Haplocookia enghoffi, Akkari, Nesrine & Mauries, Jean-Paul, 2018

Akkari, Nesrine & Mauries, Jean-Paul, 2018, A review of the family Trichopolydesmidae in North Africa with a description of a new species from Tunisia, ZooKeys 786, pp. 117-128 : 118

Haplocookia enghoffi sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 3

Material.

Holotype. Male, Tunisia, Cap Bon peninsula, Nabeul district, Jebel Abderrahman, Tunisia, 28.11.2004, N. Akkari leg. (MNHN - JC 380). Paratypes. 2 males, same data as holotype, N. Akkari leg. (MNHN - JC 380); 2 males, same data as holotype, N. Akkari leg. (NHMW 9366; NHMW 9367); 1 male, same data as holotype, N. Akkari leg. (ZMUC 00039891).

Additional material studied.

Heterocookia novator , 1 male, Tunisia, Gov. Béja, Jebel El Jouza Amdoun, coll. & det. N. Akkari, MNHN; Heterocookia tunisiaca , 1 male, Algeria, wilaya El Tarf, El Kala, coll. Kahina Houd-Chaker, det. J.-J. Geoffroy, MNHN.

Diagnosis.

A small polydesmidan of the genus Haplocookia , differing from its congeners in the shape of the distal part of the gonopod telopodite having simple curved processes.

Etymology.

The species epithet honours Prof. Henrik Enghoff, a leading expert in myriapod systematics, author of major works on millipede taxonomy, and always a dear friend.

Description.

(all measurements in mm). Pale, almost white (Figure 1), 20 body rings; length: 8−8.6 mm, width of the 10th metazonite, including paranota: 0.83−1.18; prozonite: 0.62−0.69.

Head occipital furrow not clear; mandibles and gnathochilarium with many small and regularly distributed setae, labrum with three teeth. Antenna (Figure 2A) 1.21 mm long, articles: 1st: 0.12, 2nd: 0.15, 3ed: 0.24, 4th: 0.16, 5th: 0.18, 6th: 0.26, 7th& 8th: 0.10, no special characters observed on 6thantennomere (only the usual external long seta).

Collum (Figure 2B) semicircular, not broader than head, flattened, with four irregular transverse rows of tubercles bearing stout and long setae, paranotal edges incised into three well-developed lobes, each one bearing 1 seta.

Metaterga (Figure 2C) with three transverse rows of 10−14 tubercles each bearing a short and stout seta (anterior and posterior rows with ten tubercles each, median row with variable number), median row closer to posterior one.

Paranota (Figure 2C) well expanded dorsolaterally, with four incised lobes bearing one long and stout seta each. Ozopore large, round and lying between the two posterior metatergal rows, present on rings 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 −19.

Legs (Figure 2D) without special features, articles: coxa: 0.17, prefemur: 0.20, femur: 0.08, postfemur: 0.10, tibia: 0.15, tarsus: 0.10, apical claw circa three times longer than broad (length: 0.04, basal width: 0.01).

Telson with two transverse rows of tubercles bearing long and strong setae, epiproct almost triangular, with relatively long setae.

Gonopods (Figure 3). Coxa (Cx) well-developed, hemispherical, internal margin not indented, external border extended in a large anterior rounded lobe with 2 long and 1 shorter setae seen in posterior view. Prefemoral part (p) with strong setae, medially folded and sheltering basal opening of seminal groove. Cannula (C) concealed in coxa, its tip entering mesal fold of the prefemur, where seminal groove (S) arises. Distal part of telopodite divided into solenomere (So) and tibiotarsus (t). Tibiotarsus simple, relatively broad and apically bent, with barely perceptible blunt bump on internal margin. Solenomere (So) slender and bent bearing the opening of the seminal groove at apex. Seminal groove (S) uniformly broad from femoral basis up to apex of solenomere, noticeably thickening at femoral level, just above bifurcation of telopodite.

Comments.

H. tunisiaca is reported here for the first time from Algeria.