Eutrichodesmus latellai Golovatch, Geoffroy, Mauries & VandenSpiegel

Golovatch, Sergei I., Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques, Mauries, Jean-Paul & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2015, Review of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910, in China, with descriptions of new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae), ZooKeys 505, pp. 1-34 : 12

Taxon classification Animalia Polydesmida Haplodesmidae

Eutrichodesmus latellai Golovatch, Geoffroy, Mauries & VandenSpiegel sp. n. Figs 12, 13

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (MNHN JC 371), China, Guizhou Prov., Zhen Feng County, Bei Pan Jiang Town, Cave Shui Chi Dong (Water Pool Cave), ca. 1060 m a.s.l., 31.VII.2005, leg. L. Latella & D. Avesani.

Paratypes: 1 ♂, 2 ♀ (MNHN JC 371), 1 ♀ (SEM), same data, together with holotype.

Name.

In honour of Leonardo Latella, one of the main collectors.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners by the broad and moderately declivous paraterga which are set at about 45° to the vertical axis and almost continue the outline of the sides above paraterga, coupled with three irregular rows of flat setigerous bosses per metatergum, and the especially simple gonopod (see also Key below).

Description.

Length of adults ca 12-13 mm, width 1.1-1.2 and 2.8-3.0 mm on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively (♂, ♀). Holotype ca 12 mm long, 1.2 and 3.0 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively. Coloration entirely pallid, except some traces of reddish earth material on terga.

All characters as in Eutrichodesmus triangularis sp. n., except as follows.

Body with 20 segments (♂, ♀), conglobation pattern typical of “doratodesmoids”, volvation apparently being incomplete because of particularly broad and only moderately declivous paraterga. Antennae rather long and poorly clavate (Fig. 12H). Collum not covering the head from above, fore margin clearly lobulate and slightly elevated, with abundant flat bosses arranged in regular rows only at anterior and posterior margins. Metaterga behind collum with three transverse, rather irregular, mixostictic rows of similarly flat, often obliterate and longitudinally oblong, setigerous bosses extending onto paraterga, usually about 15-16+15-16 per row (Fig. 12 A–F); mid-dorsal regions of metaterga not elevated; caudomarginal lobulations numerous, usually evident across the dorsum (Fig. 12 A–F, H, I); limbus microcrenulate (Fig. 12L). Paraterga with evident shoulders anteriorly, very broad, moderately declivous, directed ventrolaterad at about 45° to similarly declined sides above paraterga (Fig. 12 A–G), tips lying clearly below level of venter, usually rather distinctly tri- to quadrilobate laterally, gradually increasing in number towards paraterga 19; anterolaterals usually wanting, but very evident on segment 2 (Fig. 12A, D). Paraterga 2 strongly enlarged, directed ventrad (Fig. 12A, D, H), lateral margin broadly rounded, with few, but very evident lobulations; a full row of caudolaterals located above schism, both schism and hyposchism being small (Fig. 12A). Tergal setae short, 2-segmented, apical part setoid (Fig. 12K). Pore formula normal, ozopores indistinct, located on top of small knobs at about middle of paratergite and well removed from lateral margin (Fig. 12 A–C). Epiproct strongly flattened dorsoventrally (Fig. 12C, F, J). Hypoproct subtrapeziform (Fig. 12J).

Sterna usually with a rather deep, narrow depression between coxae (Fig. 12I, J). Legs long and slender, about as long as body height (Fig. 12 G–J), only coxae and most surface of of prefemora finely micropapillate (Figs 12N, 13A).

Gonopods (Fig. 13B) simple. Coxae subquadrate, large, micropapillate and densely setose on lateral face, with only a small round lobule caudolaterally. Telopodite considerably longer than coxite, moderately curved ventrad, setose over its basal 1/3 until base of a prominent, subspiniform, microtuberculate, distofemoral process (dp), the latter situated at about basal 1/3 of telopodite, acropodite twisted, devoid of any outgrowths; tip acuminate and beak-shaped; seminal groove terminating subapically; a hairpad wanting.

Remark.

More information on this cave and its fauna can be found in Latella and Hu (2008) and in Latella and Zorzin (2008).