Odontostreptus fadriquei, Enghoff & Reboleira, 2020

Enghoff, Henrik & Reboleira, Ana Sofia, 2020, The first blind spirostreptid millipede, found in a cave in Morocco; with notes on the genus Odontostreptus Attems, 1914 (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 668 (668), pp. 1-11 : 3-6

Odontostreptus fadriquei sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:767E2E89-4A01-4CA1-B246-09C4792F4333

Figs 1–2

Diagnosis

Differs from other species of Odontostreptus , and from all other known spirostreptid millipedes, by the lack of eyes. Further differs from all other known species of Odontostreptus by its smaller diameter.

Etymology

The species is dedicated to our friend Floren Fadrique, intrepid collector of invertebrates in caves of Morocco.

Material examined

Holotype

MOROCCO • ♂; Agadir , Ifni (= Cave) Bougayou , Ouauosrou Kbt , Immouzer des Ida ou Tanane; 30 Jul. 2003; A. Ighious, J. Esguius and F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2003-1301 .

Paratype

MOROCCO • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; MZB 2019-2016 .

Description

Male

SIZE. Body length 39 mm, vertical midbody diameter 1.34 mm. 70 podous + 2 apodous rings in front of telson.

COLOUR. Uniform pale yellowish-whitish, faint dark shadows posteriorly on some metazonites.

HEAD. No eyes. Antennae reaching back to end of body ring 6; relative lengths of antennomeres 2–7: 21 / 19 / 20 /18 / 18 / 4.

COLLUM. Lateral lobes broadly rounded, with ca 4 faint striae.

BODY RINGS. Very faintly constricted between pro- and metazonite. Prozonites without concentric furrows; metazonites dorsally smooth, laterally (from well above ozopores) and ventrally with regular, fairly dense longitudinal striae. Ozopores starting on body ring 6, situated ca in middle of metazonites.

LEGS. Projecting laterad of body rings, tibia visible from above. Relative lengths of podomeres: prefemur 19 / femur 19 / postfemur 16 / tibia 13 /tarsus 20 / claw 12. Indistinct ventral pads on postfemur, and slightly more distinct one on tibia, on anterior postgonopodal legs. First pair with short, apically rounded, diverging prefemoral lobes.

TELSON. Completely smooth; preanal ring without a process; anal valves with raised distal margins, the “labiate” type of Hoffman (2011: fig. 10).

GONOPODS ( Fig. 2 ). Sternum (not visible in Fig. 2 ) triangular, low, not reaching end of paraxocite (px). Coxal proplica (pp) with lateral margin very shallowly concave, apical margin concave, slanting distad towards mesal margin. Metaplica (mp) considerably higher than proplica, apically regularly rounded, with a long, subdistal lateral process (lap). Lateral process distinctly set off from main body of metaplica by rounded incision (in), distal to incision straight, regularly tapering and directed laterad and slightly basad. Telopodite (tlp) first directed basad after exit from coxa, then turning mesad at ca right angles and passing posterior side of coxa, torsotope (tp) located at this horizontal section, distal to torsotope making another ca 90° distad turn and ending in a broad, curved lamella (“ladle”) protecting short, slender solenomere (slm).

Female ( Fig. 1 )

SIZE. Body length 60 mm, vertical midbody diameter 1.93 mm. 84 podous rings, no apodous rings in front of telson.

OTHER NONSEXUAL CHARACTERS. As in male, except for relatively shorter appendages.

Remarks

On the head, antennae and legs of both specimens, thalli of a very conspicuous amphoromorph fungus were seen ( Fig. 1E ), similar to those reported from other species of millipedes by Enghoff & Reboleira (2017).

The type locality is a “small cave with sixty meters of horizontal development descending” (F. Fadrique in litt.), located in the Tasroukht plateau, about 60 km northeast of Agadir. Its biocoenosis includes other cave-adapted species as the staphylinid beetle Domene (Spelaeomene) cantonsi Español, 1972 ( Hernando 2007) .

Figures

Fig. 1. Odontostreptus fadriquei sp. nov. A, C. ♀, paratype (MZB 2019-2016). B, D–E. Holotype, ♂ (MZB 2003-1301). A. Habitus. B. Head and rings 1–6. C.Antenna. D. Midbody leg. E. “Amphoromorph” fungus from leg. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 1 mm; C = 0.5 mm; D = 0.25 mm; E = 0.05 mm.

Fig. 2. Odontostreptus fadriquei sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MZB 2003-1301), right gonopod. A. Anterior view. B. Lateral view. C. Oblique latero-posterior view. D. Posterior view. E. Mesal view. F. Mesoposterior view. Abbreviations: atp = antetorsal process; in = incision; lap = lateral metaplical process; llp = ladle-like process; mp = metaplica; pp = proplica; px = paracoxite; slm = solenomere. Scale bars: A–E = 0.2 mm; F = 0.1 mm.