Agathodesmus quintanus, Mesibov, Robert, 2013

Mesibov, Robert, 2013, New species of Agathodesmus Silvestri, 1910 from Australia (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae), ZooKeys 325, pp. 33-64 : 55-56

Agathodesmus quintanus sp. n. Figs 4B, 8E

Holotype.

Male, Bellenden Ker Range, Qld, cable tower 5, 17°16'04"S, 145°53'00"E ± 100 m, 500 m a.s.l., 17-24 October 1981, Queensland Museum and Earthwatch personnel, QM S96063.

Paratypes.

QM: 4 males, 4 females, details as for holotype, S96064; 2 males, same locality but cableway base station, 17°16'06"S, 145°53'54"E ± 100 m, 110 m a.s.l., 25-31 October 1981, same collectors, S96067; 2 males, 1 female, same details but QM berlesate 309, rainforest, stick brushings, S96073; 1 male, 1 female, 1 stadium 6 female, same locality but 1 km S of cable tower 6, 17°16'33"S, 145°53'15"E ± 100 m, 500 m a.s.l., 17-24 October 1981, same collectors, QM berlesate 319, rainforest, sieved litter, S96074; 1 male, 1 female, 1 stadium 6 male, 1 stadium 6 female, 1 stadium 5 male, same details but 25-31 October 1981, QM berlesate 321, rainforest, sieved litter, S96068; 3 males, same locality but cable tower 3, 17°16'02"S, 145°52'12"E ± 100 m, 1020 m a.s.l., 17-24 October 1981, same collectors, S96066.

Other material.

QM: 1 male, 2 females, 1 stadium 6 female, North Bell Peak via Gordonvale, Qld, 17°05'19"S, 145°52'44"E ± 500 m, 900 m a.s.l., 16 September 1981, G. Monteith and D. Cook, QM berlesate 300, rainforest, sieved litter and moss, QM S96065; 1 male, Massey Range, Qld, 17°15'45"S, 145°49'06"E ± 500 m, 1250 m a.s.l., 10 October 1991, G. Monteith and H. Janetzki, QM berlesate 853, rainforest, sieved litter, S96069; 1 male, 2 females, Tower near The Crater, Qld, 17°27'23"S, 145°29'12"E ± 500 m, 1230 m a.s.l., 23 November 1994, G. Monteith, QM berlesate 878, rainforest, sieved litter, ex S46994, S96070; 2 males, 1 female, Kjellberg Road, Mt Fisher, Qld, 17°32'34"S, 145°33'31"E ± 500 m, 1100 m a.s.l., 18 May 1995, G. Monteith, QM berlesate 892, rainforest, sieved litter, S96071; 2 males, Graham Range, Qld, 17°16'24"S, 145°57'58"E ± 500 m, 550 m a.s.l., 1 November 1995, G. Monteith, QM berlesate 895, rainforest, sieved litter, S96072. ANIC: 1 male, Bartle Frere Track, 17 km E of Malanda, Qld 17°22'57"S, 145°46'45"E ± 500 m, 1200 m a.s.l., 8 December 1988, G. Monteith and G. Thompson, QM berlesate 815, rainforest, sieved litter, 64-000340 [handwritten ANIC label incorrectly gives '17 km W' and '1989']

Diagnostic description.

Male and female with head + 19 rings. Colour in alcohol very pale yellow. Male/female ca 5.5/6.0 mm long; ring 12 maximum diameter ca 0.6/0.65 mm, maximum width ca 0.8/0.85 mm. Metatergal tubercles in 4-5 irregular transverse rows, larger tubercles mainly with setae; metatergal setae long with slightly flared tips (Fig. 4B); 3 lateralmost tubercles enlarged, forming narrow pseudo-paranotum. Male leg 6 coxa with small, rounded, mediodistal projection. Telopodite (Fig. 8E) with pp curving gently posteriorly; at in transverse plane, short, rounded-triangular, curving posteriorly; dp directed posterobasally at base; mab greatly widening distally, divided into 2 lobes; lateral mab lobe directed anterobasally, distally spoon-shaped, concave medially; medial mab lobe produced basomedially with roundly pointed tip; meb large and complex, divided into 2 lobes; medial meb lobe curving widely mediobasally at base, then laterobasally, then basally, tapering to blunt point, the curve at base often overlapping the initial curve of the contralateral medial meb lobe; lateral meb lobe directed basolaterally, divided at about midlength into flat, basally directed, distally deeply emarginate tab, and long, needle-like process curving first posteriorly, then anterobasally, terminating anterior to pp.

Distribution.

Rainforest southwest of Babinda in tropical north Queensland, with a known east-west extent of ca 50 km (Fig. 13B). Co-occurs with Agathodesmus hahnensis sp. n. in the Graham Range and with Agathodesmus parapholeus sp. n. near Mt Hypipamee Crater. Possibly co-occurs on Mt Bartle Frere with Agathodesmus adelphus sp. n.

Name.

Latin quintanus, 'of the fifth'; adjective. The type locality was recorded as the fifth tower supporting the cableway to the top of Mt Bellenden Ker. This tower has since been renumbered '4' ( Mesibov 2012b)

Remarks.

Agathodesmus quintanus sp. n. has a particularly complicated gonopod telopodite and I am not certain that I have clearly seen all its details. The species is distinguished by the wide initial curve of the medial meb lobe and the basomedially directed, roundly pointed medial mab lobe.

Specimens from North Bell Peak are larger than those from the type locality and have more prominent dorsal tubercles. Latitude/longitude data for the types have been corrected following Mesibov (2012b).