Minutissimiulus biramus Shelley, 2016

Shelley, Rowland M. & Smith, Jamie M., 2016, Parajulid milliped studies XI: Initial assessment of the tribe Gosiulini (Diplopoda: Julida), Insecta Mundi 2016 (509), pp. 1-17 : 11

Minutissimiulus biramus Shelley , new species

Fig. 20–21 .

Type specimens. 3 M and 6 F syntypes ( VMNH) collected by G. E. Ball and D. R. Whitehead, 18 October 1965, 19.2 km (12.0 mi) N Linares, 1,200’, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Diagnosis. With the characters of the genus.

Descriptive notes. Male syntype 15.1 mm long, maximal width 1.1 mm, 46 rings including epiproct; female syntype 13.7 mm long,, maximal width 1.1 mm, 45 rings. Anterior gonopod ( Fig. 20 ) coxal lobe minute, telopodite and lateral syncoxal process subupright, former 2/3 as long as latter; latter apically uncinate. Posterior gonopod with two ventrally directed projections; prefemoral process absent; process “C” short, closely appressed to solenomere, expanding into ovoid bulge at midlength, narrowing abruptly thereafter with tip overlapping solenomere; latter curvilinear, bending abruptly subapically, tip short, overhanging process “C”.

Variation. The midlength swelling of process “C” varies, and the projection’s length ranges from 1/2 to 2/3 of that of the solenomere; its tip may slightly overlap the latter or extend beyond its outer margin. The solenomere stem is slightly bisinuate in males from west of Linares.

Ecology. Unknown. Habitat notes are not provided with any sample.

Distribution ( Fig. 13 ). Same as that of the genus, the entire known range in Mexico. In addition to the types, the following specimens were examined:

Mexico, Nuevo León, 32.0 km (20.0 mi) W Linares , 3M, F, 2 juvs., September 1956, S. and D. Mulaik ( AMNH) ; E of Cadereyta Jiménez , M, 4F, 3 January 1950, S. Mulaik ( NMNH) ; 17.6 km (11.0 mi) S Monterrey, M, F, juv., 5 January 1950, S. Mulaik, R. V. Chamberlin ( NMNH) ; 3.2 km (2.0 mi) S Bustamente, M, 31 December 1963, W. Russell ( FSCA) ; 8.0, 6.4, and 4.8 km (5.0, 4.0, and 3.0 mi) W Bustamente, MM, FF, 9 September 1946, 26 September and 30 December 1964, W. S. Ross, D. McKenzie. J. R. Reddell ( FSCA) ; 2.1 km (1.3 mi) E Iturbide, 4,800’, M, F, 18 October 1965, G. E. Ball, D. R. Whitehead ( VMNH) ; along route 85, 52.6 km (32.9 mi) N Montemoralos, 1,700’, 26 October 1965, G. E. Ball, D. R. Whitehead ( VMNH) ; and Lampazos de Naranjo, 10.0 km (6.0 mi) E Rancho Cerro Colorado , M, 24 January 1998, P. Sprouse ( FSCA) .

Remarks. Minutissimiulus biramus is the first “mainland” Mexican parajulid belonging to a predominantly US tribe. Its adults are the shortest/smallest mature parajulids we have seen.

Acknowledgments

We thank the following curators and collection managers for loaning or providing access to material from the indicated repositories: L. Prendini (AMNH), G. B. Edwards (FSCA), B. Brown (LACM), J. Coddington and D. DeRoche (NMNH), M. Kageyama (UCM), J. R. Reddell (UTIC), K. Ivanov (VMNH), and W. D. Sissom (WTAM). J. R. Reddell provided general locations for Texas caves. We are particularly grateful to C. T. McAllister and the late C. S. Crawford for recent samples of both species of Gosiulus and to K. Ivanov, E. C. Bernard, and P. E. Skelley for providing work space and laboratory facilities at the VMNH, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, and FSCA, respectively. RMS’ travel to the FSCA was supported in part by a grant from the Center for Systematic Entomology. S. I. Golovatch and M. F. Medrano conducted presubmission reviews, and the latter deduced locations for “Los Valles” and “ Santa Fe Station.”

Figures

Figure 13. Distributions of species of Gosiulini. Black, G. conformatus. Red, G. timpius. Green, M. biramus.

Figures 14–21. Gosiulini gonopods. 14) Right anterior gonopod of the neotype of Gosiulus timpius (holotype of Z. navajo), anterior view. 15) The same, lateral view. 16) Right anterior gonopod of male of G. timpius from Culberson Co., Texas, anterior view. 17) Left posterior gonopod of neotype, lateral view. 18) The same, anterior view. 19) The same, medial view. 20) Right anterior gonopod of the holotype of Minutissimiulus biramus, anterior view. 21) Left posterior gonopod of the same, lateral view. cl, coxal lobe; other abbreviations as in Fig. 2–5, 6–12.