Skleroprotopus genjudi, Chen & Zhao & Golovatch & Liu, 2024

Chen, Rong, Zhao, Yi, Golovatch, Sergei & Liu, Wei-Xin, 2024, Molecular phylogenetic and morphological studies reveal increased species diversity in the millipede genus Skleroprotopus Attems, 1901 in China (Julida: Mongoliulidae), Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 82, pp. 659-691 : 659-691

3.3. 8. Skleroprotopus genjudi sp. nov.

Figures 2 D , 11

Material examined.

Holotype male ( SCAU), China, Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou City, Chongyi County, Niedu Town , Cave Luohanyan , 25°27′9.03′′N 114°05′1.28′′E, 400 m, 9. XI. 2014, fifteen graduate students from the class of 2013 leg . Paratypes: 28 males, 12 females ( SCAU), same data as for holotype ; 6 males, 6 females ( SCAU), same cave, 12. I. 2011, Tian Mingyi, Liu Weixin, Zheng Yuan and Sun Feifei leg. Other material examined: 4 males, 5 females ( SCAU), same town, Cave Miao Dong , 25°28′1.62′′N 114°05′6.77′′E, 350 m, 13. I. 2011, Tian Mingyi, Liu Weixin, Zheng Yuan and Sun Feifei leg. ; 3 males ( SCAU), same town, Cave Lianhua Dong , 25°28′10′′N, 114°05′37′′E, 400 m, 16. IV. 2017, fifteen graduate students from the class of 2016 leg.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners mostly based on the following combination of characters: (1) penis much shorter than coxae 2 (Fig. 11 E ); (2) male leg 7 with an extremely long coxal process, strongly bent anteriad, telopodite rather small, 2 or 3 - segmented (Fig. 11 F ); (3) anterior gonopod (Fig. 11 G, H ) with a coxal process of medium length and carrying a much lower, irregularly dentate, membranous lobe, and a very long and slender flagellum, distally branched. — In addition, this new species differs from all other species analyzed in a> 8.2 % uncorrected p - distance of the COI barcoding gene.

Etymology.

The species name is primarily derived from its collection site, which is often used as a place for our graduate students to conduct internships on cave biodiversity. “ Genjudi ” here refers to the main operational base, in Chinese is “ 根据地 ”; a noun in apposition.

Description.

Length of both sexes ca 30.0–42.0 mm, 1.7–2.1 mm in diameter, body with 51–63 podous + 1–2 apodous rings + telson. Natural coloration (Fig. 2 D ) uniformly grayish yellow. Antennae and legs light yellow. Eye patches grey to blackish, subtriangular, arranged in 4–7 irregular rows, altogether about 30–40 ommatidia per eye patch.

Head capsule smooth and hairless, eyes slightly bulged, epicranial suture well-defined. Labral margin with 1 (2) + 1 (2) supra-labral and 11 + 11 labral setae. Antennae long and slender, reaching behind to middle of ring 4 when stretched dorsally. In length, antennomeres 3> 2> 4> 5> 6> 1> 7. Antennomeres 5 and 6 each with distal corolla of sensilla basiconica. Antennomere 7 with 4 sensory cones. Mandibular stipes enlarged, with two small lobes in males, rounded in females. Gnathochilarium with at least 7 setae on each lamella lingualis (ll); promentum (pr) lance-shaped at base, swollen anteriorly, short and rod-like in males (Fig. 11 A ), vs a drop-shaped pr in females (Fig. 11 B ).

Collum with 4–6 lower striae laterally, but lowest 2 striae not reaching the anterior margin. Prozona with 2–6 irregular subtransverse striae and metazona with 16–24 longitudinal striae laterally. Suture dividing pro- and metazona very narrow, a regular comb. Ozopores starting with ring 6, lying mid-laterally on sides of metatergites.

Epiproct slightly protruding caudad, posterior margin with 3 + 3 setae. Paraprocts convex, with 1 + 1 setae. Hypoproct eye-shaped, with 1 + 1 setae.

Legs long and slender, about 1.2 × as long as midbody height. Male leg-pair 1 (Fig. 11 D ) hypertrophied, 5 - segmented, strongly curved anteriad; coxa (cx) and telopoditomeres 1 and 2 (t 1, t 2) with several long setae. Telopoditomere 3 (t 3) longest, about as long as all other telopoditomeres combined. Telopoditomere 4 (t 4) irregularly shaped, with two vague emarginations, one lateral, the other dorsal. Male leg-pair 2 (Fig. 11 E ) reduced in size and slender; penis (pn) shorter than coxae (cx), distal part with five long setae. Male leg-pair 7 (Fig. 11 F ) strongly modified, coxal process (cp) extremely long, flattened dorsoventrally, only slightly attenuated distad, strongly bent anteriad, densely setose nearly throughout at both mesal and lateral margins; telopodite (te) remains poorly visible laterally near base of cp, vestigial, consisting of 2 or 3 very small telopoditomeres.

Anterior gonopods (Fig. 11 G, H ) with a coxal process (cp) of medium length, laterally bearing a long row of short villi, posteriorly carrying with a lower membranous lobe (ml), outer margin of ml irregularly dentate, somewhat broadened and reflexed in proximal half. Flagellum (f) very long and slender, distally serrate and branched. Telopodite (te) about 2 / 3 as long as cp, with long setae both apically and mesally, laterobasally with a minute remnant (r) of a second podomere.

Posterior gonopods (Fig. 11 I ) erect, with bristles medially, distally branched, anterior branch smooth and slender, with a pointed tip, posterior one densely setose.

Vulva (Fig. 11 C ) as usual, with two parallel rows of short setae on both anterior and posterior surfaces, operculum (op) with several long setae distally.

Remarks.

This new species was found in several caves at Niedu Town, Chouyi City, Jiangxi. Based on the unpigmented body, as well as long legs and antennae, S. genjudi sp. nov. is considered a troglobite.

Figures

Figure 2. Pictures of live animals, photos by Prof. Mingyi Tian from SCAU. A Skleroprotopus change sp. nov.; B Skleroprotopus megistus sp. nov.; C Skleroprotopus longissimus sp. nov.; D Skleroprotopus genjudi sp. nov.; E Skleroprotopus tiankeng sp. nov.; F Skleroprotopus laiyuanensis sp. nov.; G Skleroprotopus incisodentatus sp. nov.

Figure 11. Skleroprotopus genjudi sp. nov. . paratypes from Cave Luohanyan. A, D – I male paratype; B, C female paratype. A, B gnathochilarium; C right vulva, mesal view; D legs 1, anterior view; E legs 2 with penis, posterior view; F legs 7, anterior view; G anterior gonopods, anterior view; H anterior gonopods, posterior view; I posterior gonopods, anterior view. Abbreviations: cp, coxal process; cx, coxa; f, flagellum; ll, lamella lingualis; ml, membranous lobe; op, operculum; pn, penis; pr, promentum; r, remnant; t 1 – t 4, telopoditomeres 1–4; te, telopodite. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.