Granitobolus endemicus Wesener, 2009

Wesener, Thomas, Enghoff, Henrik & Sierwald, Petra, 2009, Review of the Spirobolida on Madagascar, with descriptions of twelve new genera, including three genera of ' fire millipedes' (Diplopoda), ZooKeys 19 (19), pp. 1-128 : 70-71

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.3897/zookeys.19.221

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C473F9F6-1AE7-4B3F-B17F-CA1C2709010C

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3791431

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7EFB7119-B5B1-4D30-BE97-F9F709EDD92B

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:7EFB7119-B5B1-4D30-BE97-F9F709EDD92B

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Granitobolus endemicus Wesener
status

sp. nov.

Granitobolus endemicus Wesener View in CoL , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7EFB7119-B5B1-4D30-BE97-F9F709EDD92B

Material examined: 1 ♂, 6 ♀, 14 imm. Holotype: 1 ♂ (35 mm long), FMMC W010 A, Madagascar, Province Toliara, Ambatotsirongorongo Mountain, Forêt Petit Lavasoa , rainforest, 25°05.021’ S, 46°46.110’ E, leg. Wesener et al., 21.V.2007 GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 3 ♀, 6 imm., FMMC W010 A, same data as holotype GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, ZMH W010 View Materials A, same data as holotype GoogleMaps .

Other material examined: 2 ♀, 7 imm., W010A, same data as type material, but stored as vouchers at University Antananarivo ; 1 imm., FMMC W099 , Ambatotsirongorongo Mountain , Forêt Grand Lavasoa, 25°5’10.23” S, 46°44’55.93” E, rainforest, leg. Wesener et Schütte, 14.VI.2007 GoogleMaps .

Differential diagnosis: see key for a separation between G. endemicus and G. andohahelensis sp. n.

Description. Measurements: male with 37 rings, circa 35 mm long (broken), 3.5 mm wide. Females with 37 or 38 rings, 42–48 mm long, 3.8–4.9 mm wide.

Coloration affected by alcohol. Anterior part of head and appendages red ( Figs 37D, G View Figure 37 ). Mesozona and anterior part of metazona dark grey, posterior part of metazona light brown to dark orange ( Figs 37 View Figure 37 A–C). Antennae very short, in males protruding back to body ring 3 ( Fig. 37D View Figure 37 ), in females to ring 2. Preanal process well-rounded, longer than anal valves ( Fig. 37F View Figure 37 ).

Anterior gonopod sternite elongated into a short, wide and well-rounded lobe ( Fig. 37L View Figure 37 ). Mesal margin of coxite at midpoint with a projection towards sternite ( Fig. 37N View Figure 37 ). Telopodite on posterior side apically with a short, rounded process ( Fig. 37N View Figure 37 ). Telopodite process not reaching mesal margin, laterally curved, slightly longer than coxite ( Fig. 37N View Figure 37 ).

Posterior gonopods: telopodite apex erect, covered by a sclerite ( Fig. 37M View Figure 37 ). A small membranous area present between apex and beak ( Fig. 37O View Figure 37 ).

Intraspecific variation: too few specimens, especially mature males, are known to evaluate the intraspecific variation. However, obviously mature females collected at the same spot range from 35 to 48 mm of length, most likely representing different stadia, or even generations.

Distribution and ecology: this species is currently known only from, and probably microendemic to, the isolated rainforests of the Ambatotsirongorongo Mountain in Southeast Madagascar ( Fig. 30 View Figure 30 ), covering altogether less than 10 km ². The Mountain is now isolated from all other natural forests. The forest cover of the Ambatotsirongorongo Mountains decreased considerably in the last 50 years ( Ramanamanjato et al. 2002) and covers now only a few hundred hectares ( Moat and Smith 2007). The nearest remaining forest is the worldwide unique, and also endangered, transitional littoral forest of Petriky, 5 kilometers north of Ambatotsirongorongo.

Etymology: endemicus , adjective, refers to the small area of distribution ( Fig. 30 View Figure 30 ).

ZMH

Zoologisches Museum Hamburg

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