Pseudotremia salifodina, 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 : 34

Pseudotremia salifodina , n. sp.

Figs. 105–109

Types: Male holotype and female paratype from Jones’ Saltpetre Cave, Lee Co., VIRGINIA, collected 25 November 1994 by D. Hubbard. Male holotype head, gonopods, legpair 9 and paratype female genitalia mounted on SEM stub WS23–1.

Diagnosis: No other Pseudotremia species has a massive, two-pronged ventral colpocoxite process, as found in Pseuotremia salifodina . Suggested vernacular name: Jones’ Saltpetre Cave Milliped.

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin noun in apposition, “salt mine,” referring to the type locality, which was worked for saltpetre (potassium nitrate) during the American Civil War.

Description: Male holotype 33 mm long, 3.1 mm wide, third antennal segment 1.55 mm long. Ocelli 20, wellformed but slightly separated from one another (fig. 109). Segmental shoulders prominent; metazonital surface entirely roughened by 25–35 elongate tubercles, more prominent toward posteriolateral corners, 12–14 strong lateral striations. Specimens bleached by long preservation but probably typically colored for epigean/troglophilic species in life.

Gonopods (figs. 106–108) with angiocoxites basally separated, distally convergent; MAPs without spines but with distinct acute angle in usual position of subtermial spine; LAPs relatively broad at base, long, curving inward, divided into dorsal and ventral branches but twisted so that dorsal branch curves over ventral branch, which extends ventrally at sharp angle (fig. 106). Colpocoxites free from each other for much of their length, mittenshaped, flaring; VCP very large, terminating in two distal prongs that curve ventrally; DCP absent. Ninth legpair (fig. 105) typical of epigean/troglophile species, femur subequal to coxoprefemur, coxoprefemur distally swollen, basally with large, recurved knob.

Female similar to male.

Figures

FIGURES 101 – 109. New species of Pseudotremia. Figs. 101 – 104, Pseudotremia culveri, n. sp. Fig. 101, ocelli. Fig. 102, metazonite, dorsal view. Fig. 103, left ninth leg, anterior view. Fig. 104, metazonite, lateral view. Figs. 105 – 109, Pseudotremia salfodina, n. sp. Fig. 105, left ninth leg, anterior view. Fig. 106, gonopods, lateral view. Fig. 107, gonopods, anterior view. Fig. 108, gonopods, ventral view. Fig. 109, ocelli.