Balkanopetalum beskovi Strasser, 1973

Stoev, Pavel & Enghoff, Henrik, 2003, Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of genus Balkanopetalum Verhoeff, 1926 (Diplopoda: Callipodida: Schizopetalidae), Zootaxa 272 (1), pp. 1-26 : 10

Balkanopetalum beskovi Strasser, 1973

Figs 7­9 .

Type locality: ‘Topchika Höhle bei Dobrostan’.

Literature records: Topchika Cave near Dobrostan ( Strasser, 1973: 429); Yamata Cave near Dobrostan; Hralupa Cave near Dobrostan; Druzhba Pot hole near Dobrostan ( Beron, 1994: 83). Strasser (1973: 429) referred his earlier ( Strasser 1969: 145) record of rhodopinum juveniles from Garvanyovitsa Cave near Turen to beskovi , but the identity of these specimens remains uncertain.

Material examined (all from Bulgaria): 2 MM, 3 FF, 3 juv., Asenovgrad District , Dobrostan Village, Topchika Cave, 19.02.1997, T. Ivanova leg. ; 4 MM, 12 FF (2 MM, 2 FF, ZMUC), same village, Druzhba Pot hole, 26.09.1992, P. Beron leg. ; 1 M, 1F, same village, Hralupa Cave , 10.06.1961, G. Bachvarov leg. ; several subad., same locality, 24.08.1970, C. Delchev leg. ; 1F, 1 subad., same village, Yamata Cave , 17.07.1961, G. Bachvarov leg. ; 2 FF, same village, Pirkovskata Cave , 1,200 m alt., clay, 20.10.2001, B. Petrov, V. Beshkov leg. ; 2 FF, 1 juv., Mostovo Village , Zmiin burun Pot hole, 980 m alt., 18.04.1993, P. Stoev leg.

Diagnosis. This species differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: The anterior coxal process has a small tooth at its base; the posterior coxal process is straight; the femoroid has a basal tooth; the ovoid plate is thin and sharpened; the distal femoroid process is black, medially incised with two well developed lateral processes; the solenomerite is trifid ( Figs 7, 8 ). The prefemur of male 7th leg­pair is moderately swollen mesally ( Fig. 9 ).

Chaetotaxy, see Table 3 .

Notes. This species occurs in caves and pot holes in the karst massif of Dobrostan, the central part of the Rhodopi Mts. Beron (1972, 1994) referred to this species as B. beshkovi Strasser , since the name of the person, which it honors is currently transliterated as Beshkov. However, Strasser (1973) transliterated the name as Beškov and in the specific name correctly omitted the diacritical mark over the "s".

B. beskovi coexists with typical cave­dwellers like Cordioniscus schmalfussi Andreev, 2002 (Isopoda) , Rhodopioniscus beroni (Vandel, 1965) (Isopoda) , Trichoniscus rhodopiense Vandel, 1965 (Isopoda) , Troglohyphantes bureschianus Deltshev, 1975 (Araneae) , and Histopona tranteevi Deltshev, 1978 (Araneae) .

Figures

FIGURES 7­9. Balkanopetalum beskovi Strasser. Figs. 7­8. Male gonopods, mesal (Fig. 7) and lateral (Fig. 8) views. Cx ­ Coxa; ACxPr ­ Anterior coxal process; PCxPr ­ Posterior coxal process; Fe ­ Femoroid; BT ­ Basal tooth; DPr ­ Distal process; OP ­ Ovoid plate; ST ­ Solenomerite; SG ­ Seminal groove. Fig. 9. Coxa, trochanter, prefemur and femur of male 7th leg­pair. Cx ­ Coxa; PFe ­ Prefemur; Fe ­ Femur.