Lusitanipus alternans ( Verhoeff, 1893 )

Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S. & Enghoff, Henrik, 2015, Redescription of Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) (Diplopoda, Callipoda, Dorypetalidae) and ecological data on its Laboulbeniales ectoparasites in caves, Zootaxa 3957 (5), pp. 567-576 : 569-570

Lusitanipus alternans ( Verhoeff, 1893)

Figs 1–6

Specimens studied. Portugal, Cantanhede, Portunhos, Gruta d’el Rey, 12.XII.2008, 1 ♀ and 1 ♂; 8.X.2008, 2 ♀ and 4 ♂; 19.V.2009, 3 ♂ and 3 ♀; Penela, Gruta do Soprador do Carvalho, 30.VIII.2009, 2 ♂ and 15 ♀; and Gruta das Corujeiras, 10.VI.2011, 1 ♂. All S. Reboleira leg.

Redescription. Body colour brown-grey in living specimens and colour pattern as in figure 1. Maximum body length 35 mm, maximum body width vertically measured at midbody 2.25 mm, 44–55 pleurotergites (fig 2). Legs yellowish.

Head (fig 3) covered with small setae. Ocellaria rhomboid, composed of ca. 60 black ocelli in 11 vertical rows. Organ of Tömösváry located between ocellaria and base of antennae and larger than the size of an ocellus. Antennae yellowish, densely covered with minute setae, reaching the anterior margin of seventh pleurotergite when folded backward. First antennomere small; second and third of equal size; fourth and fifth slightly smaller than the previous two and enlarged distally, seventh cone-shaped and with four terminal sensory cones (figs 3B, 3D).

Each half of pleurotergite 7 with 18 crests. Prozonite sculpture as in figure 4C. Metazonites larger than prozonites and provided with primary and secondary crests (figs 4A–C). Primary crests stout, elevated and provided with a seta in contrast to the smaller secondary crests. On the first four pleurotergites setae are located in the anterior part of crests (figs 3A, 3B), going caudally these setae migrate to the posterior edge of the primary crests (figs 4A, 4B). Chaetotaxy of the anterior pleuroterguites as in table 1. Ozopores (fig 4D) present from the 6th to the antepenultimate pleurotergite in an elevated swelling between the 5th and the 6th crest from the midbody line. Two primary crests between ozopores and midbody line.

Hypoproct with 4 macrosetae (fig 4E), paraprocts bipartite with one macroseta on each part, epiproct with 6 macrosetae and 2 thin spinnerets ending with long macroseta (figs 4E, 4F).

Males: up to 51 body rings, all male legs with well-developed claws; pleurotergites 6–8 larger than the others. Gonopods (figs 5A–E) mainly characterized by the complexity and expanded terminus of the telopodite (t), which is like a twisted lamella. The end of the lamella gives rise to the solenomere (s) and 3 curved processes (fig 5E), in which α comes from the solenomere, while β and γ from the edge of the lamella. The pseudoflagellum (or Hornflagellum) (f) is erect, not following the curve of the telepodite. Coxite (c) not subdivided.

Females: up to 55 body rings, first pair of legs shorter than others; second pair strongly reduced as in Cyphocallipus excavatus Verhoeff, 1909 , and several other callipodidans ( Stoev & Enghoff 2005; Hoffman 2009); second pleurotergite without a ventrolateral posteriad process, thereby differing from Cyphocallipus excavatus Verhoeff, 1909 ( Hoffman 2009) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) habitus from d´el Rey Cave, Portugal and detail of colour pattern in the head and collum.

FIGURE 2. Number of body rings of Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) in different caves. Red—d´el Rey in Cantanhede- Outil massif; green—Corujeiras and blue—Soprador do Carvalho, both in Sicó massif.

FIGURE 3. Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) scanning electron micrograph. A) head in dorsal view; B) head in lateral view; C) cuticle surface detail in the dorsal part of the collum, D) tip of the antenna. Scales: 100 µm (A, B, C) and 10 µm (D).

FIGURE 4. Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893). scanning electron micrograph. A – C) midbody rings; D) ozopore, E) spinnerets and F) close-up of left spinneret. Scales: 100 µm (A – C); 10 µm (D, E) and 1 µm (D, F).

FIGURE 5. Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) scanning electron micrograph, gonopods. A – B) anterior and posterior view, c — coxite, f — pseudoglagellum, t — telepodite, s — solenomere; C – D) detail of the tip of telepodite, curved processes of the telepodite lamella (l): α, β, γ. Scales: 100 µm (A, B); 10 µm (C, E) and 1 µm (D).

FIGURE 6. Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893) infected with fungi order Laboulbeniales. A) Black dots on the legs correspond to the insertion of the fungus Diplopodomyces lusitanipodos Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, 2014. B) Scanning electron micrograph of the gonopod with the fungus Diplopodomyces veneris Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, 2014 artificially colored in green.