Ommatoiulus dorsovittatus (Verhoeff, 1893)

Akkari, Nesrine & Enghoff, Henrik, 2012, Review of the genus Ommatoiulus in Andalusia, Spain (Diplopoda: Julida) with description of ten new species and notes on a remarkable gonopod structure, the fovea, Zootaxa 3538, pp. 1-53 : 16-19

Ommatoiulus dorsovittatus (Verhoeff, 1893)

Figs 34–40

Julus (Hemipodoiulus) dorsovittatus Verhoeff, 1893: 157–158 , figs 24, 27

Palaioiulus dorsovittatus: Verhoeff 1894: 157 , Taf. VI, fig. 22

Schizophyllum dorsovittatum estrellanum Verhoeff, 1910: 203–204 , figs VII, 22, 22b, XXI, new syn.

Schizophyllum calatravanum Brolemann, 1920: 136–138 , figs 11–13, new syn.

Ommatoiulus calatravanum: Mauriès 1978: 585

Ommatoiulus dorsovittatus: Vicente 1985: 323

Ommatoiulus dorsovittatus estrellanus: Vicente 1985: 323

Material. Type material: Schizophyllum (Eleutheroiulus) calatravanum Brolemann, 1920 , Espagne, Pozuelo de la Calatrava, holotype ♂ ( MNHN/4539 ). Non type material: 2 ♂, Andalusia, Jaén, Linares , Ctra. JV-6035 Hacia La Fernandina , 38º07'25''N, 3º35'52''W, Coll. E. Recuero.

Diagnosis. Most similar to O. armatus , O. baileyi n. sp. and O. fuentei ( Brolemann, 1920) especially in the shape of the promerite, and the presence of a voluminous solenomerite with an anterior lobe projecting over a posterior one, separated by a setose furrow; like O. armatus and O. baileyi showing a big, apically expanded mesomerite and a reduced sinuous paracoxite emerging from a reduced coxite (more reduced than in O. baileyi n. sp. and O. armatus , although striped like the latter). Differing from these species by a bipartite apex of the mesomerite, and a more protruding anterior lobe of the solenomerite (than in O. baileyi ) bearing an accessory small process.

Description. Male: L: 32 mm, H: 3.0 mm, 46 PR+1 AR+T. Colour pattern clearly annulated with chestnutbrown and black. Prozonites blackish on the lateral sides, metazonites chestnut brown posteriorly with a golden glow, dorsum with semilunate whitish markings on prozonites, crossed by a series of triangular black spots; metazonites golden brown; legs tawny-brown; head and telson dark. Telson: anal valves with a row of short setae on the margin, a submarginal row of longer ones, and 4–5 setae on the disc; subanal scale triangular, blunt and setose; preanal ring with a protruding caudal projection with 2–2 setae and bearing an upturned hyaline process.

Gonopods: Promerite (P) ( Figs 34, 35) broad at the base, distally narrowing, lateral margin expanded in a rounded lobe (lo) incised in the distal third; mesal ridge (Mr) fusing with the mesal margin, the latter making a thin fold; rudimentary telopdite small (T), located basally, close to the mesal ridge. Posterior gonopod: mesomerite (Ms) broad, hook-shaped ( Figs 34, 37, 40), apically bifurcating into a short mesal process pointing posterodistad and a longer curved one pointing laterad; solenomerite (S), voluminous, with an anterior process (b1) projecting over a posterior process (b2) ( Figs 36, 38, 39, 40); process b1 ( Fig. 39) large, slightly shorter than mesomerite, with a median groove and covered with spikes all over the surface, apical part expanded anteroposteriorly into hammer-shaped process with the head bearing a small leaf-like horizontal process ( Fig. 39: lf) and the lower margin fringed with a large number of downturned spikes, opposite side voluminous with uneven surface; process b2 composed of two bulges (c1, c2) separated by a shallow incision and a small slender process directed upward, probably the parasolenomerite (k) ( Figs 38, 39, 40). Seminal groove (g) ( Figs 36, 39) running from the fovea (F) located in the basal part of the solenomerite (S) up to the top of process (b2). The two main processes of the solenomerite separated by a deep cavity extensively covered by spikes; paracoxite (Px) small, shorter than the solenomerite, emerging from a broad coxa, sinuous, tapering distad and bearing regular transverse striae ( Figs 34, 38, 40).

Distribution. Known from Portugal where the species was described twice: from the North ( Verhoeff 1893a) and from Sierra de Estrela ( Verhoeff 1910). Here, the species is moreover recorded from Spain, Ciudad Real ( Brolemann 1920, as Schizophyllum calavatranum ), Estremadura (Kime, personal communication) and for the first time from Jaén in Andalusia.

Comments. Verhoeff (1893, 1910) consecutively described Julus dorsovittatus and the subspecies Schizophyllum dorsovittatum estrellanum from Portugal. Both agree in having a broad promerite becoming slenderer distad with no extension of the mesal ridge; a broad, distally bipartite mesomerite with a short, upturned mesal process and a longer lateral one bent in a hook-manner; a voluminous solenomerite with two bulgy processes marginally bearing spikes and short setae, a distal process protruding over a more basal process, the latter lodging the seminal groove; a sinuous paracoxite with transverse striae, shorter than the solenomerite.The subspecies estrellanum differs from dorsovittatus s. s in the shape of the distal process of the mesomerite, which is stouter and more bent downward; the distal process of the solenomerite is thicker and strikingly more protruding. Unfortunately Verhoeff gave no complete illustrations for both described taxa but only the posterior view of the promerite and the posterior gonopods for O. dorsovittatus which seem a little distorted ( Verhoeff 1893a, figs 24, 27) and a different view of an isolated mesomerite, solenomerite and paracoxite for the subspecies estrellanum ( Verhoeff 1910, figs 28, Abb. VII, Abb. XXI) which doesn’t allow one to discern with certainty the cited differences from dorsovittatus s.s. The subspecies estrellanum is therefore here synonymised under O. dorsovittatus .

Schizophyllum calatravanum described by Brolemann (1920) from Ciudad Real, was another species comparable with O. dorsovittatus presenting similarly shaped promerite (with less broad lateral margin, Brolemann 1920, fig. 11) and posterior gonopods with a hook-shaped mesomerite apically bifuracte; a voluminous solenomerite showing all the processes described in O. dorsovittatus (see Brolemann 1920, figs 12–13). The main difference consisted of the absence of the paracoxite in the interpretation and drawings of Brolemann (see Brolemann 1920, fig. 12). However, the study of the type material revealed the presence a paracoxite, which is, like the rest of the processes, absolutely similar to O. dorsovittatus , leaving no doubt that S. calatravanum is a junior synonym of O. dorsovittatus .