Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et, 2022

Antic, Dragan, Vagalinski, Boyan, Stoev, Pavel & Akkari, Nesrine, 2022, A review of the cavernicolous Trichopolydesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from the Carpathian-Balkan arch and the Rhodope Mountains, with descriptions of two new genera and three new species, ZooKeys 1097, pp. 1-46 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1097.83916
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:66F17436-DF36-4FFD-B2D3-021F14D40D62
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/BEF9EB03-1DC8-4C13-BE0F-DE8A2AD0C257
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:BEF9EB03-1DC8-4C13-BE0F-DE8A2AD0C257
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et sp. nov.

Figs 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8 , 9 View Figure 9 , 17M, N View Figure 17 , 18 View Figure 18

Bacillidesmus bulgaricus dentatus - Stoev 2004: 149.

Bacillidesmus bulgaricus dentatus in part.- Stoev 2007: 384; Beron 2015: 80, 411; Bachvarova et al. 2017: 521; Kime and Enghoff 2011: 71, 262.

Diagnosis.

Differs from Balkanodesminus bulgaricus gen. nov., comb. nov. and B. serbicus gen. nov. et sp. nov. by the presence of shorter (vs. longer) metatergal setae and their greater (vs. smaller) number of rows, as well as by the presence of more complicated (vs. more simplified) gonopods, with biramous (vs. uniramous) distal solenomeral process and larger and denticulated (vs. smaller and smooth) lamella of solenophore. From B. dentatus gen. nov., comb. nov., stat. nov., with which it shares similar habitus and similar gonopods, it differs by the presence of slenderer (vs. more robust) solenomere, by small triangular tooth (vs. short process) on distal solenomeral process, and by the absence (vs. presence) of additional short subdistal process at distal projection of solenophore. In addition, lateral lamella and basal lobe more robust than in B. dentatus gen. nov., comb. nov., stat. nov.

Name.

The species name is a combination of the name Bacillidesmus dentatus and the Ancient Greek suffix - oides, referring to the species’ particularly strong resemblance to Balkanodesminus dentatus gen. nov., comb. nov., stat. nov. Adjective.

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ (NMNHS-10815), Bulgaria, Lovech District, Yablanitsa Municipality, Brestnitsa, Saeva dupka Cave , clay, 13.X.1997, leg. B. Petrov & P. Stoev.

Paratypes. 2 ♂♂ (NMNHS-10816, 10817), 1 ♀, (NMNHS-10818), same data as for holotype ; 1 ♂ (used for SEM, NHMW MY10258) same data as for holotype .

Additional material.

1 ♂ (right gonopod used for SEM, NHMW MY10267), 2 ♂♂ (NMNHS-10819, 10820), 2 ♀♀ (NMNHS-10821, 10822), Lovech District , village of Sopot , Sopotska peshtera Cave, 8.V.2004, leg. P. Beron.

Description.

Number of body rings and measurements: Body with 19 rings (including telson) in adults, moniliform. Holotype male 3.8 mm long, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 0.25 mm and 0.30 mm, respectively. Paratype males 3.4-3.9 mm long, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 0.23-0.25 mm and 0.29-0.31 mm, respectively. Paratype female 4.3 mm long, width of midbody pro- and metazona 0.30 and 0.35 mm, respectively.

Coloration: Entirely pallid, slightly translucent (Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ).

Head: Broader than collum, setose (Fig. 7B View Figure 7 ); epicranial suture poorly developed; isthmus between antennae ≈ 1.3 × broader than diameter of antennal socket. Labrum with three labral teeth, and with 3+3 labral and five supralabral setae (Fig. 8B View Figure 8 ). Gnathochilarium without peculiarities. Antennae rather short, clavate (Figs 7B View Figure 7 , 8C, D View Figure 8 ). Antennomere length 6> 2 = 3 = 4> 5> 7 = 1. Antennae 0.6 mm long in the holotype male; length/breadth ratios of antennomeres 1-7: 1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (2), 4 (2), 5 (1), 6 (1) and 7 (1). Antennomere 6 with four sensilla trichodea and with strongly developed disto-dorsal pit with numerous long sensilla basiconica partially exposed outside the pit (Fig. 8D View Figure 8 ). Antennomere 7 with one sensillum trichodeum and a small bulge with three sensilla basiconica spiniformia (Fig. 8C, D View Figure 8 ). Four apical cones (Fig. 8D View Figure 8 ).

