Karagama ladybird, 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 : 28-30

Karagama ladybird , new species

Figs. 105–110

Types: Male holotype and female paratype from CALIFORNIA, Humboldt Co., Redwood National Park, Lady Bird Johnson Grove , Bald Hills Road 2.6 mi E of US-101, elev. 445 m., 41.3047°N, - 124.0166°W, collected 21 December 2006, by C. Richart and A. Fusek, from the forest litter of a redwood forest including Sequoia sempervirens , Rhododendron macrophyllum , and Polystichum munitum ( CAS) . Three male paratypes and one female paratype from Redwood National Park, along Redwood Creek, 40.9946°N, - 123.8605°W, collected 27 November 1976 by R. K. Johnson (FSCA) .

Diagnosis: The complex anterior gonopods ( Fig. 1 ) with a distinctive posterior branch and fimbriate regions separate this species from all others known so far. Karagama lupus Shear, 2004 has a basal branch, but it is subequal to the main branch and fimbriate regions are lacking. Also, T. lupus has broad paranota on its metazonites. Karagama loftinae ( Shear & Krejca, 2011) has the posterior branch of the anterior gonopod with a comb-like distal tip.

Etymology: The species name is a noun in apposition referring to the type locality and the late Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady of the United States, who had a deep interest in the preservation of natural areas.

Description: Paratype male from Redwood National Park: Length, 8.0 mm. 22 ocelli in triangular eyepatch. Metazonites with prominent shoulders on rings 6–25. Coloration pale tan, lightly marked darker brown. Legpairs one and two reduced, three to seven enlarged, basal femoral knobs on legpair four, legpair five basally swollen, otherwise pregonopodal femora not modified. Anterior gonopods ( Figs. 105, 106 , 109 ) with main (mesal) branch bearing fimbriae from colpocoxal region near base, additional fimbriate region near tip, ending in short, blunt subapical process set with acute, fine cuticular projections. Posterior gonopods with distinct, band-like sternum, coxae partially fused to prefemora, prefemora with anterobasal, short process bearing few setae; posterior gonopod coxites ( Figs. 107, 108 , 110 ) simple, long-triangular, with fimbriate lamellae basally, apically hooked, distal row of blunt teeth on lateral side. Legpair 10 coxae of normal size, with small glands, legpair 11 femora with blunt, dorsally directed knobs.

Female from Redwood National Park 8.2 mm long, otherwise nonsexual characters as in male.

Distribution: Known only from Redwood National Park.

Figures

FIGS. 105–108. Karagama ladybird. Fig. 105. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 106. Tip of right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 107. Right Posterior gonopod coxite and prefemur, posterior view. Fig. 108. Tip of right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.

FIGS. 109–112. Karagama ladybird and Bollmanella bombus. Figs. 109, 110. Karagama ladybird. Fig. 109. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 110. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 111, 112. Bollmanella bombus. Fig. 111. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 112. Right posterior gonopod, posterior view.

FIGS. 1–4. Taiyutyla jonesi. Fig. 1. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 2. Posterior gonopod coxites, posterior (right) and lateral (left) views. Fig. 3. Posterior gonopod coxites, posterior view. Fig. 4. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.