Aponedyopus similis, Chen, Chao-Chun, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Chang, Hsueh-Wen, 2010

Chen, Chao-Chun, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Chang, Hsueh-Wen, 2010, Revision of the endemic Taiwanese millipede genus Aponedyopus Verhoeff, 1939, with descriptions of two new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae). Advances in the systematica of Diplopoda III, ZooKeys 72, pp. 1-21 : 9-11

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.72.743

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B601D772-549D-32A0-252B-0C865AF820DD

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Aponedyopus similis
status

sp. n.

Aponedyopus similis   ZBK sp. n. Figs 24-3144, 4554 & 55

Material examined:

Holotype ♂ (TFRI), Taiwan (R. O. C.), Taichung County (台中縣), HePing (和平鄉), Shengguang (勝光), ca 2,200 m a.s.l., 26 March - 25 April, 2003, leg. W. C. Yeh.

Paratype ♂ (NSYSUB-DI 75), Taiwan (R. O. C.), Hsinchu County (新竹縣), Wufeng Township (五峰鄉), GuanU (觀霧), 24.5 km from entrance to national park, ca 2,000 m a.s.l., 13 August 2002, leg. C. C. Chen, Y. H. Lin & J. N. Huang.

Name:

To emphasize the close resemblance to the next new species.

Diagnosis:

Being apparently the most similar to Aponedyopus latilobatus sp. n., based both on several peripheral characters (shorter legs, mostly a smaller body size etc.) and gonopod conformation, it is distinguished by the gonopod lobe b being membranous and lobiform, the terminal branches of the solenophore differing in length and crossing each other, with branch x carrying an inconspicuous lobe (see also Key below).

Description:

Length ca 22 mm (♂, n=2); width of pro- and metazona 10 ca 1.8 and 2.0 mm, respectively.

General coloration in alcohol brown to dark brown (Figs 24-27), with a clear pattern of a lighter brown to yellow brown axial stripe consisting of narrower subtriang ular spots on proterga and twice as wide central spots on metaterga, these spots growing slightly infuscate, to blackish both towards stricture and posterior half of metaterga; prozona slightly darker than metazona, thus providing a vague cingulate pattern as well; paraterga, legs and venter slightly lighter than background, light grey-brown; head marbled brown, especially well so in vertigial region, genae contrastingly yellowish, a square median spot above antennal sockets contrastingly dark brown; antennae increasingly infuscate, up to blackish distad, distinctly darker at margins, marbled and lighter centrally, only tip contrastingly pallid; both collum and segment 2 with a very faint, yellow-brown, axial line; epiproct uniformly light brown, only very slightly infuscate near base.

Postcollum constriction evident; in width, segment 2 = 3 <4 <collum <head = segments 5-15; thereafter body gradually and gently tapering towards telson both in width and height. Antennae (Fig. 25) medium-sized, slender, reaching behind stricture of tergite 3. Paraterga (Figs 26 & 27) very poorly developed, very evident and low only on segment 2, calluses (cal) (nearly) completely delimited by a sulcus dorsally, in caudal 1/3 also ventrally only on pore-bearing segments. Transverse sulcus (Figs 26, 27) developed on segments 5-17, traceable on segment 18, wanting on 19th, narrow, shallow, neither beaded at bottom nor reaching bases of paraterga. Surface smooth throughout, slightly granulated only below paraterga 2-4. Limbus thin, caudal margin entire. Stricture dividing pro- and metazona shallow, narrow, not beaded at bottom (Figs 26 & 27). Pleurosternal carinae present only on segments 2 and 3 (Fig. 25). Tergal setae almost fully abraded, 2+1 retained only at anterior edge of collum; pattern untraceable. Ozopores lateral, lying on calluses ca 1/2 metatergal length in front of caudal edge (Figs 26 & 27). Epiproct long (Figs 28 & 29), flattened dorsoventrally, straight, not curved caudoventrad in lateral view, ratio of epiproct length to pre-epiproct length of telson 1: 1.3, tip of epiproct slightly concave; pre-apical papillae (pap) evident, close to apex. Hypoproct (Fig. 30) rounded, subtrapeziform, 1+1 setae at caudal corners situated on well-separated knobs, sides slightly concave.

Sterna sparsely setose; lamina between coxae 4 setose and emarginate (Fig. 31); segment 7 with a pair of prominent sternal cones (= spiracles) flanking gonopod aperture; each cross-impression with a transverse sulcus, but without axial groove. Legs (Fig. 27) moderately long and slender, legs 1 to anterior legs of segment 17 with tarsal brushes, thereafter legs broken off in both available ♂♂, each midbody leg ca 1.2 times as long as body height, coxa 2 with a small apical process supporting a gonopore.

Gonopods (Figs 44, 45, 54 & 55) with process b at base of postfemoral part lobe-shaped, membranous, not like a distinct process; l at base of solenophore rather vague; distal part of gonopod deeply bifid, divided into a longer solenomere (sl), more complex at end and bearing a low terminal lobe, and a slightly shorter, simple, nearly pointed solenophore branch (sph); ends of both branches crossing.

Distribution:

This species seems to be local, occurring only rather high (2,000-2,200 m a.s.l.) in the mountains of northern Taiwan (Map).