Sphaeromimus saintelucei 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 : 87-88

Sphaeromimus saintelucei Wesener sp. n. Figs 16B, 17

Material examined.

Type material. Holotype: 1 ♂, ZFMK MYR889, Madagascar, Province Toliara, Sainte Luce, fragment S8, 24°46.520'S, 047°09.074'E, 28 m, littoral forest on basaltic soil, coll. Wesener & Schütte, 29.v.2007.

Paratypes. 1 ♂, FMNH-INS 61089, same data as holotype; 1?, FMNH-INS 61088, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n. shares its small size (<20 mm), total absence of a coxal lobe at midbody legs in combination with slender posterior telopods of which the apex of the immovable finger is strongly curved only with Sphaeromimus inexpectatus Wesener & Sierwald, 2005. Sphaeromimus saintelucei differs from the latter in the dull brown colour (shiny pink in Sphaeromimus inexpectatus ), and the anterior telopods. Both species differ genetically at 4-4.8% of their COI gene.

Description.

Measurements: male holotype: 15.8 long, 6.6 (2nd) wide, 4.1 (2nd) high.

Colouration of tergites dull brown. Paratergite impressions and groove of thoracic shield slightly lighter. Legs, antennae and pleurites orange-red, eyes green.

Head: Eyes with>45 ocelli. Antennae short, protruding to coxa 4. Antennomeres 1-5 with few longer setae, 6 densely pubescent. Antennomere 6 huge, large than 3 basal antennomere combined, towards disc with single row of sensilla basiconica. Male with 49/48 apical cones. Mouthparts not dissected.

Collum glabrous except few setae at margins.

Thoracic shield smooth and glabrous, few setae in grooves. Grooves deep. Tergites 3-12 smooth, except for paratergite depressions. Paratergite tips of midbody tergites weakly projecting posteriorly.

Anal shield well-rounded, lacking pubescent area.

Endotergum inner section with few short triangular spines and long setae (Fig. 16B). Between ridge and inner area two rows of weakly impressed, circular cuticular impressions. Externally single, extremely sparse row of marginal bristles (Fig. 16B). Bristles short, not protruding up to tergite margin.

First stigma-carrying plate with a well-rounded not-projecting apex.

Leg 1 with 2, 2 with 2, 3 with 4 or 5 ventral spines. Leg-pairs 4-21 with 7-10 ventral spines. Coxa process invisible (Fig. 17A), only weakly developed at anterior legs. Femur 2, tarsus 3.2 times longer than wide (Fig. 17A).

Male gonopore typical for the genus.

Anterior telopod (Fig. 17 B–D): Harp carrying three stridulation ribs (Fig. 17B). Shape usual for the genus, telopoditomere 4 as long as 2 and 3 combined, with one large triangular spine and 2 or 3 smaller ones (Fig. 15C, D). Podomere 3 with one large spine juxtaposed to process of telopoditomere 2 (Fig. 17D).

Posterior telopod (Fig. 17E, F): Podomere 3 weakly curved, 4.1 times longer than wide, longer than immovable finger (Fig. 17E). Hollowed-out inner margin with single lobe and four sclerotized spines, posterior aspect with ca. 24 small crenulated teeth (Fig. 17F). Immovable finger apically strongly tapering, its apex strongly curved and overlapping podomere 3. Immovable finger with single spine at its base (Fig. 17E). Podomere 1 and 3 glabrous except for a few marginal hair with few setae, podomere 2 on posterior side glabrous (Fig. 17F), on anterior side with several hairs (Fig. 17E).

Female unknown.

Etymology.

‘saintelucei’, adjective, after the type locality, and only area of occurrence, the littoral rainforest of Sainte Luce.

Distribution.

Only known from the only remaining southern lowland forest on basaltic soil, the tiny fragment S8 of Sainte Luce. In the nearby fragments on sandy soil, Sphaeromimus splendidus occurs.