Leptherpum buenovillegasi Bouzan, Means, Ivanov & Almeida, 2022

Bouzan, Rodrigo S., Means, Jackson C., Ivanov, Kaloyan, Almeida, Thaís Melo de, Brescovit, Antonio Domingos & Iniesta, Luiz Felipe M., 2022, Three new species of the Amazonian millipede genus Leptherpum (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae), Zoologia (e 22020) 39, pp. 1-18 : 11

Leptherpum buenovillegasi Bouzan, Means, Ivanov & Almeida , sp. nov.

Figs 35−40 , 53

https://zoobank.org/ CDFBE356-72E5-4445-8B80-76195CEA10B6

Diagnosis. Adult males differ from all other species of the genus by the following combination of characters: prefemoral process longer than wide, oval; secondary process spatulate, arising from the basal inner margin of the prefemoral process ( Fig. 39 ) and curving upward at approximately 45°; color of body rings dark red to black ( Figs 35−37 ).

Description. Male (Holotype, INPA 396). Coloration (preserved in 70% ethanol): head and antennae dark reddish; labrum lighter than the head; 7 th antennomere yellowish; body and paranota tips dark red, nearly black ( Figs 35−37 ); legs reddish brown, lighter than paranota ( Fig. 36 ); telson dark reddish ( Fig. 37 ). Head: with several thin setae; incisura lateralis suboval. Antennae: almost reaching the 5 th body ring; 5 th, 6 th and 7 th antennomere with a grouping of basiconic sensilla in small clusters on the distal and external margin. Body rings: cuticle with several small tubercles scattered across the metazonites; some larger tubercles along the posterior edge region of the metazonites, distributed in two nearly horizontal rows; large tubercles barely noticeable on the last segments ( Fig. 37 ). Sternites with several thin elongate setae; sternite of sixth segment with two pairs of small, acute projections, becoming more conspicuous along the post-gonopodal sternites. Paranota: anterior border rounded; posterior border sub-rectangular ( Fig. 35−37 ); metazonites 6, 8, 11, and 14 with small “tooth” on the posterior border ( Fig. 36 ). Ozopore arrangement: 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–19 (following the typical polydesmidan pore formula); ozopores surrounded by peritremata, positioned medially on paranota; peritremata suboval, projected laterally( Fig. 36 ). Legs without modifications, except for a conspicuous dorsal lobe on the prefemur. Telson:triangular ( Fig. 37 ); epiproct with (3+3) macrosetae on the dorsal side supported by small projections; two pairs (2+2) of spinnerets, superior pair more closely positioned to each other as compared to the inferior one; paraprocts each with two macrosetae; hypoproct triangular with one pair of macrosetae supported by small triangular projections. Gonopod aperture transversely oval, as typical for the genus, small, with a lateral pair of sclerotized triangular slit to accommodate the gonopods ( Fig. 8 ).

Total length: 55.30. Total width: 8.13. Antennomere lengths (1−7): 0.68; 1.77; 1.53; 1.38; 1.29; 1.61; 0.31. Podomere lengths (1−7): 0.49; 0.89; 2.34; 0.80; 0.82; 1.44; tarsal claw 0.26. Gonopod aperture: length 0.85, width 1.88. Telson length: 1.07. Gonopod: length 1.65, width 1.74. Gonocoxae: length 0.67, width 1.46. Telopodite: length 1.60, width 0.77. Gonopods: gonocoxae subequal to the length of the telopodite, globose, projected on the ectal side ( Fig. 40 ); with a small spiniform process; two macrosetae present on the dorsal side and two additional macrosetae present on the terminal portion of the ectal side. Prefemoral region ventrally positioned and setose, approximately 1/2 the length of the solenomere ( Figs 38, 39 ). Prefemoral and acropodite regions separated by a cingulum basally (C; Figs 38−40 ). Prefemoral process (PfP; Fig. 38 ): longer than wide; longer than the solenomere; containing a thin ( Fig. 38 ) and spatulate ( Fig. 39 ) secondary process on the inner margin of its basal portion. Solenomere falciform, carrying the seminal groove to apical point (S; Figs 38−40 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype: male from Crique Alama (2°13’40.6”N; 54°27’58.1”W), Maripasoula, French Guiana, 08.iii.2015, alt. 595m, V. Vedel leg. ( INPA 396 ).

Distribution. Known only from Maripasoula, French Guiana ( Fig. 53 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of Dr. Julián Bueno Villegas for his friendship and outstanding contributions to our knowledge of millipedes.

Figures

Figure 53. Distribution map of Leptherpum Attems, 1931 species. Taxa without precise geographic coordinates, i.e., L. californicum, L. huebneri, and L. schomburgkii, are not shown.

Figures 35−40. Leptherpum buenovillegasi sp. nov., male holotype (INPA 396). (35) anterior body rings, dorsal view; (36) midbody rings, dorsal view; (37) posterior body rings, dorsal view; (38) right gonopod, mesal view; (39) right gonopod, ventral view; (40) right gonopod, ectal view. Scale bars: 35−37 = 2 mm; 38−40 = 500 µm.

Figures 3−8. General somatic features of L. carinovatum (Attems, 1898). (3) male (IBSP 8300), head, oral view; (4) male (IBSP 8300), gnathochilarium, ventral view; (5) male (IBSP 8300), antenna, lateral view; (6) male (IBSP 8300), coxae of 2nd pair of legs, showing the gonopores, ventral view; (7) male syntype (ZMH), detail of body rings 6–7, ventral view; (8) male (IBSP 8300), body ring 7, detail of gonopod aperture, ventral view. The arrows point to the gonopores. Scale bars: 3−5, 8 = 1 mm; 6 = 500 µm; 7 = 2.5 mm.