Thyropygus bispinispatula, Pimvichai, Piyatida, Enghoff, Henrik & Panha, Somsak, 2009

Pimvichai, Piyatida, Enghoff, Henrik & Panha, Somsak, 2009, A revision of the Thyropygus allevatus group. Part 1: the T. opinatus subgroup (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Harpagophoridae), Zootaxa 2016, pp. 17-50 : 35-37

Thyropygus bispinispatula n. sp.

( Figs. 11 A–D, 18C)

Material: HOLOTYPE male THAILAND, Chumphon Province, Lang Suan district, Khao Krieab Temple, 9° 49ˏ 4˝ N, 99° 2ˏ 17˝ E. 11 October 2008. P. Prasankok and members of Animal Systematics Research Unit leg., ( CUMZ). – Paratypes: 2 females and 3 juveniles, same data as holotype ( CUMZ).

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin noun in apposition and refers to the spinose spatulate lobe of the gonopod telopodite.

Diagnosis: A species of the opinatus subgroup. Differing from all other species in the subgroup by having the spatulate lobe (sl) at the apical part of telopodite terminating in two sharp brown spines.

Description: Adult males with 67 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 12 cm, width ca. 7.4 mm. Adult females with 64 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 13–16 cm, width ca. 7.6–9.3 mm. Overall color of living animal ( Fig. 18 C) yellowish brown. Legs and antennae brownish orange. Paraprocts dark brown.

Gonopods ( Figs. 11 A–D): Anterior coxal fold (ac) ( Fig. 11 A): lateral process (alp) slender, slightly curved mesad; mesal process (amp) almost as long as alp, straight, flattened, parallel-sided, directed straight distad. Posterior coxal fold (pc) ( Fig. 11 B) basally with moderately high lateral paracoxites (px), distally with two processes: mesal process (pmp) slightly shorter than plp, and curving behind plp; lateral process (plp) a rounded lobe, curving caudad. Telopodite ( Figs. 11 C–D) leaving coxite between pmp and plp; Femoral spine (fe) very long, directed obliquely distad, crenulated along inner curvature, in situ resting against posterior surface of amp; telopodite distally to fe with a vertical, smooth lobe (lo) projecting distolaterad; tibial spine (ti) very long, curving in horizontal plane close to the middle part of fe; spatulate lobe (sl) terminating in two sharp brown spines, the outer spine slightly smaller and shorter than the inner one; palette (pa) simple, gutterlike, distally with about seven brownish blepharochaetae (bp).

Distribution ( Fig. 20): Known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Thyropygus bispinispatula, holotype, gonopods. A: anterior view, left telopodite removed. B: posterior view, left telopodite removed. C: left telopodite, anterior view. D: left telopodite, posterior view.

FIGURE 18. A: Thyropygus opinatus, living male. B: Thyropygus bearti, living male. C: Thyropygus bispinispatula, living male. D: Thyropygus brachyacanthus, living male.