Dolichoiulus longunguis, Enghoff, 2012

Enghoff, Henrik, 2012, Three new species of Dolichoiulus millipedes from the underground of Gran Canaria, with notes on the circumscription of the genus (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 15, pp. 1-12 : 9-11

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2012.15
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3858572
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B287DA-FFC3-834B-9376-6693D73EFB47
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Dolichoiulus longunguis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Dolichoiulus longunguis View in CoL sp. nov.

Fig. 5 View Fig

Diagnosis

A blind species of Dolichoiulus . Differs from other blind Dolichoiulus species as shown in Table 1 View Table 1 . Differs from the other blind Dolichoiulus on Gran Canaria in size ( Figs 1 View Fig , 5 View Fig ). Differs from D. typhlocanaria sp. nov. and D. oromii sp. nov. in having broader anterior gonopods, further from D. oromii sp. nov. in lacking metazonital setae and in having only marginal preanal pilosity, and further from D. typhlocanaria sp. nov. in lacking a terminal projection on the mesal ridge of the anterior gonopod. Differs from the widespread D. typhlops by being slenderer ( Fig. 1 View Fig , cf. Enghoff 2002: fig. 1).

Etymology

The name (noun in apposition) meaning “long claw” and refers to a distinguishing character of this species.

Material studied

Holotype

♂, GRAN CANARIA, Mina Los Roques , UTM 28R 4476/30943 (28°0’0’’N, 15°31’56”W), 18 Mar. 2012, M. Naranjo leg. ( DZUL).

GoogleMaps

Paratype

1 ♀, same loc., 23 Jan. 2012, M. Naranjo leg. ( DZUL).

Total material

1 ♂, 1 ♀ (analyzed).

Description

♂: L 13 mm, H 0.71 mm, L/H 19, 51 podous rings + 2 apodous rings in front of telson.

♀: L 13 mm, H 0.72 mm, L/H 18, 49 podous rings + 1 apodous ring in front of telson.

COLOUR. The preserved specimens are uniform pale brown.

HEAD. No eyes. 4 supralabral setae. Setae on gnathochilarial stipes: 3 apical, 4 (♂) / 0 (♀) nonapical. Length of antennae 138% of H in ♂, 126% of H in ♀.

BODY RINGS. Prozonites not furrowed. Metazonites unvaulted, striae quite indistinct dorsally (not studied with SEM). Ozopore c. 0.4 metazonite length behind suture. Limbus not studied (requires SEM).

LEGS. Length 65% of H in ♂, 61% of H in ♀. Claw: length 11% of leg, length/height 4.5-5.4. Accessory claw 0.3-0.4× shorter than claw.

PREANAL RING. Without a projection, pilosity marginal.

Male

MANDIBULAR STIPITES. Without lobes.

LEGS. Second pair with ventral pads on tibia only. Postfemoral pads absent, tibial pads tiny on midbody legs. Second pair with coxal pores.

ANTERIOR GONOPODS. Indistinguishable from the one shown in Fig. 3D View Fig , broader than in D. typhlocanaria sp. nov. and D. oromii sp. nov. Mesal ridge without a terminal projection. Lateral prominence distinct. Bowl broad, lateral margin regularly convex. Apical denticles distinct.

POSTERIOR GONOPODS. Indistinguishable from those of D. typhlocanaria sp. nov. and D. oromii sp. nov.

Female

RECEPTACULUM SEMINIS. A stalked sphere (as in Enghoff 1992: fig. 48).

Distribution and habitat

Endemic to Gran Canaria. Known only from the type locality in the east-central part of the island, Collected in an artificial gallery. The short legs and long claws in this species may suggest that it is a soil-digger species rather than a true cave species (cf. Enghoff 1982). Among other Dolichoiulus species claws as long as those of D. longunguis sp. nov. are found only in D. blancatypa ( Enghoff, 1992) comb. nov. from Tenerife, which also has short legs and is a soil-dweller ( Enghoff 1992).

Discussion

It is perhaps not surprising that the first new Dolichoiulus species to be found after Enghoff (1992) are from the underground of Gran Canaria. Although caves are scarce on Gran Canaria, there are many deep artificial old galleries such as Mina de los Roques which have produced an interesting subterranean fauna ( Naranjo et al. 2009). Also, the mesovoid (or mesocavernous) shallow stratum (MSS) is richly represented, and recent collecting activities here have revealed a rich endemic fauna of, e.g., Lagynochthonius Beier, 1951 pseudoscorpions, Symploce Hebard, 1916 cockroaches and Oromia Alonso-Zarazaga, 1987 weevils ( Oromí et al. 2010; Mahnert, 2011). The abundant artificial caves and MSS spots not yet prospected suggest that the underground of Gran Canaria still has not been exhausted in terms of new millipede species.