Desmoxytes eupterygota, Golovatch, Sergei I., Li, Youbang, Liu, Weixin & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2012

Golovatch, Sergei I., Li, Youbang, Liu, Weixin & Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, 2012, Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 185, pp. 1-17 : 4-6

Desmoxytes eupterygota sp. n. Figs 12

Holotype.

♂(IZAS), China, Hunan Prov., Chenzhou City, Linwu County, Tianhe, Cave 1, 500 m a.s.l., 19.VI.2009, leg. Tian Mingyi & Xue Zhihong (CHIhn09-LWX02).

Paratypes.

1♂(SCAU), 1 ♀ (ZMUM), same locality, together with holotype. 1 ♂ (MNHN JA 130), 1 ♂juv., 1 ♀ juv., 1 fragment (SCAU), 1 ♀ juv. (GNUG), same county, Changshali, Cave 1, 500 m a.s.l., 19.VI.2009, leg. Tian Mingyi & Xue Zhihong (CHIhn09-LWX03).

Name.

To emphasize the paraterga being true wings.

Diagnosis.

Differs in the paraterga being mostly wing-shaped, rather long and strongly curved, combined with a short gonopod femorite and a condensed solenophore, as well as ♂legs totally devoid of femoral humps. See also Key below.

Description.

Length ca 25-29 (♂) or 32 mm (♀), juveniles (♀ with 18 segments) up to 26 mm; width of proterga and metaterga+paraterga 1.8 and 2.0-2.3 (♂), or 2.3 and 2.8 mm (♀), respectively. Holotype 27 mm long, 1.8 and 2.3 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazona, respectively. Juveniles (♀ with 18 segments) up to 1.9 and 2.8 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazona, respectively.

Body moniliform (Fig. 1D). Coloration of alcohol material (♂, ♀ and advanced juvenile instars) rather uniformly light grey-brownish to yellowish, anterior body part often a little darker brownish (Fig. 1 A–C). In width, head << collum = segment 2 = 3 <4 = 16; thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson. Front part of head densely setose, vertex bare, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae very long and slender, reaching back to segment 5 or 6 (♂) (Fig. 1 A–C), or 4 (♀) dorsally, antennomeres 5 and 6 each with an apicodorsal compact group of bacilliform sensilla.

Tegument rather smooth and shining, both pro- and metazona very delicately microalveolate, metaterga finely shagreened and rugulose transversely, surface below paraterga finely shagreened. Collum with 3+3 small, but rather evident teeth in a row at front margin, behind it with 2+2 and 2+2 extremely small denticles, knobs or insertion points (setae invariably obliterated) in two transverse, often barely visible rows. Metatergum 2 with a pattern of similar, barely visible 2+2 and 2+2 knobs or insertion points in two transverse rows. Starting from metatergum 3, setation pattern entirely or nearly untraceable. Collum and all following metaterga with large, mostly subfalcate, wing-shaped, high paraterga (Fig. 1 A–D) directed dorsolaterally and ending up clearly above dorsum on collum, as well as segments 2-7 and 17 & 18, remaining paraterga subhorizontal and about level with dorsum in ♂, but slightly lower and shorter in ♀ and juveniles. Paraterga with two indentations at front margin, starting from collum these becoming less distinct and nearly fully disappearing in segments 15 to 18. Paraterga 17-19 directed caudad, subspiniform (Fig. 1E). Stricture between pro- and metazona narrow only in a few anteriormost segments, thereafter much wider and only vaguely delimited, always smooth at bottom (Fig. 1D). Pore formula normal; ozopores inconspicuous, located about midway on ventral side of poriferous paraterga. Transverse sulcus evident on metaterga 3-18 (Fig. 1D). Pleurosternal carinae poorly developed in segments 2 and 3, absent from others (Fig. 1C). Epiproct (Fig. 1E) rather simple, dorsal subapical and, especially, lateral pre-apical papillae very distinct, tuberculiform. Hypoproct (Fig. 1E) subtrapeziform, caudal margin very slightly concave, setigerous cones at caudal edge very small, widely separated. Axial line missing.

Sterna quite densely setose, cross-impressions faint. A paramedian pair of entirely separated, short, rounded, setose tubercles between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 2A). Legs (Fig. 1A, B, F) very long and slender, devoid of modifications, ca 3.2-3.5 (♂) or 2.5 (♀) times longer than midbody height.

Gonopods (Fig. 2B, C) short. Coxite rather short, subcylindrical, poorly setose distodorsally, about half as long as telopodite. Prefemoral (= densely setose) portion less than half as long as acropodite. Femorite (fe) quite stout, slightly enlarged distad, with seminal groove running entirely on mesal face, apically with a distinct sulcus demarcating a short, strongly condensed solenophore (sph). The latter distinguished by a parabasally spinigerous (s) and terminally poorly trifid lamina medialis (lm) and a simpler and somewhat larger lamina lateralis (ll). Solenomere (sl) similarly short, flagelliform, well separated at base from solenophore.