Desmoxytes spinissima, 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 : 6-9

Desmoxytes spinissima sp. n. Figs 34

Holotype.

♂(IZAS), China, Guangxi Prov., Fuchuan County, Guanyuan, Cave Guanyuan Dong, 25.I.2012, leg. Li Youbang, Li Youting and Tang Kewen (CHIgx12-LYB04).

Paratype.

1 ♀ (GNUG), same locality, together with holotype.

Name.

To emphasize the extremely long and spiniform paraterga.

Diagnosis.

Differs in the paraterga being long and spiniform throughout, combined with a strongly condensed solenophore and both ♂ femora 6 and 7 being humped. See also Key below.

Description.

Length ca 27 (♂) or 36 mm (♀); width of pro- and metaterga together with paraterga 1.6 and 4.0 (♂) or 2.0 and 4.0 mm (♀), respectively.

Body strongly moniliform (Fig. 3A, B). Coloration of alcohol material rather uniformly light pink-brownish to nearly pallid, anterior body part a little darker, pinkish (Fig. 3). Antennomere 7 dark brown. In width, head << collum = segment 2 = 3 <4 <5 = 16; thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson. Head densely setose throughout, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae very long and slender, reaching back to segment 8 (♂) or 6 (♀) dorsally, antennomeres 5 and 6 each with an apicodorsal compact group of bacilliform sensilla.

Tegument rather smooth and poorly shining, prozona very delicately microalveolate, metaterga finely shagreened to microgranulate/microspiculate, surface below paraterga finely shagreened. Collum with 3+3 evident setigerous spines in a row at front margin (growing increasingly long laterad), behind it with 1+1 and 2+2 similar spinules in two transverse rows. Following metaterga with a pattern of similar 1+1 and 2+2 spinules in two transverse rows. Collum and all following metaterga with extremely long, straight, spiniform paraterga (Fig. 3A, B) directed more dorsally than laterally and ending up clearly above dorsum on collum and in segments 2-18; only paraterga 19 subhorizontal, about level with dorsum, directed clearly caudad and reaching behind until about midlength along telson. Paraterga ca 1.2-1.3 (♂) or 0.9 times (♀) as long as midbody height. Paraterga 1-18 with 2-3 evident indentations/spinules frontally (these growing increasingly inconspicuous towards telson) and a short, but evident tooth posteriorly at base. Stricture between pro- and metazona rather narrow and shallow, always smooth at bottom (Fig. 3B). Pore formula normal; ozopores inconspicuous, located just behind last indentation on ventral side of poriferous paraterga. Transverse sulcus missing. Pleurosternal carinae evident only in segments 2 and 3. Epiproct (Fig. 3C, D) rather simple, subapical and, especially, pre-apical papillae very distinct, finger-shaped. Hypoproct (Fig. 3D) subtrapeziform, caudal margin emarginate, setigerous cones at caudal edge small, but evident, 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. 4A). Legs (Fig. 3 A–C) extremely long and slender,> 4.0 (♂) or 3.2 (♀) times longer than midbody height. ♂femora 6 and 7 strongly inflated ventrally in distal quarter (Fig. 3E)

Gonopods (Fig. 4B, C) simple. Coxite rather short, subcylindrical, poorly setose distodorsally, about 1/3 as long as telopodite. Prefemoral portion (= densely setose) about half as long as acropodite. Femorite (fe) slender, elongate, only slightly enlarged distad, with seminal groove running entirely on mesal face, also with a distinct sulcus demarcating a short, strongly condensed solenophore (sph). The latter distinguished by a smaller, somewhat folded lamina medialis (lm) and a simpler and larger lamina lateralis (ll). Solenomere (sl) similarly short, flagelliform, rather faintly separated at base from solenophore.