Skleroprotopus ampullaceus, 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. 9. Skleroprotopus ampullaceus sp. nov.

Figures 3 D , 12

Material examined.

Holotype male ( SCAU), China, Jiangxi Province, Shangrao City, Wuyuan County, Cave Penghua Dong , 19. VII. 2014, Tian Mingyi, Wu Yunhe and Li Wenbo leg. Paratypes: 34 males, 7 females ( SCAU), same data as for holotype .

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners mostly based on the following combination of characters: (1) male leg 1 relatively slender, telopoditomere 4 linguiform, with a small mesal hump (Fig. 12 D ); (2) penis much shorter than coxae 2 (Fig. 12 F ); (3) male leg 7 with a coxal process of medium size, densely setose at mesal margin, height subequal to telopodite, which is made up of 2 or 3 segements and a claw (Fig. 12 E ); (4) anterior gonopod (Fig. 12 H, I ) with a rather long coxal process carrying a narrow, lower, membranous lobe, distally with a vague indentation. — In addition, this new species differs from all other species analyzed in a> 9.1 % uncorrected p - distance of the COI barcoding gene.

Etymology.

Latin “ ampullaceus ” is meaning bottle-shaped. The specific epithet refers to the the promentum of the gnathochilarium being bottle-shaped in males; adjective.

Description.

Length of both sexes ca 30.0–37.0 mm, 1.8–2.0 mm in diameter, body with 48–58 podous + 1–2 apodous rings + telson. Coloration in alcohol (Fig. 3 D ) uniformly yellow to dark brownish. Antennae and legs yellow brownish. Eye patches blackish, subtriangular, arranged in 4–6 irregular rows, altogether about 20–38 ommatidia per eye patch.

Head capsule smooth and hairless, eyes slightly bulged, epicranial suture well-defined. Labral margin with 2 (3) + 2 (3) supra-labral and 9 + 9 labral setae. Antennae of medium length, reaching behind to middle of ring 2 when stretched dorsally. In length, antennomeres 3> 4> 2> 5> 6> 1> 7 (Fig. 12 C ). Antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a distal corolla of sensilla basiconica. Mandibular stipes well-rounded, with two small lobes in male, rounded in female. Gnathochilarium with at least 5 setae on each lamella lingualis (ll); promentum (pr) lance-shaped at base, swollen anteriorly, bottle-shaped in males (Fig. 12 B ), vs a narrow, oblong, rhomboid pr in females (Fig. 12 A ).

Collum with 6–14 lower striae laterally, but lowest 4 striae not reaching the anterior margin. Prozona with 2–4 irregular subtransverse striae and metazona with 13–19 longitudinal striae laterally (Fig. 3 D ). 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, with 4 + 4 setae at posterior margin. Paraprocts convex, with 1 + 1 setae. Hypoproct eye-shaped, with 1 + 1 setae.

Legs short, but slender, about 0.9 × as long as midbody height. Male leg-pair 1 (Fig. 12 D ) hypertrophied, relatively slender, 5 - segmented, strongly curved anteriad; coxa (cx) and telopoditomeres 1 and 2 (t 1, t 2) with some long setae. Telopoditomere 3 (t 3) longest, 1.5 × as long as telopoditomere 4 (t 4), t 4 linguiform, with a small mesal hump (h) subapically; t 3 and t 4 with long setae medially. Male leg-pair 2 (Fig. 12 F ) reduced in size; penis (pn) fat, much shorter than coxae (cx), distal part with two long setae. Male leg-pair 7 (Fig. 12 E ) reduced, each leg with a 2 or 3 - segmented asymmetrical telopodite (te) and a claw, telopoditomere 1 (t 1) largest and setose subapically; coxal process (cp) medium-sized, about as high as te, densely setose at mesal margin.

Anterior gonopods (Fig. 12 H, I ) with a very long and relatively narrow coxal process (cp) bearing a long row of short villi laterally, posteriorly with a narrow, lower, membranous lobe (ml), outer margin of ml smooth, with a vague indentation distally. Flagellum (f) very long and slender, distally villose and branched. Telopodite (te) about half as long as cp, with long setae both apically and mesally, laterobasally with a minute remnant (r) of a second podomere.

Posterior gonopods (Fig. 12 J ) erect, with bristles medially, distally branched, anterior branch smooth, with a pointed tip, posterior one densely setose.

Vulva (Fig. 12 G ) as usual, with two parallel rows of short setae on both anterior and posterior surfaces, operculum (op) with several long setae distally.

Remarks.

Based on the pigmented body, black eyes, as well as moderately long legs and antennae, S. ampullaceus sp. nov. is considered a troglophile.

Figures

Figure 3. Habitus of some Skleroprotopus species in lateral view. A Skleroprotopus penglai sp. nov.; B Skleroprotopus longiflagellatus sp. nov.; C Skleroprotopus tiankeng sp. nov.; D Skleroprotopus ampullaceus sp. nov.; E Skleroprotopus conicus sp. nov.; F Skleroprotopus yutiantianae sp. nov.; G Skleroprotopus multistriatus sp. nov.; H Skleroprotopus change sp. nov. Scale bars: 5.0 mm.

Figure 12. Skleroprotopus ampullaceus sp. nov. . A, G female paratype; B – F, H – J male paratype. A, B gnathochilarium; C right antenna, lateral view; D legs 1, anterior view; E legs 7, anterior view; F legs 2 with penis, posterior view; G right vulva, mesal view; H anterior gonopods, anterior view; I anterior gonopods, posterior view; J posterior gonopods, anterior view. Abbreviations: a 5, a 6, antennomeres 5, 6; cp, coxal process; cx, coxa; f, flagella; h, hump; 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.