Thyropygus loxia, 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 : 44-45

Thyropygus loxia n. sp.

( Figs. 17 A–D, 19D)

Material: HOLOTYPE male THAILAND, Suratthani Province, Thachana district, Tam-Yai Temple, 9° 33ˏ 31˝ N, 99° 10ˏ 26˝ E. 11 October 2008. H. Enghoff, S. Panha, P. Pimvichai and members of Animal Systematics Research Unit leg., ( CUMZ). – Paratypes: 1 female and 2 sub-adult males, same data as holotype ( CUMZ).

Etymology: The name refers to the overlapping lateral processes of the gonopod anterior coxal folds, reminiscent of the bill in the bird genus Loxia (crossbills).

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. bearti , T. chelatus , T. cristagalli and T. brachyacanthus . Differs from all other species of the T. opinatus subgroup by having a longitudinal lateral crest ( Fig 17 C, arrow) on the anterior coxal fold (ac); by having the tip of the lateral process of anterior coxal fold (alp) crossing over with opposite tip, and by having the median process of posterior coxal fold (amp) very small.

Description: Adult male with 69 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 10 cm, width ca. 5.5 mm. Adult female with 58 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca. 9 cm, width ca. 6.3 mm. Overall color of living animal ( Fig. 19 D) brown. Antennae and legs brownish orange.

Gonopods ( Figs. 17 A–E): Anterior coxal fold (ac) ( Figs. 17 A, C) with a lateral longitudinal crest ( Fig. 17 C, arrow); lateral process (alp) slender, regularly curved, tip crossing over with tip of opposite side, the two together forming a circle; mesal process (amp) very small, hump-like. Posterior coxal fold (pc) ( Fig. 17 B) basally with moderately high lateral paracoxites (px), distally with two processes: mesal process (pmp) curving caudad; lateral process (plp) digitiform, directed distad. Telopodite ( Figs. 16 D–E) leaving coxite between pmp and plp; femoral spine (fe) very long, curved, in situ resting curving close to pmp; telopodite distally to fe with a small round lobe (lo) projecting distolaterad; tibial spine (ti) very long, curving in horizontal plane under fe, in situ resting close to mesal part of fe; spatulate lobe (sl) basally slender, distally broadly expanded, rounded, spoon-like; palette (pa) simple, gutter-like, distally with about eight brownish blepharochaetae (bp).

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

Figures

FIGURE 16. Thyropygus erectus, 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 17. Thyropygus loxia, holotype, gonopods. A: anterior view, left telopodite removed. B: posterior view, left telopodite removed. C: lateral view. D: left telopodite, anterior view. E: left telopodite, posterior view.

FIGURE 19. A: Thyropygus chelatus, living male. B: Thyropygus cristagalli, living male. C: Thyropygus erectus, living male. D: Thyropygus loxia, living female.