Collum: Semi-circular, with one or two lateral incisions and ≈ 7 irregular rows of medium sized and trichoid setae.

Body rings: Tegument shining, texture alveolate, reticulate and scaly. Rings densely setose. Setae rather short and trichoid, originating from small tubercules (Figs 7 View Figure 7 , 8A, E-G, I View Figure 8 ). Posteriormost tubercules mostly with a small thorn. Rings 2-4 with ≈ 4 rows of setae (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ). Rings 5-18 with ≈ 6-8 irregular rows of setae (Fig. 8E-G, I View Figure 8 ). Paraterga serrated, with 5-7 teeth (Figs 7D View Figure 7 , 8E-G, I View Figure 8 ). Pore formula normal: 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15-18. Poriferous metazonae with an enlarged postero-lateral cone bearing an ozopore and three medium-sized setae (Fig. 8H View Figure 8 ). Epiproct blunt, directed slightly ventrad (Figs 7C View Figure 7 , 8F, I View Figure 8 ). Paraprocts semi-spherical, each with two long setae originating from small tubercules and ≈ 10 shorter setae without tubercules (Fig. 8I View Figure 8 ). Hypoproct trapeziform with 2 long distal setae and numerous shorter setae throughout (Fig. 7C View Figure 7 ). Sterna unmodified, poorly setose. Pleurosternal carinae absent, only a few small teeth sometimes present on rings 2 and 3 (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ). Gonopod aperture large, subsemi-circular.

Walking legs: Legs 1-3 in males with swollen femur; coxa 2 with a short mesal apophysis (cf. Strasser 1966a: 341, fig. 13). No other peculiarities.

Gonopods (Figs 9 View Figure 9 , 17M, N View Figure 17 ): Coxa (cx) large, semi-circular in ventral and lateral views, with differentiated gonocoel mesally; lateral part swollen, alveolate, with three long setae near mesal ridge. Cannula (ca) long, C-shaped. Telopodite relatively long compared to coxa, consisting of a transverse, setose prefemorite (pf) and a somewhat C-shaped (in lateral and mesal views) acropodite (a) longitudinally divided in the distal half into two branches, solenomeral branch (sb) and solenophore (sph). Solenomeral branch positioned mesally, with a narrow “neck”, then abruptly expands and transversely divides into two processes, solenomere (s) and distal solenomeral process (dsp). Extended part of solenomeral branch with spiculiform outgrowths. Solenomere (s) very long, slender, subdistally with a small bifurcation. Distal solenomeral process (dsp) extends in the same direction as solenomere and is half as long as solenomere; bifurcated=with small additional mesal tooth (t). Solenophore (sph) longer and more robust than solenomeral branch, characterized by a robust, lateral, ear-shaped lamella (ll) and a distal projection (dp). Lateral lamella (ll) begins at bifurcation of solenomeral branch and solenophore, surrounding laterally solenophore up to beginning of distal ending; lateral margins of lamella denticulated. Distal projection (dp) with strongly developed, basal lamellar lobe (bl), with mesal thickening (mt) and with relativelly short and acuminate process (ap). Seminal groove (sg) starts from seminal fossa (sf) mesally on prefemorite, extends along mesal side of acropodite up to bifurcation of solenomeral branch and solenophore, then passes on lateral side of solenomeral branch, further on solenomere, ending distally.

Habitat.

Saeva dupka Cave is a show cave which is now heavily impacted by electrification and continuous touristic flow. The cave has naturally formed 400 meters of corridors and halls. The samples from the cave were taken in 1997, under stones in clay, when the cave was temporarily closed for visitors due to the change of its governance during the democratic changes in Bulgaria. After more than 20 years of active exploration of the cave, new material needs to be collected to assess whether the species was influenced by the human activities. Saeva dupka Cave is inhabited by numerous and diverse invertebrate taxa, but the only troglobiont currently on record is the local endemic Bulgariella tranteevi Z. Karaman, 1958 ( Coleoptera , Leiodidae ) ( Beron 2015).

Distribution.

So far known only from two caves in Lovech District (Fig. 18 View Figure 18 ).

Remarks.

Based on material from Saeva dupka Cave, Stoev (2004) already noticed that there were certain differences in the structure of gonopods of that sample and Bacillidesmus dentatus , and he did not exclude the possibility that it belonged to a new taxon. However, he still treated this as Bacillidesmus bulgaricus dentatus . After reviewing the material that was available to him, as well as based on the newly studied material, we describe it above as a new species.