Desmoxytes perakensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha

Srisonchai, Ruttapon, Enghoff, Henrik, Likhitrakarn, Natdanai & Panha, Somsak, 2018, A revision of dragon millipedes I: genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, with the description of eight new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), ZooKeys 761, pp. 1-177 : 1

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.761.24214

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:91658359-00AE-4319-ACBC-E9C544599C5B

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AE9D6B74-2471-41E9-82C2-8E5AE25596C8

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:AE9D6B74-2471-41E9-82C2-8E5AE25596C8

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Desmoxytes perakensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha
status

sp. n.

Desmoxytes perakensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha View in CoL sp. n. Figs 61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Holotype.

Male (CUMZ), MALAYSIA, Perak, Ipoh, Ulu Kinta, near The Lost World Tambun Theme Park, limestone mountain, 4°37'45"N, 101°09'21"E, ca. 73 m a.s.l., 27 September 2007, leg. B. W. Ng, S. Panha and ASRU members.

Paratypes.

4 males (CUMZ), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Differing from all other species, except D. delfae and D. aurata sp. n., by having a low degree of elevation of paraterga, femora 5 and 6 strongly humped ventrally in middle part, collum with a row of 3+3 anterior setae and metaterga 2-18 with rows of 2+2 anterior and 2+2 posterior small tubercles. Differs from D. delfae and D. aurata sp. n. by having paraterga wider than those species; lamina lateralis (ll) with two distinct furrows ventrolaterally; process (plm) of lamina medialis lamellar, tip blunt.

Etymology.

The name is a Latin adjective referring to the type locality.

Description.

SIZE: Length 24-26 mm (male), 27-29 mm (female); width of midbody metazona ca. 1.9 mm (male), 2.2 mm (female). Width of head <collum <body ring 2 = 3 <4 <5-16, thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson.

COLOUR: In life with bright orange. Colour in alcohol: after 10 years in alcohol pale yellow to whitish.

ANTENNAE (Fig. 61D): Moderately long and slender, reaching to body ring 6 (male) and 5 (female) when stretched dorsally.

COLLUM (Fig. 61A): With 1 transverse anterior row of 3+3 setae; paraterga of collum low, almost horizontal, directed caudolaterad, with two inconspicuous setiferous notches on lateral margin.

TEGUMENT: Slightly shining and smooth; collum, metaterga, sterna and epiproct smooth; prozona finely shagreened; surface below paraterga finely microgranulate.

METATERGA (Fig. 61 A–C): With 2 transverse rows of small, inconspicuous setae and tubercles; metaterga 2-18 with 2+2 anterior and 2+2 posterior tubercles; metatergum 19 with 2+2 anterior and 2+2 posterior setae.

PARATERGA (Fig. 61E, F): Directed caudolaterad on body rings 2-17, elevated at ca. 25°-30° (male) 25° (female); directed increasingly caudad on body rings 18 and 19; anterior margin with 2 distinct notches, on lateral margin of body rings 9, 10, 12, 13, 15-18 with tiny denticle near the tip.

TELSON (Fig. 62 C–G): Epiproct: tip truncate; lateral setiferous tubercles and apical tubercles inconspicuous. Hypoproct subtriangular; caudal margin round, with very small and inconspicuous setiferous tubercles.

STERNA (Fig. 63): Cross-impressions shallow. Sternal lobe between male coxae 4 subtrapeziform, tip subtruncate, base slightly enlarged.

LEGS (Fig. 62 H–J): Long and slender. Male femora 5 and 6 strongly humped ventrally in middle portion.

GONOPODS (Figs 64, 65): Coxa (cx) longer than prefemur. Cannula (ca) somewhat stout. Prefemur (pfe) ca. 2/3 as long as femur. Femur (fe) quite long and slender. Mesal sulcus (ms) and lateral sulcus (ls) conspicuous, very deep. Postfemur (pof) conspicuous, ventrally narrow and short. Solenophore (sph) well-developed: lamina lateralis (ll) swollen, quite thin, anterolaterally with two distinct furrows, dorsolaterally subsided, ventral ridge (vrl) conspicuous: lamina medialis (lm) well-developed; process (plm) short, lamellar, tip blunt; distal lobe (dlm) distally with two lamellae (mesal lamella smaller than lateral one); broad lobe (blm) dorsally somewhat thick, demarcated from distal lobe (dlm) by conspicuous indentation. Solenomere (sl) long.

Distribution and habitat.

Known only from the type locality. Currently, the habitats at this site are being destroyed and disturbed by human activities, e.g. deforestation for tourist attractions. Our extensive surveys in 2007 allow us to consider this species to be endemic to Malaysia.

Remarks.

D. perakensis sp. n. is morphologically similar to D. delfae and D. aurata sp. n.

Unfortunately, we did not photograph a living specimen during the field trip; however, one collector noticed orange colouration similar to D. aurata sp. n. and D. delfae .

Coexisting species.

None known.