov., male holotype, leg pair 7 F Paracortina kabaki Akkari & Stoev, sp. nov., male holotype, leg pair 7 G Scotopetalum chinensis (Stoev & Geoffroy, 2004) comb. nov., male paratype, leg pair 7. Abbreviations: c = coxa; pr = prefemur; tr = trochanter.

Figure 28. Distribution map of Paracortinidae in China and Vietnam.