Bifurcatella hoh, Shear & Richart & Wong, 2020

Shear, William A., Richart, Casey H. & Wong, Victoria L., 2020, The millipede family Conotylidae in northwestern North America, with a complete bibliography of the family (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Heterochordeumatidea, Conotyloidea), Zootaxa 4753 (1), pp. 1-78 : 56-57

Bifurcatella hoh , new species

Figs. 210, 211 , 214, 215

Types: Male holotype, female paratype from WASHINGTON: Jefferson Co., Alder Creek at Hoh River Road , elev. 125 m., 47.8301°N, - 124.2272°W, collected 14 December 2003, by W. Leonard, C. Richart .

Diagnosis: The unique feature of this species is the thin mesobasal process (mbp, Fig. 215 ) of the posterior gonopod coxite, found in no others; further, the apical process of the coxite is sharply curved anteromesally. The mesal branch of the anterior gonopod is more than 2/3 the length of the lateral branch and is straight and blunt.

Etymology: Named for the Hoh River of Olympic National Park; a noun in apposition.

Description: Male holotype: Length, 11.0 mm. Ocelli 22 in triangular patch. Metazonites with moderately well-developed shoulders, segmental setae acute, curved. Color pale to medium tan, marked darker purplish brown, mostly on dorsum. Legpairs one and two reduced, three to seven enlarged, three to five with swollen femora, femora of pair seven slender; large femoral knobs on pairs five and six. Anterior gonopods ( Figs. 210 , 214 ) with lateral branches robust, apically expanded and decurved, terminus cap-like; mesal branches straight, cylindrical, blunt, two-thirds to three-quarters length of lateral branches. Posterior gonopod coxites ( Figs. 211 , 215 ) with evenly curved and tapered pseudoflagellar process, fimbriate branch small, subtending shallow, rimmed pit with pore, mesobasally arising thin process. Terminal processes both strongly recurved. Tenth coxae and eleventh prefemora as usual.

Female: Length, 11.5 mm, nonsexual characters as in male.

Distribution: WASHINGTON: Jefferson Co., Olympic National Park, near Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, elev. 180 m., 47.8597°N, - 123.9413°W, 14 December 2003, W. Leonard, C. Richart, mm; Clallam Co., Olympic National Park, Heart of the Hills Campground, elev. 545 m., 48.0355°N, - 123.4263°W, 18 November 2003, W. Leonard, m f.

Figures

FIGS. 208–213. Bifurcatella spp. Figs. 208, 209. Bifurcatella olympiana. Fig. 208. Right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 209. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 210, 211. Bifurcatella hoh. Fig. 210. Right anterior gonopod, posterior view. Fig. 211. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 212, 213. Bifurcatella angulata. Fig. 212, Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 213. Left posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.

FIGS. 214–217. Bifurcatella spp. Figs. 214, 215. Bifurcatella hoh. Fig. 214. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 215. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view. Figs. 216, 217. Bifurcatella angulata. Fig. 216. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. Fig. 217. Right posterior gonopod coxite, posterior view.