Sinocallipus jaegeri, Stoev, Pavel & Enghoff, Henrik, 2011

Stoev, Pavel & Enghoff, Henrik, 2011, A review of the millipede genus Sinocallipus Zhang, 1993 (Diplopoda, Callipodida, Sinocallipodidae), with notes on gonopods monotony vs. peripheral diversity in millipedes, ZooKeys 90, pp. 13-34 : 19-21

Sinocallipus jaegeri sp. n. Figs 14-192830

Material examined.

Holotype: ad. ♂, 61 PT + telson; length ca 45 mm, width ca 1.90 mm; Laos, Khammouan Province, 9.5 km NE Thakek, 17° 26.936N, 104° 52.499E, 159 m alt., in foot cave, by hand, 31.X.2004, P. Jäger & V. Vedel leg. (SMF); - Paratypes: 2 ad. ♀♀ with 58 and 59 PT, same locality as holotype, 11.III.2007, P. Jäger & F. Steinmetz leg.; ♀, 59 PT, same locality, foot cave and surrounding, 28.X.2004, P. Jäger & V. Vedel leg.; juvenile, 42 PT, same locality and collectors, 30.X.2004, P. Jäger & V. Vedel leg.; ad. ♀ broken into pieces, more than 50 PT, Khammouan Province, Thakek area, Ban Tham, 17° 25.799N, 104° 51.906E, 161 m alt., jungle, trees, by hand, 31.X.2004, P. Jäger & V. Vedel leg. (all in SMF; one female in NMNHS).

Description of locality.

Three of the adult specimens were found in a cave situated at the foot of a limestone hill overgrown with sparse vegetation (Fig. 13). They were collected in the aphotic zone of the cave, somewhere between 30 and 80 m from the entrance. The cave is at least 100 m long, wet, with dripping water and mud on the floor and partly on the cave walls. In the cave Sinocallipus jaegeri coexists with Heteropoda maxima Jäger, 2001 and Sinopoda sp. ( Araneae : Sparassidae ), Thereuopoda longicornis (Fabricius, 1793) ( Chilopoda : Scutigeridae ), and cave crickets (cf. Jäger 2007). One specimen was collected outside the cave, probably under stones close to the limestone hill, approx. 2 km SW of it where the other specimens were found.

Origin of name.

Named after Peter Jäger, curator of Arachnida and Myriapoda at SMF, who has been actively exploring the fauna of Laos since 2003 and collected the species.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners by the following set of characters: reduced eyes, composed of 10-11 ocelli; well expressed, narrow, pleurotergal crests; 59-61 PT; white-yellowish body and antennae; gonopods: process g short, almost half length of that of Sinocallipus deharvengi , apically truncated; k small and more abrupt apically than those of Sinocallipus simplipodicus , Sinocallipus thai and Sinocallipus deharvengi ; cannula straight.

Description.

Males:

Maximal length ca 45 mm, width of midbody PT 1.7 mm, 61 PT + telson. Body colour: white-yellowish; head and anterior 10 PT much whiter than the gray-yellowish middle and posterior ones; metazonites with a posterior light brown band, more pronounced on posterior PT (Fig. 14). Head: uniformly white, pilose, cephalic suture barely visible. Antennae: long, slightly extending beyond the posterior edge of PT10 when folded backwards; length of antennomeres: 1 - 0.4 mm, 2 - 1.2 mm, 3 - 1.5 mm, 4 - 1.0 mm, 5 - 1.0 mm, 6 - 0.6 mm, 7 - 0.3 mm; antennomere ratio: 3>2>4=5>6>1>7; tip of antennomere 7 with four cones protruding well beyond the edge. All antennomeres snow white. Eyes: very inconspicuous, transparent, in adults composed of 10-11 small ocelli in two rows (Fig. 15).

Width of PT: 2-4<1=5<6<7<8<9<10. PT higher than broad, ratio: 1.06: 1. Dorsal side of collum and PT 2-3 smooth; complete crests series appearing from PT 4 onwards. Crests at midbody PT well apart from each other; 6+6 (lateralmost one less pronounced), no secondary crest series, all crests well expressed (ribbed), narrow, equally broad along the whole length of metazonite, not touching anteriorly (Fig. 16). Ozopores situated on midbody PT between crests 3 and 4, visible from sixth to last but two PT. Paraprocts divided into smaller dorsal and bigger ventral sclerites. Each dorsal sclerite with a pair of macrosetae situated on small lobes in vertical line. Spinnerets: long and slender, ending with a long seta each. All setae on telson dark brown, contrasting with the white background.

All legs white-yellowish, very long and slender, ending with a long claw. Tarsal pads poorly developed, present only on leg-pairs 3-12. No particular modifications on coxae of pregonopodal legs. Prefemora of posterior legs less swollen than others. Leg-pairs 4-7: coxa subquadrate; prefemur strongly swollen. Leg-pair 9 (Figs 17, 28): coxa subquadrate; trochanter with two processes: anterior one (h) higher, leaf-shaped, its tip very sharp, spine-like, curved cephalad; posterior process (z) rounded with a small hook; a small pore (p) opening below the hook.

Chaetotaxy (Table 1): all setae slender and apically pointed, in anterior position on all segments (excluding penultimate ones).

Gonopods (Figs 18, 19): similar to those of congeners. Coxae (cx): process g short, almost half length of that of Sinocallipus deharvengi , apically truncated (in lateral view); k small and more abrupt apically than in Sinocallipus simplipodicus , Sinocallipus thai and Sinocallipus deharvengi . Femoroid (fe): with two slender, acicular (n), and one shorter and subfalcate (m) terminal projections, latter projecting into a long and thin filament. Cannula (ca): long and slender, not coiled.

Females:

58-59 PT in adults; middle PT slightly broader than those of the male.