Ommatoiulus zaghouani Akkari & Enghoff

Akkari, Nesrine, Cheung, David Koon-Bong, Enghoff, Henrik & Stoev, Pavel, 2013, Revolving SEM images visualising 3 D taxonomic characters: application to six species of the millipede genus Ommatoiulus Latzel, 1884, with description of seven new species and an interactive key to the Tunisian members of the genus (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae), ZooKeys 328, pp. 5-45 : 20-21

Ommatoiulus zaghouani Akkari & Enghoff sp. n. Figs 36-39

Material.

Holotype: ♂, NE Tunisia, Zaghouan Governorate, Jebel Zaghouan, 36°23'N, 10°06E, alt. 365m, Pinus forest, 13.3.2009, N. Akkari & H. Enghoff leg. (ZMUC).

Diagnosis.

Gonopods resembling those of Ommatoiulus seurati but distinguished by a broader distal part of the promerite, a subapical lateral projection on the mesomerite and a much shorter solenomerite.

Etymology.

Named after Jebel Zaghouan, the type locality.

Description.

Male: L: 28.5 mm, H: 2.56 mm, 49 PR+1 AR+T. General colour alternate dark and light golden brown; dorsum with a thin black axial line. Head dark to blackish, with brownish spots on the frontal part and on the mandibular stipites, labral zone and mouth parts pale, marginally bright yellow; antennae brownish. Prozonites dark to blackish, covered with yellowish spots; metazonites pale brown to whitish laterally and golden brown dorsally, legs yellowish. Telson: anal valves black, preanal ring blackish, caudal projection yellowish, subanal scale yellowish.

Prozonites with fine irregular striae; metazonites with regular striae, becoming dense laterally, suture complete, curving at the level of ozopores; ozopores small, rounded, situated in metazonites, situated at about their diameter from the suture. Anal valves setose, with 4-6 setae on the surface, ca 14 submarginal and numerous marginal setae; subanal scale rounded and setose; preanal ring with 2+2 setae on the sides, protruding in a caudal projection with (6-7)+(6-7) setae on the tip and bearing a small hyaline process.

Male sexual characters. Mandibular stipites expanded in rounded posterior-ventral lobes, first pair of legs hook-shaped, remaining legs with postfemoral and tibial pads.

Gonopods. Promerite (Fig. 36) proximally subrectangular, strongly narrowed distally by a deep incision (i) on the lateral margin; mesal ridge (M) broad, distally protruding in a serrated edge (se); apical part with a mesal triangular blunt process (rp) protruding mesodistad, and a lateral protruding process with two small apical bumps (bp1, bp2); posterior surface of promerite showing few scattered setae near the mesal margin; remnant of telopodite (T) large and ovoid, located at mid-length of the process.

Posterior gonopod (Figs 37-39): Mesomerite (Ms) large, and uniformly broad (Figs 37, 38) with a distal triangular pointed extension on the lateral margin (tp), distal third strongly curved mesoposteriad and narrowed in a long and slender apical process (Figs 37, 38, 39); solenomerite (S) broad, with scattered setae on posterior margin; anteriorly simply rounded devoid of processes; apically with a hyaline folded lamella (fl) and a slightly protruding process (ds) housing the distal part of the seminal groove (g); the latter running from the fovea (F) (Fig. 37) up to process ds. Paracoxite (Px) stout and curved apically slightly narrowing into a rounded apex directed mesad, coxite broad (Co) (Fig. 39).

Distribution.

Semi-arid bioclimatic zone in northeastern Tunisia; known only from Zaghouan Mountain.

Habitat.

Forest dominated by Pinus halepensis .