Atelomastix danksi, Edward & Harvey, 2010

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 : 15-16

Atelomastix danksi , sp. nov.

Figs. 5 , 34–47 , 54 , 87, 88.

Type material: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: holotype male, Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park , 34°23’27”S, 118°03’31”E, hand collected in creek line, 5 April 2004, M.S. Harvey, J.M. Waldock, K.L. Edward, C. Poustie ( WAM T 47957) . Paratypes: 3 males, 2 females, collected with holotype ( WAM T 70203) ; 1 male, Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park , 34°23’29"S, 118°03’43"E, hand collected under logs, 28 July 2003, K.L. Edward ( WAM T 69766) .

Other material examined: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 4 males, 30 females, Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park , 34°23’29"S, 118°03’43"E, hand collected under logs, 28 July 2003, K.L. Edward ( WAM T 69765, T 69767– T 69771) ; 2 males, Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park , 34°23’32"S, 118°03’32”E, wet pitfall traps, 3 August–19 December 1996, M.S. Harvey, J.M. Waldock, B.Y. Main ( WAM T 47926) .

Etymology: The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Alan Danks.

Diagnosis: Atelomastix danksi is similar to other Atelomastix species found on the eastern side of the Stirling Range, as the anterior gonopod sclerite a is broad and concave sub-medially enveloping an elongate pseudoflagellum beneath a broad distal hood. Live specimens are large (body width 2.27 mm) and generally have a blue-grey colouration with pale bands. However, it can be distinguished from A. montana , A. tumula , and A. poustiei by the lack of a medial bifurcation of sclerite c, the symmetrical shallow distal bifurcation of sclerite c, and the tip of sclerite b is rounded, curved sub-distally, and only slightly tapering. Atelomastix tumula and A. poustiei also possess setae on sclerite b, which are lacking in A. danksi .

Description: Male (holotype). Colour: live specimens dark blue-grey with lighter bands between segments; head, collum, mouth parts, antennae, gonopods, ozopores and legs golden-brown, anal segment bluegrey, prozonites blue-grey, metazonites brown to yellow-brown in preserved specimens.

Body: ca. 43 mm long and ca. 2.3 mm wide at collum. With 59 trunk segments, 104 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs.

Head ( Fig. 34, 35 ): with ca. 34 ocelli ( Fig. 54 ), arranged in 4 rows (7: 8: 9: 10).

Gonopods: anterior gonopods ( Figs. 41–46 , 87, 88) very large, heavily sclerotised and complex in structure, 2.09 times longer than broad; sclerite a with swollen base that forms broad, concave area where pseudoflagellum emerges, and broad, curved distal hood; sub-distal edge of concave area of sclerite a with 4 larger setae; upper distal face of sclerite a with 27 short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum long, elongate and partially concealed within broadened distal hood; sclerite b elongate and curved, terminating in a blunt, rounded hook, without setae; basal process of sclerite b large, triangular, tapering to form sharp tip, 0.39 times the length of the main process; sclerite c same height as sclerite b, not bifurcate, broad and concave medially, slightly tapering to a blunt tip, with 6–10 setae (n=6) on internal concave face; with group of 3–8 (n=6) fine setae on subbasal edge of sclerite b instead of single sub-basal setae where sclerites overlap; anterior gonopods inconspicuous, small, with several small setae on interno-lateral face of each gonopod.

Dimensions (mm): holotype male (paratype male, WAM T69766): length ca. 43, width ca. 2.3 (L/ W=18.8; sclerite a 1.206 / 0.577 (1.12/0.608), setae 27; sclerite b 0.512 (0.506), basal process of sclerite b 0.198 (0.166), basal process of sclerite b 0.198 (0.166), setae 0 (0); sclerite c 0.930 (0.896), setae 7 (7).

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

Distribution and habitat: This species has only been recorded from the base of Toolbrunup Peak in the Stirling Range National Park ( Fig. 5 ) and specimens were collected alongside a seasonally dry creek bed using pitfall traps, or from under eucalypt logs.

Figures

FIGURES 4–6. Recorded distributions of Atelomastix species: 4: A. nigrescens Attems (●) and A. bamfordi, sp. nov. (․); 5: A. danksi, sp. nov. (●), A. francesae, sp. nov. (․), A. julianneae, sp. nov. (♦), A. mainae, sp. nov. (), A. rubricephala, sp. nov. () and A. tigrina, sp. nov. (̝); 6: A. albanyensis Attems (●), A. attemsi, sp. nov. (․), A. ellenae, sp. nov. (♦), A. montana, sp. nov. (), A. poustiei, sp. nov. () and A. tumula, sp. nov. ().

FIGURES 34–40. Atelomastix danksi, sp. nov., male and female paratypes from Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T70203), scanning electron micrographs: 34: head and collum, female, dorsal aspect; 35: head, male, anterior aspect; 36: first pair of legs, male, ventral aspect; 37: tip of right leg I, male; 38: tip of left leg I, male; 39: tip of antenna, male, ventral aspect; 40: detail of same.

FIGURES 41–47. Atelomastix danksi, sp. nov., male and female paratypes from Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T70203), scanning electron micrographs: 41: entire right anterior gonopod, male, internolateral aspect; 42: tip of right anterior gonopod, male, internolateral aspect; 43: group of short setae positioned sub-basally on sclerite c, and tuft of fine, elongate setae positioned on sub-basal edge of sclerite b, internolateral aspect of right gonopod; 44: tip of left anterior gonopod, male, externolateral aspect; 45: both gonopods, dorsal aspect; 46: detail of soft tissue and spines at base of gonopod; 47: posterior trunk segments, female, ventral aspect.

FIGURES 48–59. Lateral view of head: 48: Atelomastix albanyensis Attems, male from Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Western Australia (WAM T76043); 49: A. anancita, sp. nov., male holotype from Cape Arid National Park, Western Australia (WAM T83177); 50: A. attemsi, sp. nov., male paratype from Millinup Pass, Porongurup Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T69763); 51: A. bamfordi, sp. nov., male paratype from Mount Jackson, Western Australia (WAM T86852); 52: A. brennani, sp. nov., male holotype from Mount Le Grand, Le Grand National Park, Western Australia (WAM T83222); 53: A. culleni, sp. nov., male paratype from Mount Groper, Western Australia (WAM T78621); 54: A. danksi, sp. nov., male paratype from Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T70203); 55: A. dendritica, sp. nov., male holotype from Woody Island, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia (WAM T47933); 56: A. ellenae, sp. nov., male paratype from Walpole, Valley of the Giants Road, Western Australia (WAM T69668); 57: A. flavognatha, sp. nov., male holotype from Quaalup Homestead, Western Australia (WAM T73955); 58: A. francesae, sp. nov., male holotype from near Tree Top Walk, Walpole, Western Australia (WAM T47953); 59: A. gibsoni, sp. nov., male holotype from Ravensthorpe Ranges, Western Australia (WAM T83220).