Desmoxytes breviverpa Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha

Srisonchai, Ruttapon, Enghoff, Henrik, Likhitrakarn, Natdanai & Panha, Somsak, 2016, Four colorful new species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from northern Thailand (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), Zootaxa 4170 (1), pp. 93-113 : 99-103

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4170.1.4

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F2E2A4C2-0AE0-4E55-916E-D6E1D60060E6

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6059209

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F92BAE36-3410-FFE3-FF58-13FFE854FBF2

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Desmoxytes breviverpa Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha
status

sp. nov.

Desmoxytes breviverpa Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 C, 1D, 5–7)

Holotype. male ( CUMZ) THAILAND, Phrae Province, Long District, before Sareethai Cave , 18º16'43"N, 100°03'29"E, ca 264 m a.s.l., 21 October 2014, leg. C. Sutcharit, W. Siriwut, K. Inkhavilay and R. Srisonchai. GoogleMaps

Paratypes. 27 males, 7 females ( CUMZ), GoogleMaps 3 males, 2 females ( ZMUC) same data with holotype GoogleMaps ; 5 males, 3 females ( CUMZ) same locality together with holotype, 21 July 2008, leg. N. Likhitrakarn GoogleMaps ; 1 male, 3 females ( CUMZ) THAILAND, Lampang Province, Mae Tha District, Nakraua Subdistrict, Wat Tham Phra Sabai , 18º05'32"N, 99°32'03"E, ca 328 m a.s.l., 21 July 2008, leg. S. Panha, P. Tongkerd and N. Likhitrakarn GoogleMaps ; 1 male, 5 females ( CUMZ) THAILAND, Lampang Province, Mae Tha District, Tham Chakkrabhat monastery (Wat Tham Chakkrabhat), 18º06'02"N, 99°56'48"E, ca 237 m a.s.l., 8 October 2007, leg. U. Bantaowong, R. Chanabun, P. Pimvichai and T. Krutchuen GoogleMaps .

Etymology. The name is a Latin noun in apposition, meaning “short intromittent organ”, and referring to the short, flagelliform solenomere.

Diagnosis. Body color shocking pink, paraterga wing-shaped, metaterga 2–8 with 2+2 spines in anterior row and 2+2 spines in posterior one, metaterga 9–19 with 2+2 spines in anterior row and 3+3 spines in posterior one. Similar in these respects to D. taurina ( Pocock, 1895) , D. purpurosea and D. takensis sp. n. Differs from D. purpurosea and D. takensis sp. n. by having 3+3 setiferous tubercles in anterior row of collum, by having the sternal process between male coxae 4 subquadrate with an emarginate tip, by having an emarginate process on lamina medialis (lm), and by having a very short solenomere. Differs from D. taurina by having strongly humped male femora 5 and 6, by having paraterga well developed, extremely elevated, and by having longer spines on metaterga.

Description. Length 28–30 mm (male), 33–35 mm (female), width of midbody prozona and metazona ca 1.7 and 2.0 mm (male), 2.5 and 3.0 mm (female).

Live coloration of body shocking pink to purple ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 C, 1D, 5); paraterga vivid pink; surface below paraterga and metaterga brown pink to brown purple; head brown; antenna dark brown; legs, sterna and epiproct pink. Coloration in alcohol after two years faded to pale brown; paraterga, surface below paraterga, metaterga, head, antenna, legs, sterna and epiproct brown to whitish.

Width of head <collum = segment 2 = 3 <4 <5 <6–17 thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson. Head width ca 2.5 mm (male), 2.8 mm (female). Clypeolabral region sparsely setose, epicranial suture distinct ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 A, 7D). Antennae long and slender, reaching the end of segment 6 (male) or 5 (female) when stretched backward dorsally ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 D).

Collum width ca 3.0 mm (male) and 3.5–4.0 mm (female); surface coarsely microgranulate; with three transverse rows of setiferous tubercles, 3+3 anterior, 1+1 intermediate and 2+2 posterior tubercles; posterior margin concave; paraterga well-developed, wing-liked, elevated at ca 30º and directed dorsolaterad, tip pointed, anterior margin with two setiferous notches ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 A).

