Zephronia tumida Butler, 1882

Wesener, Thomas, 2015, The Giant Pill-Millipedes of Nepal (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae) *, Zootaxa 3964 (3), pp. 301-320 : 303-305

Zephronia tumida Butler, 1882

Figures 4 A–F

Zephronia tumida Butler, 1882: 196 (first description) Zephronia tumida —Preudhomme de Borre 1884: 25 (list) Zephronia tumida — Pocock 1899: 465 (description) Zephronia tumida — Attems 1914: 147 (list)

Zephronia tumida — Attems 1936: 175 (description) Zephronia tumida — Jeekel 2001: 21 (list).

Material examined. M holotype, NHML BM1882.11, India, N. Assam, F.O.P. Cambridge.

Other localities from the literature. India: Harmutti, base of Dafla Hills; Sibsagar; Dikrang Valley, Darrang Distr., Assam; Darjeeling, Eastern Himalayas. Myanmar: Bunna, Tavoy, Moti Ram, lower Burma; Kamaing, Myitkyina Distr., upper Burma.

New diagnosis. Large-bodied (male> 45 mm) zephroniid, surface covered with small pits (inserting points of short setae). Anal shield of male weakly bell-shaped, underside carrying single, short, almost dot-like locking carina. Inner section of endotergum devoid of setae or spines, 2 or 3 dense rows of marginal bristles, bristles barely reaching to tergite margin. Tarsi of leg 3 with apical spine. Antennomere 6 laterally flattened, carrying>90 apical cones. Anterior telopod with very short podomere 4, reaching only 20% of the size of podomere 3 ( Figs 4 B–D). Posterior telopods of typical shape for Zephronia , relatively slender ( Figs 4 E, F).

Redescription (based on the male holotype). Measurements: 46.6 mm long, 22.2 mm (2nd) wide, 13.1 mm (2nd) high. Brittleness stopped further measurements.

Coloration strongly faded because of long preservation in ethanol. Tergites dark brown chestnut, underside light brown, antennae and ocelli greenish.

Head: Eyes with>80 ocelli. Antennae short, protruding back to coxa 6. Antennomeres 1–5 with few longer setae, 6 more densely pubescent. Antennomere 6 laterally flattened, 1.5 times longer than antennomere 5. Disc with 90–100 apical cones. Mouthparts not dissected. Palpi of gnathochilarium damaged.

Collum glabrous except for marginal setae.

Thoracic shield covered with numerous small, shallow pits, with a short seta each. Lateral groove deep, without any ledges. Tergites 3–12 like thoracic shield, paratergite tips of midbody tergites projecting posteriorly.

Anal shield massive, weakly bell-shaped, like rest of tergites covered with tiny pits and setae. Underside with single, small, dot-like locking carina. Carina located close to margin.

Endotergum inner section lacking spines and setae. Between ridge and inner area, single, sparse row of large, elliptical cuticular impressions. Externally, two or three dense rows of marginal bristles. Bristles short, barely reaching to tergite margin.

Pleurite 1 laterally elongated into a slender, well-rounded process. Pleurite two also weakly elongated into a broader and well-rounded process.

First stigma-carrying plate with a well-rounded projecting apex.

Leg 1 with 4 or 5, 2 with 5, 3 with 5 or 6 ventral spines. Leg pairs 4–21 with 8–10 ventral spines, many of them broken off. Legs 3–21 with single apical spine. Coxa process strongly developed and well-rounded ( Fig. 4 A), but absent from leg pair 1 and 2. Femur 1.9, tarsus 3.9 times longer than wide. All podomeres lacking long mesal setae (broken?). Femur with long ridge.

Male gonopore simple pit located centrally at the mesal margin of coxa 2.

Anterior telopod ( Figs 4 B–D): syncoxite partly damaged. Podomere 1 largest, rectangular. Podomere 2 large, posterior process visible in anterior view, apical part of process slender, strongly curved towards podomere 3 and 4. Process with few sclerotized spots. Podomere 3 as long as but much slenderer than podomere 2. Posterior side of podomere 3 carrying 5 or 6 large crenulated teeth. Podomere 4 small, reaching only 20% of the size of podomere 3, towards process of podomere 2 with a membranous area carrying a single sclerotized spine.

Posterior telopod ( Figs 4 E, F): typical for Zephronia , with four podomeres, two membranous ledges and a twotipped membranous ledge at the basis of the immovable finger. Podomere 3 straight, 2.6 times longer than wide. Hollowed-out inner margin with membranous ledge, no visible spines, and ca. 20 crenulated teeth. Podomere 4 well-developed, lacking teeth, but with a short membranous ledge and single sclerotized spine. Immovable finger slender, running parallel to podomere 3 and 4, tip with a slight 'hook' towards podomere 4. Podomere 1 and 2 completely covered with setae, only process of podomere 2 in posterior view glabrous. Podomere 3 and 4 in posterior view with few marginal setae, in anterior view especially basally with more, longer hair.

Female not part of type series. Conspecifity of females collected in Darjeeling by Attems (1936) and determined as Z. tumida was not researched.

Distribution. Apparently widespread in the Eastern Himalayas up to Myanmar, if all specimens attributed to this species are correctly identified.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Zephronia tumida Butler, 1882, holotype male, NHML BM 1882.11. A: left leg 9, posterior view; B: right half of anterior telopod, anterior view; C: tip of right anterior telopod, posterior view; D: right anterior telopod, podomeres 2 – 4, lateral view; E: right posterior telopod, podomeres 2 – 4, posterior view; F: right posterior telopod, anterior view. Abbreviations: Co = coxa; cr-T = crenulated teeth; Fe = femur; ML = membranous ledge or lobe; Po = postfemur; Pre = prefemur; Syn = syncoxite; Ta = tarsus; Ti = tibia; numbers refer to podomere. Scale bars = 1 mm.