Thyropygus cuisinieri Carl, 1917

Pimvichai, Piyatida, Enghoff, Henrik & Panha, Somsak, 2011, A revision of the Thyropygus allevatus group. Part 4: the T. cuisinieri subgroup (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Harpagophoridae), Zootaxa 2980, pp. 37-48 : 41

Thyropygus cuisinieri Carl, 1917

( Figs. 2 A–E)

Thyropygus cuisinieri Carl, 1917: 392 ; Attems 1930: 157; 1936: 267; 1938: 280; Hoffman 1975: 127; Enghoff et al. 2004: 36; Enghoff 2005: 94.

Thyropisthus cuisinieri: Attems 1942: 79 ; Demange 1961: 122; Demange 1983: 563.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE male VIETNAM Tayninh, Conchinchine (one gonopod telopodite missing) ( MHNG). 4 males, 3 females, 7 juveniles THAILAND, Koh Kut, 11° 40ˏ 47˝ N, 102° 32ˏ 56˝ E. 6 April 1959. B. Degerbøl leg., ( ZMUC). 2 males VIETNAM, Phuquoc Island. Nguyen Duc Anh leg., ( ZMUC). 17 males, 5 females CAMBODIA, Gulf of Thailand, SE part of Koh Tang, 10° 16.5ˏ N, 103° 8.9ˏ E. 12–14 December 2010. S. Tarasov leg., ( ZMUC). 1 male, 1 juvenile, VIETNAM, Kontum, Annam, C. Dawydoff leg., ( NMW).

Diagnosis. A species of the cuisinieri subgroup. Differing from all other species in the subgroup by having two distal, acuminate processes on the anterior coxal fold (ac): a lateral slender, sharp spine, curving mesad, and a mesal basally broad process, longer than the lateral one, pointed, pointing distad. Also unique in having a transverse, blunt ridge (tr) at the base of the lateral process of the posterior coxal fold (plp).

Description. Adult males with 56–66 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length 10–13 cm, width 6.3–8.8 mm. Adult females with 56–60 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length 9–11 cm, width 6.0–8.0 mm. Color in life unknown; preserved specimens with antennae, legs reddish brown; metazona dark brown; prozona brown; epiproct and margins of paraprocts reddish orange. Thai specimens with a longitudinal, brown, mid-dorsal band.

Gonopods ( Figs. 2 A–E): Anterior coxal fold (ac) ( Fig. 2 A) basally slender, becoming broader towards tip, with a prominent projecting lobe (apl) on the lateral surface; distally with two acuminate processes: the outer a slender, sharp spine, curving mesad; the inner basally broad, longer than the outer one, pointed, pointing distad. Posterior coxal fold (pc) ( Figs. 2 B–C) basally with relatively high lateral paracoxites (px); mesal process (pmp) a short, rounded, slightly twisted lamella; lateral process (plp) thumblike, directed distolaterad. At the base of plp, a transverse, blunt ridge (tr). Some specimens with two longitudinal, blunt ridges (lr1 and lr2) basal to tr; lr1 and lr2 first parallel, but basally diverging and swollen. Telopodite ( Figs. 2 D–E) leaving coxite over shelf of posterior coxal fold between pmp and plp; femoral spine (fe) very long, pointing back along telopodite shaft, very distinctly crenulated along inner curvature, in situ resting against posterior surface of ac, telopodite distally to fe with a round lobe (lo) projecting distolaterad, further distally with an additional small round lobe (asl); tibial spine (ti) very long, slender, with longitudinal crest (lc) along outer surface, recurved, its tip in situ resting close to lo; apical part with a slender, transparent lamellar lobe (sll); palette (pa) simple, flattened; distally with about seven to eight brownish blepharochaetae (bp).

Notes on material. Carl (1917) mentioned two females from the type locality which he assigned, with doubt, to T. cuisinieri . The vial containing the holotype of T. cuisinieri also contains two females, without doubt the ones referred to by Carl. They are not to be regarded as part of the type series which thus consists only of one male—the holotype. These females do not form part of the basis for our redescription of T. cuisinieri .

Notes. In some individuals, the lateral process of the posterior coxal fold (plp) is very small ( Fig. 2 C), in others very distinct ( Fig. 2 B). The tip of the lamellar lobe (sll) is rounded in some individuals, sharply pointed in others.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Thyropygus cuisinieri (specimen from Koh Kut, except C), gonopods. A: anterior view, left telopodite removed. B: posterior view, left telopodite removed. C: posterior view, left telopodite removed (specimen from SE part of Koh Tang). D: left telopodite, posterior-mesal view. E: left telopodite, anterior-lateral view.