Trichopeltis sutchariti, Likhitrakarn, Natdanai, Golovatch, Sergei I., Srisonchai, Ruttapon & Panha, Somsak, 2017

Likhitrakarn, Natdanai, Golovatch, Sergei I., Srisonchai, Ruttapon & Panha, Somsak, 2017, A new species of Trichopeltis Pocock, 1894 from southern China, with a checklist and a distribution map of Trichopeltis species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Cryptodesmidae), ZooKeys 725, pp. 123-137 : 128-132

Trichopeltis sutchariti sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (CUMZ), China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna County, Mengla, 213 National Road, near Menglunzhen, Munlun village, 578 m a.s.l., 21°56'40"N, 101°13'45"E, 25.10.2016, leg. J. Sutcharit & S. Panha.

Paratypes.

2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (CUMZ), 1 ♀ (ZMUM), same locality, together with holotype.

Name.

Honours Jirasak Sutcharit (CUMZ), one of the collectors.

Differential dagnosis.

This new species seems to be particularly similar to T. bellus Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2017 and T. intricatus Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2017, both from caves in southern China ( Liu et al. 2017), since they all are distinguished by the presence of abundant long setae on the lateral face of the gonopodal coxae, and by highly complex gonopodal telopodites. However, T. sutchariti sp. n. differs from them, as well from all other congeners in that its gonopodal telopodites are noticeably curved caudolaterad, and there is a strong, curved, laterally densely setose process (cxp) on each of the gonopodal coxae (Fig. 4).

Description.

Length 13.9-15.2 (♂) or 14.2-14.5 mm (♀), width of midbody pro- and metazona 1.7-1.9 and 4.8-5.1 mm (♂) or 1.8-2.0 and 4.4-5.2 mm (♀), respectively.

Colouration of live animals uniformly whitish yellow (Fig. 1A), sometimes light red-brownish mid-dorsally (Fig. 1B); head, legs and venter whitish yellow to pallid, antennae light brown, increasingly infuscate distally; colouration in alcohol, after eight months of preservation, entirely pallid, only antennae still infuscate (brown) distally.

Clypeolabral region and vertex densely pilose, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae rather short and clavate (Figs 1B, 2A, B), reaching segment 3 (♂, ♀) when stretched laterally or ventrolaterally; in length, antennomere 6> 3> (4 = 2)> 5; antennomeres 5-7 each with a compact apicodorsal group of bacilliform sensilla (Fig. 2C). Body with 20 segments (Fig. 1A, B), composed of collum plus 17 podous and one apodous ring, plus telson. In width, head << collum <segment 2 <3 <4 <5-17; thereafter body rapidly tapering towards telson (Fig. 3H).

Tegument dull, prozonae finely shagreened (Figs 2E, I, 3M); metaterga densely tuberculate and setose (Figs 2D, E, F, 3A, B, E, H). Fore and caudolateral margins of collum, as well as anterolateral, lateral and caudal margins of following paraterga evidently crenulate-lobulate, these lobulations being slightly larger at caudal margins of paraterga (Figs 2D, 3A, H).

Collum completely covering the head from above, regularly convex at fore margin, concave caudally, tuberculations arranged in 8-9 irregular transverse rows of evident setigerous knobs with abundant spherical granulations (Fig. 2D); caudal corner of paraterga narrowly rounded, declined ventrad, but not projecting beyond rear tergal margin (Fig. 2A).

Dorsum convex, postcollum paraterga flat, very broad and long, narrowly rounded laterally, evidently and regularly declivous and continuing the outline of dorsum; anterior edge straight, rib-shaped, forming a distinct shoulder, abundantly microgranulate and micropilose (Fig. 3C); tips of paraterga reaching level of venter, directed increasingly caudolaterad starting with segment 14, drawn behind rear tergal margin on segments 16-18 and strongly curved caudad on segment 19 (Fig. 3H); metatergal tuberculations arranged in 5-6 irregular transverse rows of small, round, setigerous knobs surrounded with abundant spherical granulations, these partly extending onto paraterga (Figs 2E, I, 3E, F, G); tergal setae rather short, slender and simple, mostly retained in caudal row on each metatergum (Fig. 2E), macrochaetae absent.

Limbus a row of simple, relatively short, tongue-shaped protuberances, abundantly microdenticulate apically (Fig. 2E, H). Ozopores invisible, pore formula untraceable. Pleurosternal carinae with complete crests only on segments 2 and 3 (♀) or with a sharp caudal tooth on segments 2 and 3, but segment 4 with a small rounded denticle (♂), thereafter absent.

Axial line absent. Stricture dividing pro- and metazonae broad, shallow and smooth, with abundant spherical granulations dorsally and microgranulate laterally (Fig. 3E).

Epiproct (Fig. 3H, L) conical, flattened dorsoventrally, microtuberculate, with four strong apical papillae. Hypoproct roundly subtrapeziform (Fig. 3I), 1+1 caudal setae clearly separated, borne on small, but evident knobs.

Sterna usual, sparsely setose, without modifications, cross-impressions evident (Fig. 3I).

Legs very long and slender, without modifications (Figs 2G, 3I), ca. 1.3-1.4 times as long as paratergal width (♂, ♀) (Figs 1-3); in length, femora = tarsi >> prefemora & gt; tibiae> coxae and postfemora (Fig. 2G); gonapophyses on ♂ coxae 2 small cones; neither adenostyles nor tarsal brushes present. Gonopod aperture transversely ovoid, caudal and lateral margins thin, only slightly elevated (Fig. 2A).

Gonopods (Figs 2A, 3J, K, 4) complex. Each coxa with a conspicuous, high, curved, laterally densely setose process (cxp). Telopodite stout, clearly curved caudolaterad (Fig. 3J), approximately twice as long as coxal process, divided by a notch, but compact apically (Fig. 4).

Remarks.

All five specimens were taken from a rather large population found on limestone rocks, as well as on tree trunks during the rainy season. It seems noteworthy that the surface structures illustrated in the new species, such as the sculpture of the prozonae and the shape of the limbus (Fig. 2H, I), perfectly match the findings of Akkari and Enghoff (2011) in other genera/species of the same family.