Paracortina voluta Wang & Zhang, 1993

Akkari, Nesrine, Macek, Oliver & Stoev, Pavel, 2023, A revision of the millipede family Paracortinidae (Diplopoda, Callipodida), ZooKeys 1187, pp. 341-399 : 341

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1187.113473
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F796283-3187-447E-88C6-4B61C50B640C
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1033BE23-414C-5177-9C61-A48CC0360086
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scientific name	Paracortina voluta Wang & Zhang, 1993
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Treatment

Paracortina voluta Wang & Zhang, 1993 View in CoL

Figs 20 View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 , 27C, D View Figure 27 , 28 View Figure 28

Paracortina voluta Wang & Zhang, 1993: 377, figs 6-9; Stoev and Geoffroy 2004: 103, key; Liu and Tian 2015: 139, key.

Studied material.

2 males, 1 female, China, Sichuan Province, NW Pingchuan, 27°40'07"N, 101°44'04"E, 18.07.2011, I. Belousov & I. Kabak leg. (Rd 5346 ZMUM), Akkari det. GoogleMaps 2023.

Diagnosis.

Most similar to P. viriosa in the shape of the distal part of the telopodite with two main folds and a strong hook-shaped median processes, differing in the earlobe-shaped distal process and the smaller and more distally located anterior lamella.

Descriptive notes.

Male with 56PTs+Telson. Length ca 49.5 mm. Live colour unknown. Preserved specimen with a brownish general colour, legs and antennae dark brown (Figs 20 View Figure 20 , 21A View Figure 21 ), Head with dark pigmentation on the vertex and frons (Fig. 20B, C View Figure 20 ), mandibular stipes and gnathochilarium with yellowish spots. Fields of ommatidia subtriangular, composed of ~ 47 ommatidia in ten rows (Fig. 20B, C View Figure 20 ). Organ of Tömösváry very large, ~ 1.2 mm, situated close to and touching anterior side of eye (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ). Prozona brownish sputtered with a paler colour; metazona dorsally dark tawny-brown, especially on crests, anterior part pale with brown alveolate spots (Fig. 20A, B View Figure 20 ).

Male sexual characters.

Head with a protruding triangular projection on vertex (Fig. 20B, C View Figure 20 , 21A View Figure 21 ). Leg-pairs 1 and 2 reduced and more setose than the rest, showing prefemoral and tarsal brushes, leg-pair 2 with a large anterior process on coxa and posterior gonopore (Fig. 21A View Figure 21 ), leg-pair 4 with anterior triangular projection on coxa (Fig. 21A View Figure 21 ), leg-pair 6 with one short triangular mesal process and a smaller lateral one on coxa, prefemur proximally slightly constricted on the posterior margin (Fig. 27C View Figure 27 ), leg-pair 7 with one mesal hyaline pointed process and a rounded projection surmounted by a similar but slightly smaller one, trochanter with a tuft of strong setae (Fig. 27D View Figure 27 ).

Gonopods. Parallel, slightly converging with the distal solenomeral processes of telopodites crossing (Fig. 21B-D View Figure 21 ). Each gonopod with two asymmetrical, short, clavate prefemoroidal processes with (pf1) broader and more setose than (pf2) (Figs 21B, C View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 ); coxal anterior lobe lower than the lateral lobes low (Fig. 21C View Figure 21 ), long and falcate coxal process (b) reaching the distal part of the telopodite and apically pointed (Figs 21C View Figure 21 , 22A, B, D View Figure 22 ). Telopodite (T) with a long stem, distally expanding in an earlobe shape with rounded lateral margin seen in posterior view (Fig. 21C, D View Figure 21 ), in anterior view as an oblique subtrapezoidal plate (Fig. 21B View Figure 21 ), with a transparent lamella (dl) attached on the lower part, marking and S-shape and serrated on the lower margin (Fig. 21B View Figure 21 ), mesal process curved upward, twisted and narrowing towards its apex (Figs 21B-D View Figure 21 , 22A, B View Figure 22 ), bifurcating into the opening of the solenomere (s) and parasolenomere (ps).

Distribution.

This species was originally described from Ya Jang (= Jajiang) County, Sichuan, China. Here we add a new record from Yanyuan County which is ~ 250 km away in a straight line from the type locality (Fig. 28 View Figure 28 ).

Comments.

Although we have no doubt about the identity of the studied specimens, when comparing the gonopod of the new material in mesal view (Fig. 20D View Figure 20 ) with the drawing provided in the original description of P. voluta (Wang & Zhang, 1993: fig. 6), we noticed a few differences in the shape of the distal process of the telopodite, with the mesal process more twisted and curved, the anterior lamella more serrated and turned downwards, and the “s-twist” more obvious in our specimen (visualised with a rounded notch in mesal view).

Both available identification keys for the family Paracortinidae ( Stoev and Geoffroy 2004; Liu and Tian 2015) mention eight or nine “macrosetae” on the small prefemoroidal process and use this character to separate the species from its congener P. leptoclada . However, in the specimens we examined, this number greatly exceeds that (see Figs 21 View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 ), proving that this character is not reliable for species discrimination.