Pseudotremia jaculohamatum, Shear, William A., 2011

Shear, William A., 2011, Cave millipeds of the United States. X. New species and records of the genus Pseudotremia Cope. 2. Species from Virginia, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), Zootaxa 3109, pp. 1-38 : 20-22

Pseudotremia jaculohamatum , n. sp.

Figs. 52–58

Types: Male holotype and female paratype from Walker Mountain Saltpetre Cave, Washington Co., VIRGINIA, collected 17 October 1996 (collector unknown). The gonopods, ninth legs, head and some segments of the holotype, and female genitalia of the paratype are mounted on SEM stub WS24–1.

Diagnosis: The VCP of this species (figs. 55–57) seems to be unique among Virginia species, and in combination with the much reduced LAPs and strongly curved MAP subapical spines, presents an unmistakable picture.

Etymology: The species epithet, a noun in apposition, means “harpoon,” and refers to the unique VCP of P. jaculohamatum . Suggested vernacular name: Harpoon Cave Milliped.

Description: Male holotype about 27 mm long, 2.3 mm wide, third antennal segment 1.5 mm long. Ocelli 21 on each side, round and contiguous, black. Segmental shoulders moderately strong, division into lobes unclear, ventral lobe similar to lateral striation (fig. 53); metazonites heavily roughened by elongate rugae that extend laterally onto segmental shoulders (fig. 54); 15–16 lateral striae, some incomplete. Color medium purplish brown.

Gonopods (figs. 55–57) large, protruding; colpocoxites parallel to each other to midpoint, then widely divergent; MAPs with strong, anteriorly directed, mesally curved subapical spines, much shorter apical spines also anteriorly directed; LAPs very short, undivided, curved laterally (figs. 55, 56). Colpocoxites large, nearly equaling angiocoxites, mitten-shaped; VCP very large, robust, extending between MAPs as a strong, curved rod with forked, sharply reflexed tip resembling a harpoon. Ninth legs (fig. 52) with unusually long apical article, basal knobs complex, coxoprefemur strongly constricted in middle.

Female similar to male.

Notes: Pseudotremia indianae Chamberlin & Hoffman 1958 has a similar VCP, but occurs far away in southern Indiana, and the remainder of the gonopod of that species does not resemble that of P. jaculohamatum .

There are additional possible records of this species from nearby caves in Washington Co., but they have been obscured by some curatorial problems. The collection evidently had been studied by another systematist previously and specimens had been designated as types under the name “ Pseudotremia williamsi.” This name was never published and the author of it remains unknown. Aside from the specimens from Walker Mountain Saltpetre Cave now made the types of P. jaculohamatum , the VMNH contained an additional male of “P. williamsi” from Three Chambers Cave, collected by an unknown person. While resembling P. jaculohamatum in its nonsexual characters, unfortunately the gonopods and ninth legs of this specimen had been dissected out and were not in the vial, so its exact identity remains in doubt. A female specimen (VMNH) was collected in this cave by D. Hubbard on 28 October 1996, within a few days of the collection of types designated above, and it seems likely that the gonopod-less male was collected at the same time and that all the specimens of this species were collected by David Hubbard. Finally, a single female from Millard Cave (VMNH) was collected 18 September 1996 and designated a “ paratype ” of “P. williamsi;” this specimen may or may not have been collected by Hubbard. Its genitalia were dissected out and are not in the vial.

Figures

FIGURES 46 – 52. New species of Pseudotremia. Fig. 46, gonopods of Pseudotremia glaber, n. sp., lateral view. Figs. 47 – 50, P. f e r g u s o n i, n. sp. Fig. 47, ocelli. Fig. 48, metazonite, dorsal view. Fig. 49, metazonite, lateral view. Fig. 50, gonopods, ventral view; cc, colpocoxites; dcp, dorsal colpocoxite process; lap, lateral angiocoxite process; map, median angiocoxite process. Fig. 51, right ninth leg, anterior view. Fig. 52, P. jaculohamatum, n. sp., right ninth leg, anterior view.

FIGURES 53 – 58. Pseudotremia jaculohamatum, n. sp. Fig. 53, diplosegment, dorsal view. Fig. 54, diplosegment, lateral view. Fig. 55, gonopods, anterior view; as, apical spine; cc, colpocoxite; lap, lateral angiocoxal process; map, median angiocoxal process; vcp, ventral colpocoxite process. Fig. 56, gonopods, lateral view; labels as in fig. 55 and sas, subapical spine. Fig. 57, gonopods, ventral view. Fig. 58, legpair seven, anterior view.