Chaleponcus dabagaensis Kraus, 1958

Enghoff, Henrik, 2014, A mountain of millipedes I: An endemic species-group of the genus Chaleponcus Attems, 1914, from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 100, pp. 1-75 : 20-23

Chaleponcus dabagaensis Kraus, 1958

Figs 4 , 8–9 , 12

Chaleponcus (Storthoporus) dabagaensis Kraus, 1958

Chaleponcus (Storthoporus) dabagaensis: Kraus 1960: 192 , under “Species incertae sedis ”.

Diagnosis

Medium-sized. Differs from all other group members by the presence of a thumblike process (th) on the main stem of the telomere; also by the profile of the gonopod coxa ( Fig. 9 ), especially its ‘hunch-backed’ lateral side, shared only by C. quasimodo sp. nov.

Type locality

TANZANIA: Iringa Region, Iringa District, Udzungwa Mts, Kwabuni Estate at Dabaga, 2100 m asl.

Material studied (total: 9 ♂♂)

Type material

Holotype ♂ ( Überseemuseum Bremen) , paratypes 5 ♀♀ (Überseemuseum Bremen and Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt), all from type locality; not studied.

Other material

All from TANZANIA, Iringa Region, Iringa District, Udzungwa Mts, all in ZMUC: Kiranzi-Kitungulu FR: 2 ♂♂, 08°09’ S, 35°05’ E, forest, Jan. 1996, M. Andersen, P. Gravlund, A. Jakobsen leg; 5, ♂♂, 08°07’S, 35°04’E, 1700 m asl, Mar.–Apr. 1996, L.L. Sørensen leg. New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR: 1 ♂, 08°06’47.4” S, 35°56’50.4” E, montane, 1855 m asl, plot MS – plot A, 11 Nov. 2000, Frontier Tanzania UMPS leg.; 1 ♂, 08°06’47.4” S, 35°56’50.4” E, montane, 1800–1955 m asl, plot MS – plot A, 29 Oct. 2000, Frontier Tanzania leg.

Description (male)

[data in square brackets from Kraus (1958), translated]

DIAMETER. 2.4 [2.4] mm, 49 [49] podous rings.

COLOUR. [Horn yellow, dorsally with darker marbling and medially with broad, yellow, longitudinal stripe; a blackish lateral stripe at ozopore level].

ANAL VALVES. Each with a long, slightly curving dorsal spine and a small, triangular ventral one; marginal rim raised; setiferous tubercles well developed, on small ‘ravelins’.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 4D ). With tongue-shaped, apically rounded lobes separated by narrow sinuses, lobes almost meeting at base, lobes striate on external surface.

TARSAL SETATION. Normal.

GONOPOD COXA ( Figs 9 , 12 ). About 4 × as long as wide. Lateral margin straight up to level of ms, then curving mesad and then lateral, leaving a deep, rounded incision and giving the entire coxa a ‘hunchback’ profile; apical margin gently convex, laterally gently concave, forming long, slightly curved lateral cucullar process. Metaplical flange (mf) ending in approximately right-angled-rounded corner; metaplical mesal margin basally straight, with rounded-triangular process (mp) just below level of arculus. Metaplical shelf (ms) simply rounded, projecting posteriad as well as mesad, continuing without transition in metaplical shelf-spine (mms); mms of medium length, curving first mesad, then obliquely basad, tip reaching level of basomere.

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Figs 8 , 12 ). Solenomere with a small, straight proximal spine (ps) with an associated

lobe (as in C. gracilior sp. nov., but simpler). Main stem of telomere (st) with a characteristic thumblike

process (th) distally. Telomere distally with two branches:

• a large, convoluted anterior lamella (al) with smooth edges, continuous with st on basal side of telomere,

• a posterior-distal lamella (pl) forming direct distal continuation of st but separated from it by rounded- triangular incision; margins of pl in part strongly serrated.

Distribution and habitat

Known from New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR and Kiranzi-Kitungulu FR, Udzungwa Mts. Altitudinal range: 1700–1955 m asl, 2100 m asl according to Kraus (1958). Habitat: montane forest. Recorded by Kraus (1958) from “Halbregenwald” (= semi-rain forest).

Coexisting species

In Kiranzi-Kitungulu FR, C. gracilior sp. nov. was found in the same sample as C. dabagaensis . In New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR C. gracilior sp. nov., C. mwabvui sp. nov., C. netus sp. nov. and C. termini sp. nov. were found in the same samples as C. dabagaensis . In addition, C. krai sp. nov., C. malleolus sp. nov., C. nectarinia sp. nov., C. teres sp. nov., C. vandenspiegeli sp. nov. and C. vilici sp. nov. were found in New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR.

Notes

The original description by Kraus (1958) leaves no doubt that the specimens at hand (which include topotypes) belong to C. dabagaensis . See under “Genus Chaleponcus ” for a review of the history of this species.

Figures

Fig. 4. Limbus types in Chaleponcus species, SEM micrographs, external view, except I: internal view. — A. Lobes pointed, more than twice as long as broad (C. scopus sp. nov.). B. Lobes pointed, slightly less than twice as long as broad (C. howelli sp. nov.). C. Lobes pointed, almost equilateral triangles (C. netus sp. nov.), D. Lobes rounded, slightly longer than broad (C. dabagaensis Kraus, 1958). E. Lobes broadly rounded, slightly shorter than broad (C. hamerae sp. nov.). F. Lobes spatulate (C. gracilior sp. nov.). G. Lobes rounded, broader than long, spinose, ridged (C. krai sp. nov.). H. Lobes ca. 3 times as broad as high, rounded, spinose (C. teres sp. nov.). I. Lobes rounded, much broader than high, smooth (C. malleolus sp. nov.). J. No lobes (C. circumvallatus sp. nov.). Scales: 0.01 mm (A– F, J), 0.001 mm (G–I).

Fig. 8. Gonopod telopodite terminology. — A. Left telopodite of Chaleponcus termini sp. nov., posterior view. White oval = basomere, blue oval = torsotope, red oval = telomere, yellow = solenomere (slm), green = proximal spine of solenomere (ps), pxl = proximal lobe of telomere, st = main stem of telomere, st’ = shallow lobe of st. B–C. Torsotope (left gonopod) with torsotope process (tp). B. C. vilici sp. nov., mesal-anterior view. C. C. netus sp. nov., posterior view. D. Solenomere (C. dabagaensis) to show longitudinal fluting. E. Tip of solenomere (C. netus sp. nov.) to show spinulation. Scales: 0.1 mm (A– D), 0.01 mm (E).

Fig. 9. Chaleponcus spp., outline of coxite of left gonopod, posterior view. (The ’transverse’ plane of the gonopod is usually slightly at angles with the exact transverse plane of the millipede, so it may be necessary to tilt the gonopod slightly in order to obtain the view shown on the drawings.) The stippled lines indicate the place where the telopodital basomere emerges from the coxal cavity. Not to scale.

Fig. 12. Chaleponcus dabagaensis Kraus, 1958, left gonopod. — A. Anterior view. B. Posterior view. C. Mesal-ventral view. D. Mesal-dorsal view. al = anterior lamella of telomere, mf = metaplical flange, mp = mesal metaplical process, ms = metaplical shelf, mss = metaplical shelf-spine, pl = posterior lamella of telomere, ps = proximal spine of solenomere, st = main telomeral stem, th = thumblike process of telomere main stem. Scales 0.1 mm.