Thyropygus bearti, 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 : 34

Thyropygus bearti n. sp.

( Figs. 5 , 10 A–D, 18B)

Material: HOLOTYPE male THAILAND, Suratthani Province, Don Sak district, Khao Sai, 9° 14ˏ 48˝ N, 99° 45ˏ 51˝ E. 27 August 2007. H. Enghoff and S. Panha leg., ( CUMZ). – Paratypes: 1 female, same data as holotype ( CUMZ), 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype ( ZMUC).

Etymology: The species is named after the Thai Biodiversity Research and Training Program ( BRT), in recognition of this agency’s support for our research.

Diagnosis: A species of the opinatus subgroup. Spatulate lobe (sl) at the apical part of telopodite rounded, spoon-like. Similar in this respect to T. inflexus , T. chelatus , and T. cristagalli , T. brachyacanthus and T. loxia . Differs from these species by the apical palette (pa) having a longitudinal rounded crest near tip, and by the lateral process of anterior coxal fold (alp) being apically abruptly truncate.

Description: Adult males with 61–62 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 12–13 cm, width ca. 7.4 mm. Adult females with 62–63 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 12 cm, width ca. 7.6–7.8 mm. Overall color of living animal ( Fig. 18 B) brown. Legs and antennae pink, prozona, head, epiproct, paraprocts, and hypoproct brown, metazona pinkish brown.

Gonopods ( Figs. 10 A–D): Anterior coxal fold (ac) ( Fig. 10 A): lateral process (alp) slightly curved, directed obliquely mesad, apically abruptly truncate; mesal process (amp) much shorter than lateral process, directed distad, slightly sigmoid, pointed. Posterior coxal fold (pc) ( Fig. 10 B) basally with moderately high paracoxites (px), distally with two processes: mesal process (pmp) pointed-triangular, directed almost straightly distad; lateral process (plp) much shorter, digitiform, directed distad and slightly laterad. Telopodite ( Figs. 10 C–D) leaving coxite between pmp and plp; femoral spine (fe) basally very broad, curving mesad and ending in sharp point; tibial spine (ti) long, slender, curving in horizontal plane, its tip in situ resting between pmp and amp; apical part: spatulate lobe (sl) basally slender, distally expanded, rounded, spoon-like; a small accessory lobe (al) at base of sl; and a small slender spine (ss) at base of apical part, opposite the origin of ti; palette (pa) simple, gutter-like, with a longitudinal rounded crest (cr) near tip, distally with about thirteen brownish blepharochaetae (bp).

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

Figures

FIGURE 5. Thyropygus bearti n. sp. A: female mandibles and gnathochilarium. B: male mandibles and gnathochilarium. Arrows point at poorly sclerotized areas on right mandibular and gnathochilarial stipites.

FIGURE 10. Thyropygus bearti, 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.