Rondonaria schubarti, Hoffman, 2006

Hoffman, Richard L., 2006, Diplopoda From Rondônia, Brazil. Ii. Three New Genera In The Family Chelodesmidae (Polydesmida) R L. H Abstract, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (S � o Paulo) 46 (5), pp. 43-55 : 44-47

Rondonaria schubarti n. sp.

Figures 1-8

Material (all from Edo. Rondônia): Male holotype ( MZUSP) from Santa Cruz da Serra , 29 November 1983; male paratype ( MZUSP) from 5 km SW of Santa Cruz da Serra, 4-10 November 1984; female paratype ( MZUSP) from Nova Esperança, 6-9 December 1983; same locality, 1 male and 1 female paratypes ( MZUSP), 12-14 November 1984; 2 male and 1 female paratypes ( VMNH) from Nova Brazilia, 6-11 November 1984, all P.E. Vanzolini leg. , also l male paratype ( USNM) from Porto Velho de San Antonio , Rio Madeira, without date, Meade Bolton leg.

Name: A patronym honoring the contributions of Otto Schubart. Nestor of Brazilian Diplopodology.

Diagnosis: With the characteristic of the genus (vide supra).

Holotype: Adult male, ca. 77 mm long, widths of selected body segments as follows:

2 nd – 12.3 mm 12 th – 13.6 mm

4 th – 13.6 14 th – 13.7

6 th – 14.2 16 th – 12.8

10 th – 14.0 18 th – 8.8

Body widest at segment 6 but appearing nearly parallel-sided over most of length, W/L ratio near midbody, 19% Color shortly after preservation uniformly dark maroon except for labrum and coxae (nearly cerise) and dorsum of prozona (light yellowish brown with darker brown median spot).

Face generally smooth, but notably and coarsely striate both above and below antennal socket; genae not margined but with distinct shallow impression, genal head width 6.5 mm, interantennal space narrow, only 1.4 mm. About 25-25 labral marginal setae, 14-14 labroclypeal setae (which merge on each side into ca. 4 genal setae), 4-4 clypeal setae and 4-4 frontal and 1-1 interantennal. Antennae long (13.0 mm) and slender, articles not notably clavate, 2 nd- 6 th similar in size and shape, 5 th and 6 th distinctly more setose than others, each with transverse oval sensory organ on outer distal surface; four sensory cones in two diads, those of the dorsal pair distinctly larger and projecting further outward than those of the ventral pair. Entire surface of gnathochilarium, except lateral ends of mentum, invested in numerous short, dark, bristly hairs.

Dorsal surface of collum and all other terga densely granulo-coriarious vermiculate, with dispersed small granules in irregular transverse series. Collum with shallow but distinct postmarginal median transverse depression. Paranota large, nearly horizontal, those of anteriormost and posteriormost segments typically in contact; anterior corners broadly rounded with raised thin edges; peritremata large, flattened, merging evenly anteriad with edge of paranota but forming distinct offset at posterior end and not forming true posterior corner until segment 15. Metaterga of segments 5 to about 16 with vague, shallow, transverse impression. Stricture distinct around segments, anterior edge sharply defined ventrally, obsolete across dorsum.

Form of posteriormost paranota and epiproct as shown in Figure 2. Paraprocts and epiproct normal for the family, median lobe of latter unusually acute, paramedian tubercles minute.

Legs placed on elevated, glabrous podosterna about as wide as long (ca. 3.1 mm each way), sterna posterior to gonopods produced into distinct subcoxal spines, the smaller anterior placed on the condyle, the larger, darker, and more caudally declined posterior spine set some distance behind it. Sides of metazona uniformly granulate; anterior stigmata narrow vertical slits located in stricture anteriad to dorsal coxal condyle. Legs long (ca. 13 mm at midbody) and relatively slender, length order of podomeres 2>6>5>4=2, the femur by far the longest (5 mm) and equal to tibia and tarsus combined. Ventral side of all podomeres invested in numerous short bristly setae. Apicalmost tarsal setae modified: shorter than those more proximad and of a characteristic laminate form ( Fig. 3). Tarsal claw nearly straight, without ridges or other modification.

Gonopore opening on oblique inner side of subconical gonapophysis. Legs of segment 4 nearly in contact, separated by small, bilobed median sternal projection. Sterna of segments 5 and 6 produced into prominent darkly pigmented subcoxal spines, those between legs of 4 th pair nearly in contact, acutely conical, those between legs 5, 6, and 7 increasingly more separated to accomodate apices of gonopods. Anterior legs not modified, but somewhat more setose than those more posteriad.

Gonopod aperture moderate in size, transversely oval, caudal edge elevated beyond level of ventral coxal condyles of 8 th legs; anterior edge flush with surface of stricture (on this segment with sharp anterior edge). Gonopods large, extending forward between legs of 6 th segment, of the structure as described in the generic heading and shown in Figures 6 to 8.

Paratype (female from Nova Esperança): Length ca. 76 mm, maximum width 15 mm at segment 12, W/ L ratio ca. 20%. Similar to male in coloration and external structure except that legs and antennae are more slender and paranota relatively narrower. Sternal spines smaller, those of the anterior pair obsolete except on posteriormost segments.

Form of 2 nd pair of legs shown in Figures 4 and 5, coxae with prominent apical conical projections, posterior surface strongly sculptured by several long, deep oblique grooves ( Fig. 5); prefemora and femora with small but distinct acutely spiniform (possibly articular?) processes at base on anterior side (s), adjacent to condyle of preceeding podomeres, not observed in other chelodesmid genera and possibly an autapomorphy of Rondonaria (x in Fig. 4). Cyphopods small, without distinctive structure, concealed behind coxae in anterior aspect, consisting of the usual two valves, an operculum, and a small receptacle ( Fig. 5).

Distribution: In addition to the specimens personally examined, I have seen gonopod drawings (S. Golovatch, del.) of a male from Aripuanã, Mato Grosso (9.10S, 60.40W), Christine Strüssmann leg. 26 October – 2 November 2004. This locality is about 350 km east of Porto Velho, and 280 km north of Nova Esperança, these three points thus defining a fairly extensive distribution for the species.

Remarks: There appears to be substantial variability in size in this, species. In several series (e.g., Nova Esperança, Nova Brazilia) some specimens (both male and female) are about 70-77 mm long, others (both sexes) roughly 10 mm shorter but otherwise apparently typical in every respect. Perhaps these two size classes came from several local demes having different developmental histories.