Antichiropus picus Car, 2019

Car, Catherine A., Harvey, Mark S., Hillyer, Mia J. & Huey, Joel A., 2019, The millipede genus Antichiropus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), part 3: species of the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia, Zootaxa 4617 (1), pp. 1-71 : 48-49

Antichiropus picus Car , n. sp.

( Figs 28 A–F, 33)

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:93F196BF-ED3F-4A6E-89F4-F97CBCE30E22

Type material examined. Australia: Western Australia: holotype male (posterior segments missing, bleached), Millstream-Chichester National Park, Pilbara Biological Survey site PL03, 21°23’03”S, 117°03’38”E, 23 Novem- ber 2003 - 7 May 2004, ethylene glycol pitfall trap, CALM staff ( Pilbara Biological Survey ) ( WAM T144613 ) . Paratype: 1 male, collected with holotype (WAM T76148) .

Other material examined. Australia: Western Australia: 1 female (damaged), Millstream-Chichester National Park, Pilbara Biological Survey site PW2, 21°19’41”S, 117°14’35”E, 23 November 2003 – 8 May 2004, ethylene glycol pitfall trap, CALM staff ( Pilbara Biological Survey ( WAM T76149) ; 1 male (badly damaged), Millstream- Chichester National Park, Pilbara Biological Survey site PW12 , 21°20’29”S, 117°11’19”E, 23 November 2003 – 8 May 2004, ethylene glycol pitfall trap, CALM staff ( Pilbara Biological Survey ) ( WAM T76153) .

Diagnosis. Gonopod: Antichiropus picus Car , n. sp. is easily recognisable by its distinctive main femoral process that has two opposing points.

Description. Male holotype: Body ca. 20 mm long midbody ring ca. 1.5 mm wide, with shallow, smooth waist, prozonite and metazonite of similar widths.

Colour bleached, possibly chestnut brown ( Fig 28A ); legs relatively long, leg colour lighter than body. No paranota ( Fig 28B ).

Sternites without obvious processes/tubercles, sternal lamella broad, square. Leg coxal processes absent. Anterior spiracles at midbody small, ovoid, flat.

Head smooth, with no sculpturing; frons smooth, sparsely setose; face moderately narrow, maximum width ca. 3x the distance between antennal sockets; sockets separated by ca. 2x width of socket.

Antennae slender, long, reaching to ring 3, barely clavate.

Collum ca. 0.6x of head length (in lateral view) ( Fig 28A ).

Gonopod short, reaching ring 6; coxa (C) more robust but 1/2 femorite length, with very slight ridge on anterior surface; prefemur (PF) ovoid, lightly setose with slight lip, ca. 1/3 femorite length; femorite (F) 3/4 length of acropodite, upright, slender at base, broadest mid-length narrowing slightly at apex; main femoral process (MFP) distinctive anvil-shaped, 2 points; second femoral process (fp1) absent; prolongation of femorite (prof) short, triangular; solenomere (S) relatively short, forming a C-shape, robust, broad at base, broadest at position of sp1, then narrowing abruptly, transparent flange in apical 1/3; solenomere tip flattened, asymmetrical; solenomere process (sp1) relatively robust, two-pronged process, close to solenomere tip ( Figs 28 C–F).

Female: Similar to male in length but slightly stouter with shorter, more slender legs (WAM T76149).

Distribution. This species has been found from several sites within the Millstream-Chichester National Park, Pilbara ( Fig 33 ).

Etymology. The species’ name refers to the shape of the main femoral process on the gonopod: when viewed anteriorly, it resembles the head of a woodpecker (Latin, noun, picus , woodpecker).

Figures

FIGURE 28. Antichiropus picus Car, n. sp., holotype male (WAM T144613): A–B, habitus: A, lateral view; B, dorsal view; C–F, left gonopod: C, posterior view; D, anterior view; E, medial view; F, lateral view. Abbreviations: C, coxa; F, femorite; MFP, main femoral process; PF, prefemur; prof, prolongation of femorite; S, solenomere; sp1, solenomere process 1. Scale bars: A = 2 mm; B = 1 mm; C–F = 0.5 m.

FIGURE 33. Map showing the known distributions of A. nimbus Car, n. sp., A. pendiculus Car, n. sp., A. picus Car, n. sp., A. procerus Car, n. sp., A. quaestionis Car, n. sp., A. rupinus Car, n. sp. and A. salutus Car, n. sp..