Anoplodesmus spiniger, Chen, Chao-Chun & Chang, Hseuh-Wen, 2010

Chen, Chao-Chun & Chang, Hseuh-Wen, 2010, The millipede genus Anoplodesmus Pocock, 1895, recorded in Taiwan for the first time, with descriptions of two new species (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae: Sulciferini), Zootaxa 2399, pp. 20-30 : 21-24

Anoplodesmus spiniger sp. nov.

Figs 1–16 .

Material examined: Holotype male (NMNS-6189-001), Taiwan, Pingtung County (), Kenting National Park (), 260–290 m a.s.l., 21°57'36"N, 120°48'53"E, litter, 5 October 2009, leg. E. Mikhaljova, S. Golovatch, H. W. Chang, etc. Paratypes: 18 males, 20 females, 8 juveniles (NMNS-6189- 002), 2 males, 2 females (NSYSUB), 2 males, 2 females ( ZMUM), 2 males, 2 females ( IBSS), same place and date, together with holotype. 3 males, 2 females (NSYSUB), same county, ChunRih Township (), CiiJiia village Bridge (), 22°26'51"N, 120°40'33"E, about 200 m a.s.l., 19 August 1999, leg. H. W. Chang. 5 males, 2 females (NSYSUB), same county, LaiYi Township (), NanHe village (), 22°26'40"N, 120°38'34"E, about 140 m a.s.l., 19 August 1999, leg. H. W. Chang. 1 male, 2 females, 1 juvenile (NSYSUB), same county, ShiZi Township (), DanLu (), 22°04'35"N, 120°46'51"E, 31 March 1999, leg. C. C. Huang. 1 male, 1 female (NSYSUB), same county, CheCheng Township (), BolLi forest farm (), 22°04'26"N, 120°45'28"E, 31 March 1999, leg. C. C. Huang & H. W. Chang. 1 male, 2 females (NSYSUB), same county, MaCha Township (), HaoCha road () 22°41'58"N, 120°40'54"E, 31 May 2000, leg. H. D. Zhu.

Diagnosis: Differs from congeners in the unique, short, spiniform, retrorse distofemoral process of the gonopod, coupled with the characteristic shape of a complex solenophore, as well as with roundish traces of paraterga and a deeply emarginate sternal lamina between male fourth coxae.

Description: Adult body 13–17 mm long and 1.6–1.9 mm wide (male), 17–20 mm long and 2.0– 2.2 mm wide (female). Holotype about 17 mm long and 2.1 mm wide.

General coloration of adults usually dark brown to blackish in both sexes, sometimes faded (light brownish); tips of antennae, venter, entire legs or only some of their basal segments light grey-brown to whitish; genae, distal podomeres and axial region of body segments brown.

Body subcylindrical, non-moniliform, slightly higher than wide. Postcollar constriction very faint, particularly in female; width of head = collum> segments 2=4 <5=16, thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson ( Fig. 8 ). Antennae long, slender, slightly clavate ( Fig. 9 ), surpassing (male) or reaching midway (female) of segment 4 dorsally. Paraterga vestigial, almost wanting, expressed as very faint, mostly roundish, up to oblong bulges only on pore-bearing segments, each bulge carrying a small ozopore in caudal 1/3 of metatergite ( Figs 9 – 11 ). Axial line and transverse sulci on metaterga missing. Surface generally smooth and shining, only below paratergal bulges with more or less arcuate striolations or striations ( Figs 1 , 9 – 11 ).

Mid-dorsal parts of metaterga faintly flattened. Limbus thin, caudal margin entire. Stricture between pro- and metazonites smooth, shallow, narrow, extremely finely alveolate like adjacent prozonite. Metatergal setae rather long, mostly broken off, pattern 2+2 anteriorly in a single row. Pleurosternal carinae very evident, like small flaps on segments 2 and 3, like distinct and arcuated ridges on segments 3–16, onward missing; caudal corner of nearly all (male) or several anterior (female) carinae extended into a small tooth ( Figs 9 – 11 ). Epiproct long, digitiform, flattened dorsoventrally, ratio of epiproct length to pre-epiproct length of telson 1:3; tip truncate in dorsal view; pre-apical papillae evident, close to apex ( Figs 2 , 11 & 12 ). Hypoproct ( Fig. 3 ) rounded, 1+1 setae at caudal corners situated on well-separated knobs, sides convex at base.

Sterna densely setose; cross-impressions faint; each anterior sternite with a pair of smaller, each posterior one with another pair of longer, spiniform cones, these a little better developed in male ( Figs 4 & 13 ); sternal lobe between male coxae 4 deeply emarginate and densely setose ( Fig. 5 ). Male legs with prefemora evidently incrassate dorsally and very densely setose ventrally, male tibiae and tarsi 1–12/13 with clear brushes ( Fig. 1 ), setation gradually thinning out onward. Legs very long and slender, very evidently elongated toward telson, only last two pairs slightly shortened ( Figs 9 – 11 ); midbody legs about 1.5–1.6 times (male) or 1.2–1.3 times (female) as long as body height ( Figs 1 & 10 ); male legs evidently enlarged compared to female ones.

Gonopods ( Figs 6, 7 , 14 – 16 ) very complex. Coxite elongate, subcylindrical, evidently setose distoventrally; cannula normal. Telopodite falcate; prefemoral part rather short, as usual densely setose; femorite evidently expanded near middle, about as long as solenophore, with a conspicuous, short, slightly retrorse spine (d) distolaterally, a clear-cut oblique impression on medial face, a similar longitudinal impression on lateral face; solenophore (sph) twisted distad, distinctly set off from femorite by a lateral sulcus, with both a lamina medialis and, especially, a lamina lateralis well-developed, ending up in a small tooth, sheathing much but far from all of an extremely long solenomere (sl).

Name: To emphasize the distofemoral spine on the gonopod.

Remarks: Using the latest key to the “ Paranedyopus ” species presented in Golovatch (1993), because of the extremely long solenomere, this new species, as well as the next one, would key out readily as either A. elongissimus (Golovatch 1984) , from Darjeeling District, the Himalaya of India, or A. perplexus ( Golovatch 1993) , from northern Thailand. However, both of the congeners from Taiwan differ in the highly peculiar and complex shapes of their solenophores and, between themselves, by size and coloration ( A. spiniger sp. nov. a little smaller and usually darker), and in the presence ( A. spiniger sp. nov.) or absence ( A. aspinosus sp. nov.) of a distofemoral process/spine on a slenderer or stouter gonopod, respectively.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Anoplodesmus spiniger sp. nov., male paratype from DanLu. 1, segment 10 (lateral view); 2, epiproct (dorsal view); 3, hypoproct (ventral view); 4, sternal cones (ventral view); 5, sternal lobe between coxae 4 (subventral view); 6 & 7, right gonopod (medial and lateral views, respectively). Scale bar = 0.5 mm for figures 1 – 5; 0.25 mm for figures 6 & 7.

FIGURES 8 – 13. Anoplodesmus spiniger sp. nov., paratype from Kenting National Park. 8, habitus of male and female (dorsal view); 9, anterior part of male body (lateral view); 10, middle part of male body (lateral view); 11, caudal part of male body (lateral view); 12, telson (dorsal view); 13, sternal region of male midbody segments. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 16. Anoplodesmus spiniger sp. nov., right gonopod of male paratype from NanHe village (medial, lateral and ventral views, respectively). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.