Nepalella troglodytes Liu

Liu, Weixin, Wesener, Thomas, Golovatch, Sergei & Tian, Mingyi, 2017, Contributions to the millipede genus Nepalella Shear, 1979 from China, with four new species and first results on phylogeny based on DNA-barcoding (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Megalotylidae), Zootaxa 4243 (3), pp. 455-482 : 459-461

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4243.3.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7402431A-806C-43A7-8CC6-66BF4404C671
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5628630
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E9771C-FFF6-2A7F-A7D3-FA429303DCFD
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Nepalella troglodytes Liu
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Nepalella troglodytes Liu , sp. nov. Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 A & 3–9

Material examined. Holotype male ( SCAU n1), China, Guizhou, Guiyang City , Xifeng County, Hejiadong Village , Cave Hejia Dong , 27°02’31’N, 106°31’40’’E, 1200 m a.s.l., 13.VII.2013, leg. Mingyi Tian, Weixin Liu, Haomin Yin & Sunbin Huang.

Paratypes: 1 male (SEM n2), 2 females ( SCAU n3), same data as in holotype . 1 male, 1 female ( SCAU n4), same County , Mushan Village, Cave Zhangkou Dong, 27°04’10’’N, 106°32’55’’E, 1300 m a.s.l., 2.XII.2014, leg. Mingyi Tian & Jingli Cheng. GoogleMaps

Other material. 1 male, 1 female ( ZMUM), 1 male, 1 female ( SCAU n5), Guizhou, Qiannan Zizhizhou , Longli County, Cave Feilong Dong , 26°27’11’’N, 106°58’46’’E, 1200 m a.s.l., 15.I.2014, leg. Mingyi Tian & Jingli Cheng GoogleMaps . 1 male, 2 females ( SCAU n6), China, Guizhou, Qiannan Zizhizhou, Fuquan County, Cave Sanlou Dong , 26°56’46’’N, 107°18’47’’E, 1280 m a.s.l., 2015-V-2, leg. Mingyi Tian & Jingli Cheng GoogleMaps .

Etymology. To emphasize this new species is a presumed troglobite; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Differs from congeners by 3+3 macrochaetae on metaterga 5–26 being short, and only male legs 3– 5 distinctly incrassate, legs 6–7 nearly normal, while male tarsi 3–11 are equipped with special foliate setae ventrally; and the anterior gonopod sternum lacks a median lobe.

Description. Length ca 20–25 (♂) or 21.5–26 mm (♀), midbody width 1.5–2.1 (♂) or 1.8–2.3 mm (♀). Color in life ( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 A, 6, 8) pale, only metaterga 15–26 slightly light yellow; eye patches light brownish.

Body with 30 segments. Head width = segment 10–18> 6–9> 5> 4> 3> 2> collum; posterior to segment 19, body gradually tapering towards telson ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A).

Head densely setose, clypeolabral region slightly convex. Eye patches composed of 4–6 convex ocelli ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 B).

Antennae ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C) very long and slender, reaching behind posterior (♂) or anterior (♀) margin of body segment 6 when stretched posteriorly; antennomere 7 (= antennomere 8) with four apical cones on stalks ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C– D).

Gnathochilarium typical, lamellae linguales large ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A).

Mandible with a movable external tooth with two cusps, and an internal tooth with six cusps; ten pectinate lamellae, intermediate area hairy; molar plate flat, anterior fringe with hand-like pieces ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B).

Collum normal (for heterochordeumatoideans), obcordate in shape. Integument smooth and shining ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). Metatergal setation 3+3, typical, placed on minute knobs; only macrochaetae on collum and metaterga 2–4 moderately long, macrochaetae on metaterga 5–26 rather short ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A). Stricture between pro- and metazona shallow ( Figs 5 View FIGURE 5 A, 6A). Paraterga poorly-developed, very small dorsolateral bulges in anterior part of body ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 A).

CIX (15) = 0.52; MIX (15) = 1.0; MA (15) = 120°; PIX (15) impossible to evaluate due to insufficiently welldeveloped paraterga ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A). Axial suture distinct, pallid ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 A). Limbus very inconspicuous, regularly microdentate.

Legs long and slender ( Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 , 8 View FIGURE 8 ), slightly longer in male, about 2.0–2.5 times as long as midbody height. Legs 1 and 2 slightly reduced, tarsi with usual ventral brushes, but without papillae. Tarsi 3–11 (rarely 10) with conspicuous, abundant, foliate setae (fs) ventrally ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 E–F, I). Male legs 3–5 distinctly incrassate ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 E), legs 6–7 nearly normal. Male legs 10 with coxal glands (cg) ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 H); prefemur 10 with a very small basal hump. Male prefemur 11 with a large, basal, digitiform outgrowth (d) ventrally ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 I–J). Claws simple, long ( Fig 3 View FIGURE 3 E, G, I).

Anterior gonopods (leg-pair 8) very strongly reduced, sternum without process; coxites (cxi) long and slender ( Figs 4 View FIGURE 4 A, 5B, 9B). Posterior gonopods ( Figs 4 View FIGURE 4 B–C, 5C–D, 9C–D) hypertrophied, with a large colpocoxite (c), tip divided and folded; with a bush-like structure (b) at base on caudal face; telopoditomere 1 (t1) strongly enlarged, telopoditomere 2 (t2) small, sometimes with a vestigial segment apically.

Vulva ( Figs 4 View FIGURE 4 D, 9E) rounded, with a small process on operculum (op).

Intraspecific variation. Specimens from Cave Feilong Dong showing the posterior gonopod telopodites strongly reduced, retaining only telopoditomere 1 (t1) ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ). Specimens from Cave Sanlou Dong show longer 3+3 macrochaetae on the metaterga ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 ), and differences in CIX (15) = 0.63; MIX (15) = 2.56; MA (15) = 115° ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 A).

Remarks. N. troglodytes sp. nov. is widely distributed in the Guizhou Province, with specimens recorded from four different localities ( Fig. 24 View FIGURE 24 ). Although some specimens show slight variations, the gonopods are relatively stable in all specimens observed.

Based on the clearly unpigmented body and reduced eyes, combined with the extremely long legs and antennae, N. troglodytes sp. nov. seems to be a troglobite.