Notopyrgodesmus lanosus Mesibov

Mesibov, Robert, 2012, The first native Pyrgodesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from Australia, ZooKeys 217, pp. 63-85 : 74

Notopyrgodesmus lanosus Mesibov sp. n. Figs 3D, 4E, 5E, 6C, 6D, 10C

Holotype.

Male, Cape Tribulation area, Qld, 16°03' to 16°05'S, 145°28'E ± 5 km, 21-28 March 1984, A. Calder and T. Weir, ANIC berlesate 943, rainforest on steep slopes, ANIC 64-000248 (in 2 pieces).

Paratypes.

ANIC: 1 male, 1 female, 1 stadium 7 male, 1 stadium 7 female, details as for holotype, 64-000247.

Other material.

None.

Diagnostic description.

As for Notopyrgodesmus kulla sp. n., differing in the following details (see also Figs 3D, 5E, 10C):

Male ca 7 mm long; ring 12: overall width 1.3 mm, overall width/prozonite width 1.9, maximum vertical diameter 0.8 mm; female very slightly larger. Anterior paramedian tubercles conical, apically rounded; posterior paramedian tubercles equally tall, apically with 2 short, rounded cones (Fig. 4E). In male, female and stadium 7 juveniles, the collum, tergites, metatergites, paranota, preanal ring and epiproct irregularly and densely covered with long, hair-like structures with expanded tips (Figs 6C, D); these structures tightly clustered at each of the 3 paramedian tubercle tips, the cluster appearing as a single ‘spine’ at low magnification. Porosteles on rings 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 in male, female, stadium 7 juveniles. Gonopods not significantly different in form from those of Notopyrgodesmus kulla sp. n., although proportionately smaller.

Distribution.

So far known only from rainforest at the type locality in tropical northern Queensland (Fig. 11).

Etymology.

Latin lanosus ( ‘woolly’), referring to the dense covering of fine, hair-like structures in this species; adjective.