Nepalella zhumanica, Mikhaljova, 2022

Mikhaljova, Elena V., 2022, Contributions to the millipede fauna of China: five new species of the genus Nepalella Shear, 1979 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Megalotylidae), Zootaxa 5196 (3), pp. 388-406 : 401-404

Nepalella zhumanica sp. nov.

Figs 59–69

Material examined. Holotype: male ( ZMUM), China, Sichuan Province, [Ya’an City], SSE Shimian [County, Huilong Town], S Zhuma [Village], 29˚0′46′′ N, 102˚28′7′′ E, H= 2955 m, 25.05.2014, leg. I. Belousov, I. Kabak ; Paratype: 1 female ( ZMUM), same data as for holotype .

Diagnosis. Differs from congeners mainly by the posterior gonopod colpocoxite with long mesal branch (mb), longitudinal flat plate (lb) and tongue-like process (tp) at the middle part caudally couple with flattened lateral edge bent back as a thin blade (tb) ( Figs 62 , 68 ).

Description. Male. Length in alcohol about 15 mm, width about 1.5 mm with paraterga. Coloration in alcohol light beige with small brown spot at base of each metazonital macrochaeta. Antennae brown. Head marbled brown. Distal parts of legs marbled brown. Eye patches, black.

Body with 30 rings (including telson). Head sparsely setose. Antennae very long and slender. Eye patches triangular, with about 30 ommatidia. Collum semicircular. Both collum and ring 2 somewhat narrower than head with genae. Ring 2 somewhat wider than collum. Body width gradually increasing until ring 6 and 7, body parallelsided on rings 7–20(21), thereafter gradually tapering. Paraterga, beginning on ring 2, small, moderately developed on rings 3–22, reduced on rings 23–25, onward missing. Metazonital macrochaetae arranged in a transverse row on rings 27–29, like an elongate (to different degrees) triangle on preceding rings. Nearly all macrochaetae broken off, remaining ones middle length and short, thin, pointed apically. Axial suture well-developed.

Legs long and slender. Leg pairs 1 and 2 typically reduced in size, with usual tarsal brushes. Other pregonopodal legs practically not enlarged. Starting from legs 3, pregonopodal legs with funnel-shaped tarsal papillae, their quantity gradually decrease toward end of body. Hindmost legs without tarsal papillae.

Claws sabre-shaped. Claws of pregonopodal and postgonopodal legs, including legs 10 and 11, at base with two small additional claws dorsally only. Femora 3 and 4 with a mushroom-shaped protuberance.

Legs 10 and 11 with coxal glands. Coxa 10 with a large bottle-shaped process (s) ( Figs 59, 60 ). Prefemur 11 with a basal, digitiform, partly papillate process (d) ( Fig. 61 ). Coxa 11 with a deepening covered with setae. Sternum 11 frontally with a longitudinal low roller.

Anterior gonopods reduced, sternum with a median conical lobe (ml); coxites (cxi) of medium length, curved, hornlike ( Fig. 64 ). Posterior gonopod colpocoxite with distal part divided into a long mesal branch (mb) (like a half tube) and a portion carrying a lateral blade (db) ( Figs 62, 63 , 68 ). The middle part of the colpocoxite with a longitudinal flat plate (lb) and a tongue-like process (tp) directed caudad; lateral edge of the colpocoxite flattened, bent back as a thin blade (tb) ( Figs 62 , 68 ). The colpocoxite basal part with a broom-like process (b) ( Figs 62 , 66 , 68 ). Angiocoxite (a) convex, near pear-like on posterior face ( Figs 62 , 68 ). In frontal view the colpocoxite basally with a tongue-like blade (bl); angiocoxite (a) depressed centrally ( Figs 65 , 69 ). Posterior gonopod telopodites large.

Female. Length in alcohol about 16 mm, width about 2.0 mm with paraterga. Coloration lighter than in male. Numerous macrochaetae broken off, remaining ones short, pointed apically, but not very sharply so. Vulva as in Fig. 67 .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the locus typicus, Zhuma, adjective.

Figures

FIGURES 59–65. Nepalella zhumanica sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM). 59. Leg pair 10, frontal view. 60. Basal part of leg pair 10, frontal view. 61. Basal part of leg pair 11, caudal view. 62. Posterior gonopods, caudal view. 63. Distal part of posterior gonopod colpocoxite, frontal view. 64. Anterior gonopods, caudal view. 65. Posterior gonopods, frontal view. Abbreviations: a, angiocoxite; b, broom-like process; bl, anterior colpocoxital blade; cxi, coxite; d, digitiform process; db, lateral blade; lb, flat plate; mb, mesal branch; ml, median lobe; s, coxal process; tb, thin blade; tp, tongue-like process;. Scales: 20 μm (Figs 60–61, 63–64), 100 μm (Figs 59, 62, 65).

FIGURES 66–67. Nepalella zhumanica sp. nov., male holotype and female paratype (ZMUM). 66. Basal part of posterior gonopod colpocoxite, caudal view. 67. Left vulva, ventral view. Abbreviation: b, broom-like process. Scales: 20 μm (Fig. 66), 100 μm (Fig. 67).

FIGURES 68–69. Nepalella zhumanica sp. nov., male holotype (ZMUM). 68. Posterior gonopods, caudal view. 69. Posterior gonopods, frontal view. Abbreviations: a, angiocoxite; b, broom-like process; bl, anterior colpocoxital blade; db, lateral blade; lb, flat plate; mb, mesal branch; tb, thin blade; tp, tongue-like process. Scale: 0.5 mm.