Syndesmogenus estelleae, Enghoff, 2022

Enghoff, Henrik, 2022, Mountains of millipedes. The family Odontopygidae in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida), European Journal of Taxonomy 803, pp. 1-136 : 91-95

Syndesmogenus estelleae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C3B90F9A-A6C6-46EF-9F38-396451EE0EDC

Figs 56–57

Diagnosis

Differs from other species of Syndesmogenus by the unique, ‘tilted triangular’ shape of the cucullus.

Etymology

After Estelle Bourdon, French palaeontologist, last resident of ‘Hotel Dolichoiulus’.

Material examined (total 1♂)

Holotype TANZANIA • ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, 18 km SSE of Mwanga, 4.5 km SE of Lembeni, North Pare Mts, Kiverenge Forest ; 3º48.692′ S 37º38.873′ E; 1576 m a.s.l.; 7 Nov.; 2010; V.I. Gusarov leg.; sifting forest litter; small trees; NHMO.

Description (male)

SIZE. Length 30 mm, diameter 1.5 mm, 69 podous rings, no apodous rings in front of telson.

COLOUR. After 9 years in 100% alcohol in a freezer head, antennae, and pregonopodal rings medium to dark brown; postgonopodal rings below ozopores, and legs, light yellowish; rings above ozopores medium brown with a broad, ill-defined median lighter band. Telson ventrally light yellowish, dorsally mottled.

SUPRALABRAL SETAE. 5.

MANDIBULAR STIPES. Distal margin shallowly bilobed.

ANAL VALVES. No traces of dorsal or ventral denticles or ‘corners’; margin slightly raised, apparently no marginal setae.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 56F ). Margin with well-separated, smooth, pointed-triangular lobes.

LEGS. Well-developed ventral pads on postfemur and tibia from leg-pair four; shortly behind gonopods, pads decreasing in size and eventually disappearing.

FIRST PAIR OF LEGS ( Fig. 56G–I ). Prefemoral lobes relatively slender, rounded-triangular in ventral view. A single coxosternal seta (CXS) close to lateral margin of coxosternum, well separated from prefemoral lobes. Prefemora with a single mesapical seta (APS) and a few lateral setae (LPS).

STERNUM 9 (Not illustrated). Similar to that of S. voiensis (see Fig. 58H ).

GONOPOD COXA ( Fig. 56A–E ). Slender, straight, posteriolaterally ca at mid-height with a small thumblike process (th), anterolaterally with a tiny subtriangular process (tr) at ca same level; cucullus (CU) with a large, blunt-triangular process (mcp). Proplica (PP) simple, proplical lobe hidden behind fold of metaplica. Metaplica (MP) with a poorly delimited mesad flange (MF) basally, distally folded back on anterior side and covering distal part of proplica, but not forming a spinelike process.

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 57 ). Arculus 90°. Torsotope (TT) relatively extended, a long post-torsal spine (PTS) making a full turn around post-torsal narrowing, post-torsal narrowing hence not visible. Solenomere (SLM) separating from telomere immediately after post-torsal narrowing, very long, much longer than telomere, slender, simple; a long, very thin spine (BSS1) branching off from base of solenomere, a shorter but stouter spine (BSS2) branches off SLM a little after. A tiny spinelike side branch (slb) in the distal part of SLM, but still quite far from solenomere tip ( Fig. 57H ). Telomere (TM) much longer than broad, extremely complicated, overall apparently consisting of a broad, twisted lamella with various folds and secondary lamellae, including a possible homologue of process “d” in S. voiensis .

Distribution and habitat

Known only from the type locality in the North Pare Mts.

Remarks

In the key to Syndesmogenus species by Kraus, the new species doesn’t really fit in. The profile of the distal part of the gonopod coxa (cucullus) to some extent resembles that of S. kivuensis Kraus, 1960, but in the latter species the mesal cucullar process is subrectangular (vs triangular in S. estelleae sp. nov.), and the limbus has no denticles or lobes (vs small denticles in S. estelleae sp. nov.)

Figures

Fig. 56. Syndesmogenus estelleae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMO). A–E. Right gonopod coxa and basomere. A. Mesal view. B. Anterior view. C. Lateral view. D. Posterior view. E. Oblique lateroposterior view. F. Midbody dorsal limbus. G–I. First pair of legs (only coxosternum and prefemora). G. Sublateral view. H. Ventral view. I. Anterior view. Abbreviations: APS=mesapical prefemoral seta; CXS = coxosternal seta; CU =cucullus; LPS =lateral prefemoral setae; mcp =mesal cucullar process; MF= metaplical flange; MP=metaplica; PP =proplica; PTS =port-torsal spine; th = thumblike process; tr =triangular process. Scale bars: A–D, H–I= 0.1 mm; E= 0.02 mm; F = 0.01 mm; G =0.05 mm.

Fig. 57. Syndesmogenus estelleae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMO), right gonopod telopodite, broken through torsotope and missing basal part; distal part of solenomere also broken off. A. Anterior view. B. Posterior view. C. Ventral view. D. Dorsal view. E. Transverse ‘section’ (break) through basal part of torsotope. F. Sublateral view. G–H. Distal part of solenomere. Abbreviations: BSS1, BSS2 =basal solenomeral spines; “ d”= structure “d” sensu Ribaut (1907); SLM= solenomere; TM = telomere. Scale bars: A–D=0.1 mm; E, H =0.02 mm; F–G=0.05 mm.

Fig. 58. Syndesmogenus voiensis (Ribaut, 1907). A–G. Specimen from E Usambara Mts (NHMD 621763). A. Right gonopod, anterior view. B. Right gonopod, posterior view. C. Midbody dorsal limbus, notice interscutal structures. D. Interscutal structures (fungi?) with spherical bodies to the left in the picture and?sockets after such structures to the right. E–G. First pair of legs. E. Ventral view. F. Sublateral view. G. Anterior view. H. Specimen from Mt. Kilimanjaro (NHMD 621764), sternum 9. Abbreviations: APS= mesapical prefemoral setae;BSS1, BSS2= basal solenomeral spines;CU = cucullus; CXS = coxosternal setae; LPS =lateral prefemoral setae; mcp =mesal cucullar process; MP=metaplica; msp = metaplical spinelike process; PP =proplica; PTS =post-torsal spine; SLM = solenomere. Scale bars: A–B, E–F =0.1 mm; C=0.01 mm; D =0.001 mm; G–H=0.05 mm.