Atelomastix albanyensis Attems

Edward, Karen L. & Harvey, Mark S., 2010, A review of the Australian millipede genus Atelomastix (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Iulomorphidae) 2371, Zootaxa 2371 (1), pp. 1-63 : 9-10

Atelomastix albanyensis Attems

Figs. 6, 48, 75, 76.

Atelomastix albanyensis Attems 1911: 194–195 , Figs. 73–80 (in part, see A. mainae , sp. nov.); Attems 1914: 293; Chamberlin 1920: 167; Verhoeff 1924: 133; Jeekel 1971: 107.

Type material: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: lectotype male, Albany, Hamburger südwest-australischen Forschungsreise , Station 165 [35°01’S, 117°53’E], 13–22 August 1905, W. Michaelsen and R. Hartmeyer ( ZMH) . Paralectotypes: 4 females, same data ( ZMH) ; 1 female, same data ( ZMB 5162 ) ; 1 male, same data except 13 August 1905 ( WAM 13 /7145; misidentified, see A. mainae , sp. nov.) .

Other material examined: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 male, 1 female, Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve , bottom of gully, 34°59’53”S, 118°11’52”E, wet pitfall traps, 26 July 1994, S. Comer ( WAM T 76043 ) ; 1 male, Tick Flat, Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve , below A-frame, 34°59’26”S, 118°10’57”E, wet pitfall traps, 26 July 1994, S. Comer ( WAM T 76042 ) ; 5 males, 4 females, 3 juveniles, Cranbrook Tower Hill, Cranbrook , 34°18’00”S, 117°35’39”E, hand collected under laterite rocks, 16 June 2007, M.L. Moir ( WAM T 83176, T 81090 ) .

Diagnosis: Atelomastix albanyensis differs from all other species except A. francesae through a deeply bifurcated sclerite c. It can be distinguished from A. francesae by the shape of sclerites b and c. Sclerite b is slightly curved and tapers to a sharp point distally compared to being blunt and broadly shaped. The medial process of sclerite c is relatively narrow, with most setae present towards the distal end, and the lateral process is distally curved and pointed.

Description: Male (WAM T76043 ). Colour: legs, gonopods and mouthparts yellow, segments mottled blue-grey; prozonites yellow, salmon to blue grey; metazonites blue-grey to yellow/pink in preserved specimens.

Body: ca. 21 mm long and ca. 1.7 mm wide at collum. With 42 trunk segments 73 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs.

Head: with 39 ocelli ( Fig. 48), arranged in 6 rows (3: 5: 7: 8: 9: 7).

Gonopods: anterior gonopods ( Figs. 75, 76) lightly sclerotised, 2.5 times longer than broad; sclerite a with swollen base that forms broad, curved distal hood; upper distal face of sclerite a with 15–17 (n=4) short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum relatively short and partially visible beneath distal hood; sclerite b relatively broad and curved distally forming sharp hook, with 5–7 setae (n=4); basal process of sclerite b small and triangular, 0.02 times length of main process; sclerite c deeply bifurcate, lateral process much longer than medial process and with curved distal hook, medial process triangular in shape, tapering to sharp tip, with 6 setae spread over middle of process and 2 setae below bifurcation; clump of 5 sub-basal setae present where sclerites overlap and group of 11 short setae sub-basally on sclerite c; anterior gonopods inconspicuous, small, with several small setae on interno-lateral face of each gonopod.

Dimensions (mm): male, WAM T76043 (male, WAM T76042 ): length ca. 21, width ca. 1.7; L/W=12.7; sclerite a 1.088 / 0.429 (1.128 / 0.422), setae 16 (17); sclerite b 0.442 (0.474), basal process of sclerite b 0.008 (0.009), setae 6 (7); sclerite c 0.880 (0.896), lateral process of sclerite c 0.263 (0.282), medial process of sclerite c 0.131 (0.173), setae 8 (8).

Female. Similar to male, other than sexual characters, and slightly larger.

Remarks: The type series of A. albanyensis actually consists of two species. The male syntype from Albany (Station 165) (WAM 13/7145) has a male genital morphology different from that illustrated by Attems (1911), and belongs to the new species described below as Atelomastix mainae sp. nov. This specimen was not dissected by Attems, but our dissection and examination of the gonopods has shown that it is not conspecific with the specimen illustrated by Attems (1911). The only other male available to us is lodged in ZMH and presumably formed the basis of Attems’ (1911) description of A. albanyensis . However, the head and gonopods of this specimen are not included in the vial and appear to be lost. Nevertheless, Attems’ illustration of the male gonopods perfectly matches recently collected specimens from Two Peoples Bay and Cranbrook ( Fig. 6), and without hesitation we ascribe these specimens to A. albanyensis . It is impossible to identify female specimens of Atelomastix to species level, and we cannot be certain of the identity of the female type specimens. However, we retain them as specimens of A. albanyensis . With the type series consisting of two species, we nominate the male lodged in ZMH as lectotype, despite the loss of the male gonopods. This action retains Attems’ (1911) concept of this species. The remaining specimens, consisting of five females and one male from Albany, are designated as paralectotypes. As discussed above, the male paralectotype is identified as a specimen of A. mainae , and is listed under that species.

Distribution and habitat: Although A. albanyensis was first described from specimens purported to have been collected in Albany ( Attems 1911), we have not found the species near Albany, but have found specimens with gonopod morphology identical to that illustrated by Attems (1911) from Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve and Cranbrook ( Fig. 6). It may be possible that the original specimens of A. albanyensis were collected in the Albany area, but not within Albany itself.