Skleroprotopus costatus, Mikhaljova & Korsós, 2003

Mikhaljova, E. V. & Korsós, Z., 2003, Millipedes (Diplopoda) From Korea, The Russian Far East, And China In The Collection Of The Hungarian Natural History Museum, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 49 (3), pp. 215-242 : 222-225

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.12587040
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/962C87AB-FF9E-D666-FDBB-6BE3FB9EFD3B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Skleroprotopus costatus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Skleroprotopus costatus View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 14–25 View Figs 14–18 View Figs 19–25 )

1 m (holotype), 1 m, 1 f (paratypes) – North Korea, South Hwanghae Prov., Haeju, Mt .

Suyong-san, deciduous forest of the SE slope, No. 1049., 16.Oct.1987., leg. KORSÓS Z. & RONKAY L. Male holotype, 1 m, 1 f paratypes are deposited in the HNHM .

Etymology: Named after the rib of the front portion of anterior gonopod coxal process.

Description: Male. Body 46–47 mm long, 1.9–2.0 mm in diameter. Body segments of holotype without telson up to 65(–1). Paratype consists of four fragments without posterior portion.

Coloration: Usual coloration dark brown or gray-brown. Anterior portion of body marble-brown dorsally. Metazona with light hind margin. Ozopore placed in the middle of a small dark brown spot. Legs and antennae brown, eyes black.

Body subcylindrical, smooth. About 85 ocelli in a subtriangular eye-patch on each side of head. Vertigial setae absent. Supralabral setae 2+2 or 2+3, labral ones 9+9 or 9+10. Mandibular stipes subtriangular with two short and broad outgrowths on lower border. Gnathochilarium with three distal setae and basal prominent on stipes, 8 setae on each lamella linguales and stretched ridge-shaped promentum. Antennae ( Fig. 14 View Figs 14–18 ) relatively short, clavate, 5th and 6th antennomeres with a distal corolla of tiny bacilli, ventrally these corolla incomplete. Prozona with uneven striations directed obliquely laterally and increasingly transversely dorsad. Metazona with distinct striae below ozopores. Collum with 8–9 striae of varying length laterally. Ozopores small, beginning from segment 6 on, lying behind and set off from suture dividing pro- and metazona. Telson with several setae along hind margin, without tail. Each anal valve and an oval subanal scale with two setae.

Legs moderately long, slender, claws long with additional claw at base. Legpair 1 ( Fig. 15 View Figs 14–18 ) very strongly enlarged, dorsoventrally flattened, curved forward; terminal segment with thin setae frontally and distomesally ( Fig. 16 View Figs 14–18 ). 3th segment longest. Penes subconical, with four long setae apically ( Fig. 17 View Figs 14–18 ). Legpair 7 ( Fig. 18 View Figs 14–18 ) with a tongue-shaped coxal process bearing setae frontally, mesally and laterally.

Gonopods: Anterior gonopods ( Figs 19–20 View Figs 19–25 ) with 1-segmented, slightly flattened telopodites subtriangular at base, bearing long setae subapically, apically, mesally and laterally. Coxal process flat with low longitudinal rib and tiny lateral setae on front portion ( Fig. 21 View Figs 19–25 ), lateral edge curved caudally. Parabasal flagella with cristate apex. Posterior gonopods ( Figs 22–23 View Figs 19–25 ) entire with dense setae apically. Mesal edge of seminal groove bearing long setae; anteromesal one as a bare blade ( Figs 24–25 View Figs 19–25 ).

Female. Body about 55 mm long, 2.0– 2.1 mm in diameter. About 85 ocelli. Body segments without telson up to 60(–1). Legpair 1 massive. Ventral border of mandibular stipes without outgrowths. Other non-sexual characters as in male. Vulva not dissected for examination.

distal part of posterior gonopod, frontomesal and frontal view. Scales in mm

Skleroprotopus ramuliferus LIM et MIKHALJOVA, 2001 View in CoL ( Figs 26–28 View Figs 26–28 ) – 1 m ( HMHN) – North Korea, Kangwon Prov., Hotel Kumgang-san , bamboo-pine forest, 22.Nov.1986., leg. CSORBA G. & DEMETER A .; 1 m, 5 ff ( HMHN) – North Korea, Kangwon Prov., Mt. Kumgang-san, Lake Samil-po , No. 1062., 22.Oct.1987., leg. KORSÓS Z. & RONKAY L .; 1 m (paratype) ( IBSV) – South Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Yangpyeong , 18.May 1991., leg. LIM K.Y .

Remarks: In addition to normal specimens, the material contains males deviating morphologically from the typical gonopod structure. So, left telopodite remnant of the legpair 7 of the male paratype from South Korea consists of two segments while the right one is only one-segmented ( Fig. 26 View Figs 26–28 ). The right posterior gonopod of male from North Korea has the serrate apical twig, but the left one does not ( Figs 27–28 View Figs 26–28 ). Thus, this species is morphologically quite variable.