Post-collum segments with prozonae finely shagreened; surface below paraterga and metazonae coarsely microgranulate; paraterga and sterna quite smooth ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 A–H, 7G). Suture between prozona and metazona conspicuous, shallow, narrow on segments 5 and 6, thereafter much wider ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 A–F, 7B, 7E, 7G). Metaterga with two distinct transverse rows of rose-thornlike setiferous spines; metaterga 2–8 with 2+2 spines in anterior and 2+2 spines in posterior row, lateral spines of posterior rows larger than inner spines; metaterga 9–18 with 2+2 anterior and 3(4)+3(4) posterior spines, lateral spines of posterior row longest, intermediate ones shorter and mesal ones shortest, distance between the two mesal spines of posterior rows smaller than distance between the mesal and the lateral spines on each side; metatergum 19 with 2+2 anterior and 3+3 posterior spines, all spines equal in size. Transverse sulcus on metaterga conspicuous and quite deep on segments 5–17, poorly developed on segments 4 and 18 ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 A, 5C, 5F, 7A–C). Mid-dorsal line missing.

Paraterga strongly developed, especially in male, winglike, directed dorsolaterad at about 45–50º ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 F); shoulder present, obviously rounded, fused to calluses; calluses on anterior margin of pore-bearing segments conspicuous; anterior margin with two conspicuous denticles; metaterga 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–17 with a very small additional denticle near tip ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 H); tip pointed, long ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 C, 5E, 7H). Ozopore (op) conspicuous, visible from above ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 H). Pleurosternal carinae forming a tooth-like crest on segment 2, a small tooth on segment 3, absent on remaining segments (both sexes) ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 B).

Epiproct conical, flattened ventrally; tip subtruncate; apical papillae without tubercles; paramedian setae with supporting by tiny tubercles; lateral papillae inconspicuous, small tubercles ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 J–L). Hypoproct subsemicircular; caudal margin quite convex, with a pair of small setigerous tubercles ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 I).

Sterna sparsely setose, cross-impression shallow; sternal process between male coxae 4 modified, subquadrate, tip emarginate, two sternal pores on sternal process visible from posterior view ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 G, 5H, 7M, 7N). Legs very long and slender, ca 3.2–3.5 (male) and 2.2–2.5 times (female) as long as mid body height ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 Q). Male femora 5 and 6 modified; distinctly humped at middle part, ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 I, 4O, 4P).

Gonopods ( Figs. 6 View FIGURE 6 , 7 View FIGURE 7 R–U) long, distal parts strongly condensed. Coxa (cx) about half as long as telopodite; cannula (ca) long, broadened basally. Prefemorite (pfe) about 2/3 as long as telopodite. Femorite (fe) very long and slender, slightly separated from postfemoral part by distinct lateral and mesal sulcus ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 R, black arrow; 7S, arrow), with seminal groove running entirely on mesal surface. Solenophore (sph) condensed: lamina lateralis (ll) with a digitiform, vertical ventral lobe on ventral surface ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 R & 7T: white arrow); lamina medialis (lm) consisting of one process and two lobes; process prominent, directed mesad, spine-shaped, tip emarginate ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 U: P arrow); first lobe situated on top, terminating in two lamellae ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 U: L1 arrow); second lobe long, blunt, twisted at base ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 U: L2 arrow). Solenomere (sl) very short, flagelliform, straight, a bit curving distad.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality and nearby areas. The holotype and accompanying paratypes were crawling on logs and litter in limestone forest near the main road to Sareethai cave.

Remark. This species exhibits a remarkable shocking pink color, no doubt aposematic. The specimens present some variation of the sternal process between the male coxae 4, some specimens with a slightly emarginate tip, the others with deep emarginate tip ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 M, 7N). Very similar and probably closely related to D. purpurosea .

CUMZ

Chulalongkorn University Museum of Natural History

ZMUC

Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen

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