Eviulisoma zebra, Enghoff, 2018

Enghoff, Henrik, 2018, A mountain of millipedes VII: The genus Eviulisoma Silvestri, 1910, in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, and related species from other Eastern Arc Mountains. With notes on Eoseviulisoma Brolemann, 1920, and Suohelisoma Hoffman, 1963 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 445, pp. 1-90 : 63-66

Eviulisoma zebra sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CDF79D62-E412-4DC3-AE93-6832AAC737 A 4

Figs 1 , 4C , 30–31

Diagnosis

Differs from other species of the E. sternale group by the combination of its large size (width 3.0 mm), the lack of an apical dentate ridge on map and the lack of modification of post-gonopodal prefemora and femora.

Etymology

A noun in apposition alluding to the striped appearance of this species.

Material studied (total: 5 ♂♂)

Holotype

TANZANIA: ♂, Udzungwa Mts National Park , 07°40.786´S, 36°55.120´E, 1450 m a.s.l., 8 Oct. 2014, Martin Nielsen leg. ( ZMUC).

Paratypes

TANZANIA: 4 ♂♂, same collection data as for holotype (ZMUC).

Description (male)

SIZE. Length 31 mm, max. width 3.0 mm.

COLOUR. Live ( Fig. 1 ) and freshly preserved animals vividly ringed. Head, collum, telson and metazonites except for a narrow anterior zone deep black, contrasting with white prozonites, antennomeres 1–5 and legs; antennomeres 6–7 brown.

ANTENNAE. Reaching back to anterior part of ring 5.

BODY RINGS. Paranota absent, except for tiny keels on ring 2 ( Fig. 4C ). Stricture between pro- and metazonite clearly striolate ( Fig. 30 A ). A transverse row of setae on ring 2, ring 3 sometimes with a few tiny setae, following rings without setae.

HYPOPROCT. Rounded-trapezoid, without distinct tubercles.

LEGS. Length 1.3× body width. Relative lengths of podomeres: femur> prefemur = tarsus> tibia> postfemur. Legs densely hirsute on ventral surface ( Fig. 30D ), but proper scopulae poorly developed, on postfemur, tibia and tarsus ( Fig. 30C ); those on tarsus also present on posteriormost legs, however.

STERNUM 5. A rounded-trapezoid process between legs 4.

STERNUM 6 ( Fig. 30B ). Deeply excavated. Lateral rims of excavation produced into two lobes on each side, one lobe at basis of each leg.

GONOPODS ( Fig. 31 ). Coxal lobe (cxl) prominent. Prefemoral part (prf) ca 0.3× as long as acropodite. Mesal acropodital process (map) long, slender, slightly curved, apically divided into three pointed tines (tn1, tn2, tn3); ventral tine (tn1) process largest, separated from the two others by a V-shaped incision; lumps of an amorphous mass (am) adhering to tip of map. Solenophore (sph) ca 0.7× as long as map, a simple rolled sheet, ending in two small processes, one slender, the other broadly triangular.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from the Udzungwa Mts National Park, 1450 m a.s.l.

Remarks

Although this species is very similar to the two other species in the E. sternale group, especially to E. kangense sp. nov., it differs by lacking the peculiar modifications of the prefemur and femur of at least some post-gonopodal legs.

Figures

Fig. 1. Eviulisoma Zebra sp. nov., one of the strikingly marked species from the Udzungwa Mts. Photograph by Martin Nielsen.

Fig. 4. Eviulisoma spp. A–B. E. paradisiacum sp. nov., ♂. A. Head and rings 1–8, lateral view. B. Head and collum, frontal view. C. E. Zebra sp. nov., ♂, head and rings 1–3, lateral view. Abbreviation: pn = paranotum. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Fig. 30. Eviulisoma Zebra sp. nov., paratype. A. Midbody ring, showing carinulate stricture and ozopore. B. Sternum 6, showing lobate rim of excavation. C–D. Midbody leg. C. Tarsus and part of tibia, showing scopulae. D. Prefemur and femur, showing dense setation. Abbreviations: oZ = ozopore; str = stricture. Scale bars: A–B = 0.2 mm; C–D = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 31. Eviulisoma Zebra sp. nov., paratypes. A. Paratype 1, right gonopod, mesal view. B–C. Paratype 2, gonopods. B. Lateral view. C. Ventral view; notice lumps of secretion between apical tines. D. Paratype 1, right gonopod, (latero-)ventral view. Abbreviations: am = amorphous mass; cxl = coxal lobe; map = mesal acropodital process; sph = solenophore; slm = solenomere; tn1, tn2, tn3 = apical tines of process map. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.