Desmoxytes similis, Liu, Weixin, Golovatch, Sergei & Tian, Mingyi, 2016

Liu, Weixin, Golovatch, Sergei & Tian, Mingyi, 2016, Six new species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, mostly from caves in China (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 577, pp. 1-24 : 7

Taxon classification Animalia Polydesmida Paradoxosomatidae

Desmoxytes similis sp. n. Figs 1 E–F, 6, 7

Holotype

♂ (SCAU), China, Guangdong, Qingyuan, Yingde Shi, Qingkeng Zhen, Bangjiao Cun, Cave Bangjiao Dong, 24°25'09"N, 112°57'16"E, ca 230 m a.s.l., 2014-XII-29, leg. Mingyi Tian, Weixin Liu, Sunbin Huang & Xinhui Wang.

Paratypes.

1 ♂, 4 ♀ (SCAU), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (ZFMK), same locality and collecting data as the holotype.

Name.

To emphasize the particular similarities to Desmoxytes simplipoda sp. n.; adjective.

Diagnosis.

This species seems to be especially similar to Desmoxytes simplipoda sp. n., from Yangshan, Qingyuan, Guangdong, but differs by the setose process between ♂ coxae 4 showing a large pore and the lamella medialis of the gonopod solenophore a small lobule at about midlength.

Description.

All characters as in Desmoxytes simplipoda sp. n., except as follows.

Length ca 25-26 mm (♂) or 27-29 mm (♀), width of midbody pro- and metazonae 1.5 and 4.0 (♂) or 2.5 and 4.5 mm (♀), respectively. Holotype 26 mm long, 1.5 and 4.0 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively. In width, head <collum <segment 2-8 <9-16. Coloration rather uniformly light brownish to pallid (Figs 1 E–F, 6).

Paraterga of collum (Fig. 6 A–B) directed laterad; following paraterga 2-18 directed dorsad and a little caudad; paraterga 19 directed caudad, but all paraterga ending up clearly much above dorsum (Fig. 6). Transverse sulcus very vague, only traceable in segments 3-18 (Fig. 6B, D, F).

A large, median, setose process with a large central pore at bottom between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 7A). Legs devoid of modifications, about 2.5 (♂) or 2.0 (♀) times as long as midbody height.

Gonopods (Fig. 7 B–C) short. Coxite less than 1/3 the length of telopodite. Prefemur about half as long as acropodite. Femorite very short, slightly enlarged distad. Solenophore strongly condensed and divided into a large subtriangular lamella lateralis (ll) and a terminally evidently bifid lamella medialis (lm), the latter with a very small lobule (l) at about midlength.

Remarks.

This species seems to be very similar to Desmoxytes simplipoda sp. n., from Yangshan, Qingyuan, Guangdong. The only differences are outlined in the above diagnosis. Because of the nearly pallid tegument and extremely elongated antennae and legs, this species seems to be a troglobite.