Hedinomorpha sympatrica, Golovatch, 2021

Golovatch, Sergei I., 2021, Review of the millipede genus Hedinomorpha Verhoeff, 1934, with descriptions of three new species collected in China by Professor Jochen Martens (Diplopoda Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), Zootaxa 4984 (1), pp. 368-384 : 376-380

Hedinomorpha sympatrica spec. nov.

Figs 29–43

Material examined. Holotype male, 1 male (without gonopods) and 3 female paratypes ( SMF), China, Shaanxi Prov., Taibai Shan Mts, S flanks, above Houshenzi , 1700 m a.s.l., primary broadleaved forest, 20.VII.1997, P. Jäger & J. Martens leg.

Name. To emphasize strict sympatry, and even syntopy, with H. jaegeri spec. nov.; adjective.

Diagnosis. Differs from other species of the genus by the following combination of characters: colouration light brown to brown, devoid of a vivid colour pattern; paraterga poorly-developed, their pore-bearing and poreless calluses smooth lasterally, mostly blunt and subrectangular teeth caudally, delimited by a distinct and complete sulcus only dorsally; pleurosternal carinae present on segments 2–15(16), and the peculiar shapes of the solenophore and its outgrowths (see also Key below).

Description. All characters as in H. martensorum spec. nov., except as follows.

Length of male holo- and paratype ca 12 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 0.85 and 1.0 mm, respectively. Length of female paratypes ca 13 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 1.3–1.35 and 1.5–1.55 mm, respectively. Colouration in alcohol mainly light brown ( Figs 29–32 ) to brown, devoid of a vivid colour pattern, but with a slightly lighter, broad, dorsal stripe divided by a darker axial line; sides of head, venter, legs and tip of epiproct lighter, nearly pallid; antennomeres 6 and 7 slightly infuscate, light brown to brown, but tip of antennae pallid.

Clypeolabral region moderately setose, vertex bare ( Figs 29, 30 ). Antennae shorter and only slightly clavate ( Figs 29, 30 ), extending behind until about midway of segment 2 (male) or midway of collum (female) when stretched dorsally. Interantennal isthmus about 1.3x as broad as diameter of antennal socket. Tegument generally smooth and shining, metaterga slightly rugulose above and below paraterga; strictures between pro- and metazonae finely striolate. Tergal setae often abraded, but remaining ones thin and moderately long, mostly ca 1/3 as long as metaterga; setation pattern traceable as 2+ 2 in a transverse pre-sulcus row, setae not being borne on bosses. Paraterga poorly developed, largely set at 1/2 of metatergal height, slightly drawn both anteriad and caudad only on segment 2, and only caudad on segment 3; caudal corner drawn into a small, mostly subrectangular and blunt tooth, but never extended behind rear tergal margin thereafter ( Figs 29–32 ). Lateral calluses subhorizontal, in lateral view narrow (poreless segments) or thicker (pore-bearing segments), smooth at lateral margin, delimited by complete sulci only dorsally. Ozopores lateral, invisible from above, each lying inside an ovoid pit a little in front of or at caudal margin ( Fig. 29 ). Transverse metatergal sulci very simple, shallow, smooth at bottom, slightly sinuate medially, not reaching the bases of paraterga, present on segments 5–18, but far less distinct on segment 18. Axial line missing. Pleurosternal carinae microgranulate ridges, in male increasingly developed on segments 2–7, abruptly reduced to a small ridge on segment 8, with small, rounded, caudal flaps only on segments 4–7; in female smaller, thin ridges devoid of caudal flaps and visible until segment 9; in both sexes being increasingly reduced and retained only as small bulges towards segment 15 or 16 ( Fig. 29 ). Epiproct ( Figs 29, 32 ) bulbous and hirsute. Hypoproct ( Fig. 40 ) semi-circular, caudal margin with 1+1 long setae borne on minute knobs. Sterna without modifications except for a low, setose, roundly subtrapeziform and medially slightly concave lobe between male coxae 4 ( Fig. 41 ). Legs ( Figs 29–33 ) moderately long and slender, obviously incrassate in male compared to female, midbody ones ca 1.3–1.4x (male) or 0.9–1.0x (female) as long as body height, densely setose, ventral brushes on tarsi present until two last leg-pairs in male ( Fig. 33 ).

Gonopods ( Figs 34–39 , 42, 43 ) much like in H. martensi spec. nov., but prefemoral (= densely setose) part almost as long as femorite (fe); solenomere (sl) also squeezed between a particularly strongly developed lamina lateralis (q) and a much smaller lamina medialis (j), and supported by a similarly complex postfemoral part; the latter forming a rounded, apical, postfemoral, lateral lobe (l) demarcated at base by a subtransverse sulcus, and being largely represented by a long, ribbon-shaped, loosely coiled, distally barbed and apically subacuminate solenophore branch (sph) supplied with a stronger spine (k) near midway and a similarly small rounded lobule (l) in distal 2/3.

Figures

FIGURES 29–32. Hedinomorpha sympatrica spec. nov., holotype male. 29 Habitus, dorsal view. 30 Anterior half of body, ventral view. 31 Midbody segments, dorsal view. 32 Posterior part of body, dorsal view. Pictures by K. Makarov, taken not to scale.

FIGURES 33–39. Hedinomorpha sympatrica spec. nov., holotype male. 33 Leg 9, lateral view. 34–39 Left gonopod, sublateral (34), ventral (35), ventrocaudal (36), mesal (37), subdorsal (38) and lateral (39) views, respectively. Pictures by K. Makarov, taken not to scale.

FIGURES 40–43. Hedinomorpha sympatrica spec. nov., holotype male. 40 Hypoproct, ventral view. 41 Sternal lobe between coxae 4, caudal view. 42–43 Left gonopod, sublateral (42) and dorsomesal (43) views, respectively. Abbreviations: fe—femorite; j—lamina medialis; k—midway spine; l—apicolateral postfemoral lobe; lo—lobule; q—lamina lateralis; sl—solenomere (tip likely broken off); sph—solenophore. Scale bar: 1.0 mm (40–41) and 0.5 mm (42–43).