Glomeris troglokabyliana Golovatch & Mauriès, 2009

Golovatch, Sergei, Mauriès, Jean-Paul, Akkari, Nesrine, Stoev, Pavel & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2009, The millipede genus Glomeris Latreille, 1802 (Diplopoda, Glomerida, Glomeridae) in North Africa, ZooKeys 12 (12), pp. 47-86 : 52-54

Glomeris troglokabyliana Golovatch & Mauriès , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:36F30A02-E19F-4B99-8468-B75A52A771EC

Fig. 1

Type material. Algeria, Algiers, “dept. Alger ”, Michelet-Djurdjura road, Azerou Tidjer, entrance of Ifri Mareb Cave , 19.XI.1912, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff ( Biospeologica 704A), holotype ♁ (MNHN CC 165), paratypes: 2 ♁, 3 ♀, 8 juv. (MNHN CC 165). Same locality, Azerou Tidjer, Ifri bou-Amane Cave, 19.XI.1912, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff (Biospeologica 706), paratypes: 1 ♁, 2 ♀ (ZMUM). Same locality, 29.VII.1913, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff (Biospeologica 707), paratypes: 6 ♁, juv. ♁, 23 ♀, juv. ♀ (MNHN CC 165), 1 ♁, 1 ♀ (ZMUC), 3 ♀ (NMNH), 3 ♀ (FMNH), 3 ♀ (NHMW 7779). Same locality, Michelet-Djurdjura road, douar Aït-Boudrar, Anou Tahalouant Cave , 11.VII.1914, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff (Biospeologica 710), 1 ♁ (MNHN CC 165) . Algeria, “dept. Alger”, Bouïra, douar Haïzer, Ifri Yacoub Cave , 30.X.1912, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff (Biospeologica 915), paratypes: 3 ♁, 5 ♀, 7 juv. (MNHN CC 165) . Algeria, “dept. Alger”, douar Ben-bou-Ouakour, canton Beni Mansour Maillot, n’Tarzout Cave , 8.III.1914, leg. P. de Peyerimhoff (Biospeologica 906), 1 ♀ (MNHN CC 165) .

Name: To emphasize the provenance of material from caves in the High Kabylia, Algeria.

Diagnosis: Differs from all congeners except G. albida Mauriès & Vicente, 1978 and G. monostriata sp. n. in the clear troglomorphy (in particular, the lack of pigmentation), coupled with two striae crossing the collum and 1-2 striae crossing the thoracic shield, and usually with (6)7+1 ocelli.

Description: Length of extended adults of both sexes ranging between 13.5-14.0 (♁) and 15.0- 17.5 mm (♀), width 3.4-4.2 (♁) and 5.0- 5.8 mm (♀), body broadest at thoracic shield. Holotype ca 13.5 mm long and 3.65 mm wide (extended), or ca 9.5 and 3.5 mm, respectively (unextended). Juveniles with 12 segments (like adults) and 5 ocelli, ca 4.8 mm long and 2.2 mm wide. Juveniles with 11 segments and 5 ocelli, ca 4.5 mm long and 2.2 mm wide. Juveniles with 10 segments and 3 ocelli, ca 3.4 mm long and 1.75 mm wide. Juveniles with 8 or 9 segments and 2-3 ocelli, ca 2.7-2.8 mm long and 1.13-1.40 mm wide.

Coloration entirely pallid.

Head usual, transverse; Tömösváry’s organ transversely oval, strongly elongate ( Fig. 1A ); antennae long, antennomere 6 longest, 2.5-2.8 times longer than wide ( Fig. 1B ); ocelli usually 7+1, rather convex but usually transparent and thus poorly visible ( Fig. 1A ), only rarely pigmented (5+1 or 6+1 grey ocelli in ♁♁ from Anou Tahalouant and n’Tarzout caves, respectively).

Collum with two transverse striae.

Thoracic shield with a narrow hyposchism reaching the caudal tergal contour ( Fig. 1C ); 3-4 transverse striae, of which 1-2 anterior, starting well in front of schism, crossing entire dorsum, while the others, starting just above schism, are abbreviated ( Fig. 1C ).

Tergal surface very finely punctate. Terga 3 and 4 rather broadly rounded laterally, tergum 3 being only slightly narrower ( Fig. 1C ). Tergal pilosity and mid-dorsal sinuosity lacking. Pygidium usually with a completely regularly rounded caudal margin, only rarely extremely faintly sinuated medially at margin.

♁ leg 17 ( Fig. 1D ) with a medium-sized, regularly rounded, outer coxal lobe; telopodite 4-segmented.

♁ leg 18 ( Fig. 1E ) with a broadly ogival syncoxital notch; telopodite 4-segmented.

Telopods ( Figs 1F, G ) with a rather high, regularly rounded, bare, central syncoxital lobe flanked by two setose horns, each crowned with a very small bulb and a long, setiform filament. Femur with a large caudomedial outgrowth, subquadrate at base. Tibia with a caudomedial unciform process. Tarsus rather broadly rounded apically.

Remarks: This species is the only clearly troglomorphic congener to be reported from Algeria. It is noteworthy that some specimens show rudimentary pigmentation of the ocelli.

Based on the shape of tergum 3, this new species can be regarded as somewhat intermediate between the “ Stenopleuromeris ” and “ Eurypleuromeris ” types, although closer to the former.

Figures

Figure 1. Glomeris troglokabyliana sp. n., ♁ paratype; A, left part of head showing ocelli and Tömösváry’s organ, dorsal view; B, antenna, lateral view; C, thoracic shield and terga 3 & 4, lateral view; D, leg 17; E, leg 18; F, G, leg 19 (telopod), caudal and frontal views, respectively. – Scale bar: 0.3 mm (D-G); drawn not to scale (A-C).