Bifurcatella olympiana, Shear & Richart & Wong, 2020

Shear, William A., Richart, Casey H. & Wong, Victoria L., 2020, The millipede family Conotylidae in northwestern North America, with a complete bibliography of the family (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Heterochordeumatidea, Conotyloidea), Zootaxa 4753 (1), pp. 1-78 : 55-56

Bifurcatella olympiana , new species

Figs. Figs. 206–208

Types: Male holotype and male and female paratypes from WASHINGTON: Thurston Co., Olympia , Allison Springs , elev., 55 m., 47.0454°N, - 122.9821°W, collected 4 December 2004, by W. Leonard, C. Richart .

Diagnosis: Separable from all congeners in that the mesal branch of the anterior gonopod is as long as (and from some angles may appear longer than) the lateral branch and is curved and acute at the tip as opposed to straight and blunt.

Etymology: The species name is an adjective referring to the city of Olympia, Washington, from which many records of this species are known.

Description: Holotype male: Length, 11.5 mm. 20–22 ocelli in triangular eye group. Metazonites with moderately well-developed shoulders, segmental setae curved, acute. Color light grayish brown, marked darker purplish brown; from above four dark spots on each ring give the impression of a dark median stripe. Legpairs one and two reduced, three to seven thickened; femoral knobs distal on femora four to seven. Anterior gonopods ( Figs. 206 , 208 ) with two subequal branches, lateral branch decurved and expanded at tip, mesal branch tapering, decurved and acute at tip. Posterior gonopod coxites ( Fig. 207 , 209 ) with pseudoflagellar branch uniquely “kinked” about midlength, firmbriate branch small, pore mesal of fimbriate branch. Body of coxite with broad serrate lamella, two subterminal hooks, slightly expanded tip. Coxae 10 and prefemora 11 as usual.

Female 11.0 mm long, nonsexual characters as in male.

Distribution: WASHINGTON: Thurston Co., Rainier Road SE, 3.0 mi NW of Military Road SE, Fort Lewis Military Reservation, elev. ca. 100 m., ca. 46.9351°N, - 122.7600°W, 29 November 2003, W. Leonard, mm ff; Hospital Creek, above confluence with Skookumchuck River, 5 horiz mi S, 3 horiz mi E of Vail, elev. ca. 240 m., ca. 46.7732°N, - 122.5855°W, 12 October 2003, W. Leonard, m; same as previous but, 15 December 2003, W. Leonard, K. McAllister, mm ff; Capitol State Forest, Potosi Creek ca. 2 mi S of Rock Candy Mountain, elev. ca. 290 m., ca. 46.9809°N, -123.109, estimated coordinates from Potosi Creek 1 horiz mi S of Rock Candy Mountain Summit, 18 December 2002, J. Ziegltrum, R. Shoat, mm; Capitol State Forest, 1.7 horiz mi ENE of Rock Candy Mtn., elev. 450 m., 47.0170°N, - 123.0776°W, 27 October 2003, W. Leonard, m f; Capitol State Forest, unnamed tributary to Perry Creek, elev. 260 m., 47.0262°N, - 123.0692°W, 27 October 2003, W. Leonard, m; Priest Point Park, Olympia, elev. ca. 30 m., ca. 47.07°N, - 122.896°W, 23 February 2003, W. Leonard, m f; same as previous but 5 January 2003, m; same as previous but 2 February 2003, f; same as previous but 11 January 2004, m; Olympia, The Evergreen State College campus, Beach Trail N of Driftwood Road, elev. ca. 30 m., 47.0791°N, - 122.9776°W, 26 January 2003, W. Leonard, mm ff; same as previous but 27 December 2003, mm ff; McAllister Springs S of Steilacoom Road SE, elev. ca. 30 m., 47.0472°N, - 122.7286°W, 22 February 2004, W. Leonard, from the litter and woody debris of a mixed forest including Acer macrophyllum , Alnus rubra , Pseudotsuga menziesii , Thuja plicata , Polystichum munitum , and Mahonia nervosa , mm; same as previous but 7 February 2004, W. Leonard, C. Richart, mm; same as previous but 11 December 2004, W. Leonard, mm ff; Tumwater, Black Lake and Belmore Road at 66 th Avenue, elev. ca. 50 m., 46.9890°N, - 122.9665°W, 19 November 2004, W. Leonard, m; as in the type locality but 25 November 2004, W. Leonard. Lewis Co., Gifford Pinchot National Forest, FS-25 8 mi S of Randle, elev. ca. 330 m., ca. 46.4475, -121.9984, 6 December 2003, W. Leonard, C. Richart, mm ff; Gifford Pinchot National Forest, FS-25 8.5 mi S of Randle, elev. 320 m., 46.4409°N, - 121.9966°W, 6 December 2003, W. Leonard, C. Richart, mm ff; same as previous but 21 December 2003, m f; SR-508 at Bremer, elev. 220 m., 46.5883°N, - 122.4258°W, 6 December 2003, W. Leonard, C. Richart, mm ff. Grays Harbor Co., FS-2153 5.3 mi N of Kelley Road, Canyon River basin, elev. 156 m., 47.3035°N, - 123.5081°W, 13 October 2003, W. Leonard, m.

Figures

FIGS. 204–207. Bifurcatella spp. Figs. 204, 205. Bifurcatella bifurcata. Fig. 204. Right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 205. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 206, 207. Bifurcatella olympiana. Fig. 206. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 207. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.

FIGS. 208–213. Bifurcatella spp. Figs. 208, 209. Bifurcatella olympiana. Fig. 208. Right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 209. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 210, 211. Bifurcatella hoh. Fig. 210. Right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 211. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 212, 213. Bifurcatella angulata. Fig. 212, Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 213. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.