Epanerchodus latus, Liu & Golovatch, 2018

Liu, Weixin & Golovatch, Sergei, 2018, The millipede genus Epanerchodus Attems, 1901 in continental China, with descriptions of seven new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Polydesmidae), Zootaxa 4459 (1), pp. 53-84 : 56-58

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4459.1.2

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:67E956AB-04B1-4EF7-8CC0-E152F95D0563

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5973764

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9005EB48-423A-8E53-48DA-FAE705EDFCAD

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Epanerchodus latus
status

sp. nov.

Epanerchodus latus View in CoL , new species

Figs 1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 .

Material examined: Holotype male ( SCAU eCQ2-1) from China, Chongqing Municipality, Wushan County, Luoping Town, Qinglong Village , Qinglong Dong Cave , 6.VII.2014, colls: Mingyi Tian , Weixin Liu , Haomin Yin , Sunbin Huang and Xinhui Wang . Paratypes: 3 males, 9 females ( SCAU eCQ2-2), same data as the holotype .

Diagnosis: Adult males of E. latus n. sp. are distinct from other Epanerchodus species based on the following combination of characters: (1) broad paraterga (widths of pro- and metazonae 1.5–1.6 and 3.5–3.6 mm) ( Figs 1B– C View FIGURE 1 ); (2) gonopodal femorite with a finger-shaped process distally and a semi-circular process medially; (3) endomere tip unequally bifid; (4) endomere carrying a strongly curved subapical lobe ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

The new species is similar to E. stylotarseus (from caves in Guizhou, China), but is distinguished by (1) caudolateral corners of paraterga being faintly acute-angled ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ) vs. strongly triangular in E. stylotarseus ( Fig. 22 View FIGURE 22 ); (2) endomere ribbon-shaped, strongly curved ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ) vs. subspiniform and suberect in E. stylotarseus ( Fig. 23 View FIGURE 23 ).

Description: Based on type specimens. Lengths of body ca 23–25 mm (males), 27–28 mm (females); widths of pro- and metazonae 1.5–1.6 and 3.5–3.6 mm (males), 2.0–2.2 and 4.0– 4.2 mm (females). Coloration: in alcohol nearly pallid. Only mouthparts light grey-brown and gonopodal telopodites yellowish ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Body: Adults with 20 rings. Width: head << collum <ring 2 <3 <4 <5–13, thereafter (rings 14–19) body gradually tapering posteriorly towards telson. Head: only clypeus densely pilose, vertex smooth, epicranial suture conspicuous ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Antennae long, reaching past posterior margin of ring 3 when extended posteriorly, slightly clavate ( Figs 1A– B View FIGURE 1 ). Exoskeleton: Collum with subrectangular caudolateral corners and a faint lateral incision/denticle on each side. Paraterga broad ( Figs 1A–E View FIGURE 1 ), midbody paraterga extend metatergite to ca 2.3x width of prozonite. Paraterga 2–5 clearly upturned dorsally above a faintly convex dorsum, other paraterga flat ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Caudolateral corners of paraterga posterior to collum increasingly acute-angled and projecting posteriorly past tergal margin, especially acute on rings 17–19 ( Figs 1B–C View FIGURE 1 ). Integument shining ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ), translucent, prozonae very delicately alveolate. Limbus regularly denticulate. Constriction between pro- and metazonae narrow, shallow and smooth ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Metatergal sculpture faint, with three irregular transverse rows of setigerous polygonal bosses. Sulcus between front and middle rows of setae a little deeper than that between middle and caudal rows ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Tergal setae very short, sometimes present only on collum and rings 18–19. Three or four faint setigerous incisions at lateral margins of poreless and pore-bearing rings, respectively ( Figs 1B–C View FIGURE 1 ). Pore formula normal: 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–19, ozopores evident, dorsal, clearly set off from lateral margin and located between last and penultimate marginal incisions. Epiproct short, conical, pre-apical lateral papillae small. Hypoproct subtrapeziform, with two setigerous papillae. Pleurosternal carinae absent. Sterna sparsely setose, cross-shaped impressions (both axial and transverse) shallow ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Legs long and slender, about 2.0 times as long as body ring height in both sexes, without sphaerotrichomes or sternal cones, prefemora not bulging laterally ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Gonopods: ( Figs 1D View FIGURE 1 , 2A–B View FIGURE 2 ) Coxa large and squarish, as usual. Prefemur densely setose and nearly half the length of telopodite. Clivus (cl), or distolateral ridge on femorite, prominent; femorite with a curved finger-shaped process (p1) distally and a smaller semi-circular process (p2) medially. Endomere (en) strongly curved, tip unequally bifid, with a small, subapical, curved lobe (l). Seminal groove (sg) starting mesally, distally recurved laterad near base of p1, then turning laterobasad to run into an accessory seminal chamber, the latter opening on a hairy pulvillus on lateral face. An exomere absent.

Notes: Based on the long slender antennae and legs, and a depigmented cuticle, the species is most likely a troglobite.

Etymology: To emphasize the broad paraterga; masculine adjective.

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