Eustrongylosoma papua, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Stoev, Pavel, 2011

Golovatch, Sergei I. & Stoev, Pavel, 2011, Review of the millipede genus Eustrongylosoma Silvestri, 1896 in the island of New Guinea, with descriptions of nine new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), International Journal of Myriapodology 5, pp. 1-26 : 4-5

Eustrongylosoma papua sp. n. Figs 1-6

Type material.

Holotype♂(NMNHS),Papua New Guinea, Western Province, Finim Tel Plateau, near Cave Kumsop Tem, 16 August 1975, B.S.E. (leg. Ph. Chapman & P. Beron). - Paratypes: 1 ♀(NMNHS), same locality, together with holotype. 2 ♂ (fragmented, one with only head and segments 1-8, the other lacking segments 8-12) (NMNHS), 1 ♂ (ZMUM), West Sepik Province, Telefomin area, 1700 m, September 1975, B.S.E. (leg. P. Beron).

Name.

Emphasizes the abundant setae on the collum and following metaterga, to reflect “papua” which means “curly-headed” in Tok Pisin (= Pidgin English, Neomelanesian). A noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Due toabundanttergal setae, comes closest tothe partly sympatric Eustrongylosoma beroni Golovatch & Stoev, 2009, but differs in the semi-circular hypoproct, the more elaborate solenophore tip and the stouter sternal lobe between ♂ coxae 4 (see also Key below).

Description.

Length of both holo- and complete paratypes ca 20-21 mm, width of pro- and metazona 1.4-1.6 and 1.7-1.9 mm (♂), or 1.9 and 2.2 mm (♀), respectively. Holotype ca 20 mm long, 1.6 and 1.9 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazona, respectively. Coloration rather uniformly light brown to brown, sometimes with a faint cingulated pattern due to slightly infuscate prozona and more flavous metazona; paraterga, epiproct, venter and legs light yellow-brownish.

In width, head > segment 2 = 5-16 > collum > 3 = 4; on segments 17-19, body gently tapering towards telson. Entire head densely setose. Antennae rather long, slightly clavate, reaching beyond segment 4 (♂) or 3 (♀) dorsally; antennomere 2 longer than 6th. Collum transversely oval, lateral flaps small, regularly and broadly rounded. Tegument generally rather smooth and shining, only below several anterior paraterga faintly microgranulate. Paraterga of postcollum segments rather poorly developed (Figs 1, 2), set low (at about 1/2-1/3 midbody height), subhorizontal to faintly declivous, thin, blade-shaped, only a little thicker in pore-bearing segments; each callus with 3-5 small, but evident denticulations at lateral margin. Only paraterga 2 with caudal corner slightly obtusangular, narrowly rounded; following paraterga acutangular and pointed, yet evidently extending beyond rear tergal margin only on segment 18. Lateral callus of paraterga narrow, delimited by a complete sulcus only dorsally, in pore-bearing segments in caudal 1/3 also ventrally. Collum and following metaterga abundantly and irregularly setose (Figs 1, 2), setae being medium-sized, not borne on knobs. Ozopores lateral, superficial, ovoid, lying in front of penultimate denticulation. Axial line nearly wanting, vaguely traceable only here and there on metaterga. Transverse sulcus on metaterga especially superficial and incomplete on metatergum 4, slightly deeper, but still somewhat not reaching bases of paraterga in metaterga 5-17. Stricture between pro- and metazona evidently beaded. Pleurosternal carinae small, complete only in segments 2-4, divided into a front swelling and a sharp caudal denticle in segments 5-7(8), thereafter entirely missing. Epiproct short, flattened dorsoventrally, digitiform; apical papillae rather evident, dentiform, directed caudad; subapical papillae small, strongly removed from tip. Hypoproct semi-circular, setigerous paramedian knobs at caudal margin well-separated and small.

Sterna rather densely setose; a rather high, linguiform, subtruncate, ventral, setose lamina only between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 3). Legs relatively long, midbody ones ca 1.5-1.7 (♂) or 1.2-1.3 times (♀) longer than body height, a little slenderer in ♀; ♂tarsal brushes increasingly reduced towards legs of segment 12.

Gonopods as in Figs 4-6. Solenomere as usual, flagelliform, nearly entirely sheathed by well-developed lamina lateralis and lamina medialis. Distal 1/3 of solenophore with a lateral denticle (k), as well as a subapical and an apical lobule on a larger branch (j). Femorite with a large, rounded, apicolateral lobe (l).