Spinaxytes macaca Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha

Srisonchai, Ruttapon, Enghoff, Henrik, Likhitrakarn, Natdanai & Panha, Somsak, 2018, A revision of dragon millipedes IV: the new genus Spinaxytes, with the description of nine new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 797, pp. 19-69 : 19

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.797.29510

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A5403588-F43D-40FF-81EE-2009E49823B4

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/21BACA0B-8E80-43D5-8E1F-2BB1902962C2

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:21BACA0B-8E80-43D5-8E1F-2BB1902962C2

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Spinaxytes macaca Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha
status

sp. n.

Spinaxytes macaca Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha View in CoL sp. n. Figs 4 K–M; 5E; 18, 19, 20

Material examined.

Holotype. ♂, THAILAND, Phang Nga Province, Takua Thung District, Wat Suwan Khuha (Monkey Cave), 8°25'42"N, 98°28'22"E, ca. 27 m a.s.l., 8 Aug. 2016, ASRU members leg. (CUMZ-pxDGT00213). Paratypes. 7 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same data as for holotype (CUMZ-pxDGT00214); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype (ZMUC00040253); 1 ♂ same data as for holotype (ZMUM).

Etymology.

The species is named after the monkey, long-tailed macaque ( Macaca fascicularis ) living at the type locality (Monkey Cave).

Diagnosis.

Male femora 6 and 7 humped distally. Similar in this respect to S. krabiensis sp. n., but differs from it by having: paraterga brownish white, shorter; male femora 6 larger; tip of lamina lateralis (ll) protruding as a small lobe, digitiform; tip of lamina medialis (lm) bent, terminating in one lobe.

Description.

SIZE. Length 27-29 mm (male), 29-32 mm (female); width of midbody metazona 1.8-1.9 mm (male), 2.0-2.3 mm (female). Width of collum = 2 = 3 <4 <head = 5-16, thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson.

Colour (Figure 18A, B). Specimens in life with body black; paraterga brownish white; head, antennae (except whitish distal part of antennomeres 7 and 8), collum, metaterga, prozona and surface below paraterga black; sterna brown; epiproct black/brownish black; legs blackish brown; a few basal podomeres pale brown/whitish brown.

Antennae (Figure 19M). Reaching to body ring 8 or 9 (male) and 7 (female) when stretched dorsally.

Collum (Figure 19A). With three transverse rows of setiferous tubercles/cones, 4+4 tubercles/cones in anterior row, 1+1 tubercles/cones in intermediate row and 2+2 tubercles/cones in posterior row; with one conspicuous setiferous notch at lateral margin; paraterga spiniform, long, tip sharp, elevated at ca. 15°-20° in both male and female, directed caudolaterad.

Tegument. Quite shining; collum, metaterga and surface below paraterga smooth.

Metaterga (Figure 19A, C, E). With two transverse rows of setiferous tubercles and cones/spines; metaterga 2-19 with 2+2 tubercles in anterior row and 2+2 cones/spines in posterior row; lateral cones/spines of posterior row bigger and longer than mesal ones, gradually reduced in length and size on the following rings.

Paraterga (Figure 19 A–E, H). Long; directed dorsolaterad on body rings 2-16, elevated at ca. 60°-70° (male) 50°-60° (female), directed dorsocaudad on ring 17, directed increasingly caudad on body rings 18 and 19. Ozopore visible in dorsolateral view.

Telson (Figure 19E, H, I). Epiproct quite short; tip subtruncate; lateral setiferous tubercles conspicuous; apical tubercles inconspicuous. Hypoproct subtrapeziform; caudal margin round, with conspicuous setiferous tubercles.

Sterna (Figs 4K; 19F, G). Sternal lobe between male coxae 4 bifurcate, long; base stout; tips very sharp, in situ directed ventroanteriad; posterior surface bearing 1 pore.

Legs (Figs 4L, M; 19J). Male femora 6 and 7 humped ventrally in distal part.

Gonopods (Figs 5E, 20). Coxa shorter than femur. Prefemoral part ca. half as long as femur. Femur quite enlarged distally. Postfemoral part short and narrow. Mesal sulcus and lateral sulcus wide. Solenophore longer than postfemoral part: lamina lateralis small, compact; apically protruding as a small lobe, directed mesoventrad: lamina medialis long; basally enlarged and slightly attenuated near the tip; tip bent, sharp and curving up. Solenomere curved and twisted, metazona in transverse section, tip directed posteriad.

Distribution and habitat

(Figure 18C). All specimens were collected in small caves near the big Monkey Cave, crawling on rock walls. It is difficult to see the new species without using a flashlight/torch as the black body colour blends in with dark rocks. This species can be found in syntopy with Desmoxytes cervina . For the time being, S. macaca sp. n. is known only from the type locality and we regard it as endemic to Thailand.

Remarks.

S. macaca sp. n. is morphologically similar to S. krabiensis sp. n. and S. uncus sp. n. with which it shares a fork-like sternal lobe between male coxae 4 and a small lamina lateralis.