Desmoxytes spectabilis ( Attems, 1937 )

Likhitrakarn, Natdanai, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Panha, Somsak, 2015, Two new species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamnerlin, 1923, from Laos (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), with redescriptions of all four species of Attems from Vietnam, Zootaxa 3931 (4), pp. 483-504 : 498-500

Desmoxytes spectabilis ( Attems, 1937)

Figs 11–12

Centrodesmus spectabilis Attems, 1937: 124 (D).

Centrodesmus spectabilis — Attems, 1938: 235 (D).

Pratinus spectabilis — Jeekel, 1964: 62 (D, M); 1968: 61 (M).

Hylomus spectabilis — Jeekel, 1980: 657 (M, R); Golovatch, 1983: 181 (M).

Desmoxytes spectabilis — Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994: 48, 61 (D, M); Enghoff et al., 2004: 38 (R); Nguyen et al., 2006: 255 (D); Nguyen & Sierwald, 2013: 1242 (R).

Holotype male (NHMW-4242), Vietnam, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Bana Mountain, 1500 m a.s.l., 19.09.1931, leg. C. Dawydoff.

Redescription. Length ca 34 mm (male), width of midbody pro- and metazonae 2.5 and 6.4 mm (male), respectively (versus length ca 35 mm (male),width of midbody pro- and metazonae 4.5 and 6.5 mm (male), respectively, as given in the original descriptions ( Attems, 1937, 1938)).

Coloration of alcohol material upon long-term preservation red-brown ( Fig. 11 A–I); head, venter and legs pale yellow-brown, tips of antennae dark brown ( Fig. 11 A–I) (versus dark chestnut brown; first two legs yellow, other legs yellow-brown; tips of paraterga and posterior spines of metaterga pale yellowish, as given in the original descriptions ( Attems, 1937, 1938)).

Clypeolabral region and vertex sparsely setose, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae rather short ( Fig. 11 A & B), reaching segment 3 (male) when stretched dorsally. In width, head <collum <segment 2 = 3 <4 <5–17 (male); thereafter body gently and gradually tapering. Collum with three transverse rows of small setigerous spines: 2+2 anterior, 1+1 intermediate, and 3+3 posterior; paraterga wing-shaped, directed dorsolaterad, with two evident incisions ( Fig. 11 A & B). Tegument invariably dull, prozonae finely shagreened, metazonae coarsely microgranulate, surface below paraterga and sterna microgranulate ( Fig. 11 A–F & I). Postcollum metaterga with two transverse rows of rounded knobs, 2+2 anterior and 1+1 posterior ( Fig. 11 A, C & F). Axial line visible. Paraterga ( Fig. 11 A–F & I) wing-shaped; directed dorsolaterad, tips bent posteriad, in segments 2–6 strongly upturned; in following segments slightly upturned, always lying above dorsum; anterior edge with three evident incisions in segments 2–7, with four strong incisions/teeth on following segments, basal one being strongest. Posterior edge of metaterga with two lobes near base of paraterga ( Fig. 11 A, C & F). Ozopores (Op) lateral, lying at base of third incision. Transverse sulcus complete on segments 5–18, narrow, shallow, line-shaped, reaching bases of paraterga; incomplete on segment 4, absent from segment 19 ( Fig. 11 A, C & F). Stricture between pro- and metazonae narrow, deep, ribbed at bottom down to base of paraterga ( Fig. 11 A–F). Pleurosternal carinae with complete crests in segments 2 and 3, a front bulge and a small caudal tooth in segment 4, absent thereafter. Epiproct unusual ( Fig. 11 C, F & E), flattened dorsoventrally, with 3+3 evident spines near tip, the latter with four small knobs. Hypoproct subtrapeziform, setiferous knobs at a slightly convex caudal edge medium-sized and wellseparated.

Sterna sparsely setose, without modifications; cross-impressions shallow; a pair of small, fully rounded, completely separated, setose cones between male coxae 4 ( Fig. 11 G & H). Legs rather long and slender, midbody ones ca 1.2–1.3 (male) as long as body height, male prefemora 7 inflated medially, male tarsal brushes absent.

Gonopods ( Fig. 12 ) suberect. Prefemur densely setose, ca 1/3 as long as fermorite + postfemoral part. Femorite very stout, enlarged distad, seminal groove running entirely on mesal face. Solenophore (= lamina medialis) welldeveloped, with a strong process (Z); solenomere rather short, flagelliform, well separated at base from solenophore.

Remark. Nguyen et al. (2006) redescribed this species from new topotypic material. Here we treat the holotype.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Desmoxytes spectabilis (Attems, 1937), male holotype. A, B: anterior part of body, dorsal and lateral views, respectively. C, E, I: posterior part of body, dorsal, lateral and ventral views, respectively. D: segments 9 – 11, lateral view. F: segments 9 – 12, dorsal view. G, H: sternal cones between coxae 4, subcaudal and sublateral views, respectively.

FIGURE 12. Desmoxytes spectabilis (Attems, 1937), male holotype. A, B: left gonopod, mesal and lateral views, respectively. Depicted not to scale.