Eutrichodesmus simplex, Liu, Weixin & Tian, Mingyi, 2013

Liu, Weixin & Tian, Mingyi, 2013, Four new cavernicolous species of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910 from southern China (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Haplodesmidae), Zootaxa 3734 (2), pp. 281-291 : 284-285

Eutrichodesmus simplex sp. n.

Figs 3–5

Material: Holotype male (SCAU), China, Jiangxi Prov., Fenyi County, Taoyuan Dong, 0 1.10.2012. leg. Tian Mingyi (CHIjx12-LWX01). Paratypes: 2 males, 1 female (IZAS), 2 males, 1 female (ZMUM), 7 males, 3 females, 6 juv. (SCAU), same locality, together with holotype.

Name: To emphasize the rather simple gonopod acropodite.

Diagnosis: Differs from congeners by the metaterga behind the collum supporting three transverse isostictic rows of large, rounded, setigerous tubercles, and the gonopod telopodite carrying a conspicuous, microtuberculate, distofemoral process (dp) at about midway and a rather simple acropodite.

Description: All characters as in E. digitatus sp. n., except as follows.

Length of adults of both sexes ca 8.0- 9.5 mm, width 1.8-2.5 mm. Holotype ca 9.0 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Coloration uniformly pallid or light yellowish ( Figs 3 , 4 A).

Antennae rather long and slender. Collum semi-circular, evidently flattened mid-dorsally, entire surface microvillose, with five irregular transverse rows of round tubercles ( Fig. 3 C). Metaterga behind collum with three transverse isostictic rows of large, rounded, setigerous tubercles ( Figs 3 A-B, D), two frontal rows being highest and best expressed in ♀. Paraterga 2 strongly enlarged, subvertical, with a series of lobulations anterolaterally; paraterga 3 and 4 slightly shorter than others, each with three lobulations anterolaterally, overlap of following paraterga typical ( Fig. 3 B). Paraterga 8 and following paraterga quadrilobulate ( Fig. 3 D, E). Pleurosternal ridges present in segments 2 and 3 (♂, ♀).

Sterna between ♂ coxae 6-7 and 9 much wider. Legs long and slender, barely reaching tips of paraterga; femora and tarsi longest, subequal in length; some setae with microdenticulations ( Fig. 3 E).

Gonopods ( Figs 4 B-D, 5A-B) very simple. Coxae subquadrate, large, microtuberculate and abundantly setose ventrolaterally. Telopodite longer than coxite, slender throughout, setose in its basal half, with a conspicuous, microtuberculate, distofemoral process (dp) at about midway. Acropodite erect, rather simple, devoid of a hairpad; seminal groove terminating subapically.

Remarks: This is a typical “doratodesmid”, possibly a troglobite.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Eutrichodesmus simplex sp. n., male paratype. A. body, dorsal view. B-C. anterior body part, lateral and ventral views, respectively. D-E. midbody segments, lateral and ventral views, respectively. F-G. posterior body part, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURE 4. Eutrichodesmus simplex sp. n., male paratype. A. body, lateral view. B. both gonopods in situ, ventral view. C-D. gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURE 5. Eutrichodesmus simplex sp. n., male paratype. A-B. right gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.