Mauriesia splendida, Chang, Hsueh-Wen, 2010

Chang, Hsueh-Wen, 2010, Pill-millipedes (Glomerida, Diplopoda) in Taiwan, Zootaxa 2477, pp. 1-20 : 5-6

Mauriesia splendida sp. nov.

Figs 1–3 , 7–11 .

Material examined: Holotype male (NMNS-6283-01), Taiwan, Nantou County, Lugu Township, Sitou, 15 November 2002, leg. J. D. Lee. Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female (NMNS-6283-002), 1 female ( ZMUM), same locality, together with holotype. 1 female ( HNHM), 1 female (NSYSUB), same locality, 31 October 1997, leg. S. H. Wu.

Description: Length of non-stretched but unrolled specimens ca 6.5 (male) to 7.0 mm (female), width 3.2 (male) to 3.6 mm (female). General coloration marbled dark black-brown to light reddish-grey-brown (apparently faded), colour pattern very vivid ( Figs 1–3 ). Head, antennae, gnathochilarium and collum usually dark marbled purplish-brown; pleura and most of telopoditomeres a little lighter, purplish-brown to light purplish. Thoracic shield contrastingly whitish laterally (as usual also with a narrow light band caudally), both light lateral spots interrupted centrally by a large, dark, trapeziform spot with a light dot near base. Following terga in front of pygidium nearly entirely dark (only lateral and caudal margins as usual like narrow light bands), each tergum both with 1+1 light, marbled, transverse, usually vague markings/spots laterally (still lying well dorsally of lateral edge) and an axial row of individual, sometimes subtriangular, light spots. Pygidium mostly whitish, with a dark middle dot near base and a (nearly) complete dark band slightly broadening laterad along base to almost reach usual narrow caudal band.

Head with a densely setose labrum ( Fig. 3 ). Gnathochilarium with 2+2 palps of subequal length. Ocellaria blackish, ocelli 7(8)+1, lenses very convex, translucent. Antennae with four large apical cones, segment 6 as usual largest, ca 1.9–2.0 times as long as high. Organ of Tőmősváry suboval, small and short (not elongated laterad) ( Figs 3 and 7 ).

Collum as usual, with two transverse striae.

Thoracic shield ( Fig. 1 ) with a small hyposchism field not projecting caudad beyond tergal contour. All eight striae superficial: three lying above schism and increasingly shorter dorsad, one level to schism, remaining four below schism, complete, crossing the dorsum. Following terga in front of pygidium extremely faintly bisinuate at caudal edge and with two striae starting well above lateral edge ( Figs 1 and 2 ). Male pygidium ( Figs 3 and 7 ) with a small but evident median lobule at caudal edge.

Male leg 17 ( Fig. 8 ) particularly strongly reduced, with a high, broadly rounded coxal lobe and a 4- segmented telopodite. Male leg 18 ( Fig. 9 ) less strongly reduced, with a broadly ogival syncoxital notch and a 4-segmented telopodite; femur with a small, setose, caudomedial tubercle (k) near apex.

Telopod ( Figs 10 and 11 ) extremely stout, with a usual, small, rounded syncoxital lobe flanked by high, setose, distally attenuating horns. Prefemur extremely short, medial part membranous, with a strong seta at its base on caudal face. Femur with an unusual, spatuliform, mesad directed, caudobasal apophysis (a), a large, strongly sclerotized distocaudal finger (f) and a peculiar, densely setose, medial bulge (s). Tibia with a smaller caudolateral finger (p). Tarsus directed caudad, rounded at and micropapillate near apex, with a strong terminal seta.

Name: To emphasize this truly marvelous taxon.

Remarks: This species seems to be very local, especially given the large amount and range of material available for the present study (see Map). It seems to be M. splendida that has recently been documented in one of the photographs taken in Taiwan from a live specimen referred to as a Hyleoglomeris sp. ( Lee and Kou 2009: p. 103).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Mauriesia splendida sp. nov., male holotype (1 – 3), and Hyleoglomeris aurata sp. nov., female paratype (4 – 6). Habitus in lateral, dorsal, ventral, lateral, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURES 7 – 11. Mauriesia splendida sp. nov., male paratype. 7, sketches of Tőmősváry’s organ (left) and caudomedian lobule on pygidium (right); 8, leg 17; 9, leg 18; 10 and 11, telopod (front and caudal views, respectively). Scale bar: 0.2 mm; figure 7 drawn not to scale. Special designations: k, distomedian knob on femur; p, tibial process; s, setose bulge on femur; f, distal finger on femur; a, caudomedian apophysis on femur.