Sphaeromimus lavasoa Wesener

Wesener, Thomas, Le, Daniel Minh-Tu & Loria, Stephanie F., 2014, Integrative revision of the giant pill-millipede genus Sphaeromimus from Madagascar, with the description of seven new species (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Arthrosphaeridae), ZooKeys 414, pp. 67-107 : 79-82

Sphaeromimus lavasoa Wesener sp. n. Figs 1B, 10, 11, 12A

Sphaeromimus 'sp. n. III G-Lavasoa’: Wesener et al. 2010: 1185 (molecular phylogenetic analysis).

Material examined.

Type material. Holotype. 1 ♂, ZFMK MYR2320, Madagascar, Province Toliara, Grande Lavasoa, 25°5'10.23"S, 46°44'55.93"E, 524 m, rainforest, coll. Wesener & Schütte, 14.vi.2007.

Paratypes. 2 ♀, ZFMK MYR2321, same data as holotype; 1 ♂, FMNH-INS 61141, same data as previous; 1 ♂, FMNH-INS 61134 (Antenna removed); 1 ♀, FMNH-INS 61142; 1 ♀, FMNH 61143; ~ 35 ♂, ♀, juv., FMNH-INS 56208, all same data as holotype; 1 ♀, FMNH-INS 56213, Petit Lavasoa, 25°05.021'S, 046°46.110'E, 668 m, rainforest, coll. Wesener & Schütte, 21.v.2007.

Other material. ~ 50 ♂, ♀, juv., same data as holotype, sent as voucher specimens to the University of Antananarivo.

Diagnosis.

Small shiny-black Sphaeromimus with brown collum and head. Male harp with four stridulation ribs. Midbody legs with weakly-developed coxal process.

Description.

Measurements: male holotype: 21.7 long, 10.4 (2nd), 11.2 (8th - widest) wide, 5.6 (2nd), 6.8 (10th - highest) height. Largest female (with eggs): 23.1 mm long, 11.4 mm (2nd), 12.1 (8th - widest) wide, 6.35 (2nd), 8.55 mm (10th, highest) high.

Colouration of tergites black. Collum and head light brown (Fig. 1B). Legs and antennae dark greenish-brown.

Head: Eyes with>60 ocelli. Antennae very short, protruding as far as leg 6. All antennomeres densely pubescent (Fig. 10A). Antennomere 6 towards disc with single row of sensilla basiconica (Fig. 10A). Female with 22/24 (largest), male with 62/65 apical cones (Fig. 10B). Mouthparts not dissected.

Collum glabrous except 3 or 4 short isolated setae on the surface and few at margin.

Thoracic shield smooth and glabrous, few setae in grooves. Tergites 3-12 smooth, paratergite tips of midbody tergites only weakly projecting posteriorly (Fig. 1B).

Anal shield massive, well-rounded, lacking pubescent area.

Endotergum inner section with numerous short triangular spines and very few setae (Fig. 12A). Between ridge and inner area two rows of weakly impressed, circular cuticular impressions. Externally two irregular, dense rows of marginal bristles (Fig. 12A). Bristles short, ending well before tergite margin.

First stigma-carrying plate with a well-rounded apex.

Leg 1 with 3 or 4, 2 with 5 or 6, 3 with 8 or 9 ventral spines. Leg pairs 4-21 with 11-13 ventral spines. Coxa process weakly developed (Fig. 11A). Femur 2, tarsus 3.1 times longer than wide.

Male gonopore inconspicuous.

Anterior telopod (Fig. 11B, C): Harp carrying four stridulation ribs (Fig. 11B). Shape usual for the genus, telopoditomere 4 with one large triangular spine and 2 smaller ones (Fig. 11C). Telopoditomere 3 with a spine juxtaposed to process of telopoditomere 2 (Fig. 11C).

Posterior telopod (Fig. 11D, E): Podomere 3 curved, 3 times longer than wide, slightly longer than immovable finger (Fig. 11D). Hollowed-out inner margin with one lobe and four sclerotized spines, posterior aspect with ca. 29 small crenulated teeth. Immovable finger basally wide, apically tapering, 2.6 times longer than wide, strongly curved towards fixed finger. Podomere 1 and 2 with few setae on both sides (Fig. 11D), podomere 3 glabrous (Fig. 11E).

Female sexual characters: Second leg pair with well-developed coxal lobe.Vulva massive. Operculum well-rounded, protruding up to basal half of prefemur (Fig. 11F). Subanal shield almost divided into two, with strong invagination at apical margin (Fig. 11G). Washboard with three stridulation ribs on each side (Fig. 11G).

Etymology.

‘Lavasoa’, noun in apposition, after the Lavasoa (also called Ambatotsirongorongo) mountain, to which this species is endemic.

Distribution.

Endemic to the Lavasoa Mountain, where it could be recorded from two of the three remaining fragments. The species was common in the largest fragment of Grande Lavasoa, but only a single female could be collected at Petit Lavasoa.