Chaleponcus vilici, Enghoff, 2014

Enghoff, Henrik, 2014, A mountain of millipedes I: An endemic species-group of the genus Chaleponcus Attems, 1914, from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 100, pp. 1-75 : 48-50

Chaleponcus vilici sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F44D3A63-1E8A-4D6E-AE7D-6BC61723D34F

Figs 8–9 , 24

( C. vilici sp. nov. has the lateral side of the coxa somewhat angled which reminds of a small lateral process)

Diagnosis

Medium-sized. Differs from all other species of the C. dabagaensis group by the two-levelled metaplical shelf and the course of the metaplical shelf-spine, which fits between the two levels of the shelf. Gonopod coxa ( Fig. 9 ) without a lateral process; metaplical shelf-spine long.

Etymology

The name honours Richard L. Hoffman (1927–2012) global grand-master of diplopodology through much of the last half of the previous, as well as the first decade of the present century. Vilici is the genitive case of the Latin noun vilicus, meaning ‘steward’, which is also the original meaning of the name Hoffman.

Material studied (total: 37 ♂♂)

Holotype

TANZANIA: ♂, Iringa Region, Iringa District, New Dabaga / Ulangambi FR, 08°04’ 05.7” S, 35°54’ 18.8” E, montane, 1930–1950 m asl, plot 1, casual, 16–19 Oct. 2000, Frontier Tanzania leg. ( ZMUC).

Paratypes

All from TANZANIA, Iringa Region, Iringa District, New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR, all collected by Frontier Tanzania, all in ZMUC: 23 ♂♂, 08°04’ 05.7” S, 35°54’ 18.8” E, montane, 1930–1950 m asl, plot 1, casual, 16–19 Oct. 2000; 3 ♂♂, 08°00’ 26.6” S, 35°56’ 06.1” E, montane forest, 1910 m asl, plot Kinyonga, casual, 24 Oct. 2000; 1 ♂, 08°00’ 26.5” S, 35°56’ 06.1” E, scrub/thicket/bush, 1908 m asl, plot Kinyonga, 19 Oct. 2000; 1 ♂, 08°04’ 05.7” S, 35°54’ 13.8” E, montane, 1940 m asl, plot 1, sample 1 of 3, 16 Oct. 2000; 7 ♂♂, 08°03’ 34.9” S, 35°54’ 41.9” E, montane, 1955 m asl, plot 24, casual, 2 Nov. 2000; 1 ♂, 08°04’ 05.6” S, 35°54’ 20.4” E, montane, 1930 m asl, plot 6, sample 3 of 3, 27 Oct. 2000.

Type locality

TANZANIA: Iringa Region, Iringa District, Udzungwa Mts, New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR, 08°04’ 05.7” S, 35°54’ 18.8” E, montane, 1930–1950 m asl.

Description (male)

DIAMETER. 2.0– 2.1 mm, 46–49 podous rings.

COLOUR. After 12 years in alcohol pale brown below ozopores, blackish above, dorsally with a light band with a thin dark midline, telson blackish.

ANAL VALVES. Each with a long, slightly curving dorsal spine, no ventral spine; marginal rim raised, setiferous tubercles on ‘ravelins’.

LIMBUS. With long, triangular, apically rounded lobes, ca. 1½ times longer than wide, lobes striate on external surface.

TARSAL SETATION. Normal.

GONOPOD COXA ( Figs 9 , 24 ). About 3 × as long as wide. Lateral margin shallowly S-shaped: slightly convex in middle, then slightly concave, subdistally with a protruding angle (la), apical margin starting from la oblique, shallowly sinuous; cucullus (cu) hence triangular, apically with small mesad process. Metaplical flange (mf) ending in blunt, rounded angle, no process; metaplical mesal margin with 3 processes: a rounded, semicircular process (mp) basal to arculus and two processes, formed by metaplical shelf, distal to arculus. Metaplical shelf (ms) massive, with two levels separated by concavity into which tip of metaplical shelf-spine (mss) fits. mss long, slender, originating from distal surface of ms, from there first projecting distad, then turning posteriad at right angles and curving smoothly basad, and then anteriad, fitting between two levels of ms, in mesal view ( Fig. 24D ) almost forming a letter D (mss frequently broken).

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Figs 8B , 24 ). Solenomere (slm) with a long, straight proximal spine (ps). Telomere distally with two relatively small branches, folded around each other somewhat like a pair of onefingered hands, the ‘finger’ of the anterior lamella (al) having smooth edges, that of the slenderer posterior lamella (pl) having jagged edges.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from Udzungwa Mts, New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR. Altitudinal range: 1908–1955 m asl.

Coexisting species

C. gracilior sp. nov., C. malleolus sp. nov., C. nectarinia sp. nov., C. netus sp. nov., C. teres sp. nov. and C. termini sp. nov. were found in the same samples as C. vilici sp. nov. In addition, C. dabagaensis , C. krai sp. nov., C. mwabvui sp. nov. and C. vandenspiegeli sp. nov. occur in New Dabaga/Ulangambi FR.

Figures

Fig. 8. Gonopod telopodite terminology. — A. Left telopodite of Chaleponcus termini sp. nov., posterior view. White oval = basomere, blue oval = torsotope, red oval = telomere, yellow = solenomere (slm), green = proximal spine of solenomere (ps), pxl = proximal lobe of telomere, st = main stem of telomere, st’ = shallow lobe of st. B–C. Torsotope (left gonopod) with torsotope process (tp). B. C. vilici sp. nov., mesal-anterior view. C. C. netus sp. nov., posterior view. D. Solenomere (C. dabagaensis) to show longitudinal fluting. E. Tip of solenomere (C. netus sp. nov.) to show spinulation. Scales: 0.1 mm (A– D), 0.01 mm (E).

Fig. 9. Chaleponcus spp., outline of coxite of left gonopod, posterior view. (The ’transverse’ plane of the gonopod is usually slightly at angles with the exact transverse plane of the millipede, so it may be necessary to tilt the gonopod slightly in order to obtain the view shown on the drawings.) The stippled lines indicate the place where the telopodital basomere emerges from the coxal cavity. Not to scale.

Fig. 24. Chaleponcus vilici sp. nov., left gonopod. A. Posterior view. B. Mesal view. C. Mesal-anterior view. D. Close-up of metaplical shelf-spine, mesal view. E. Anterior (and slightly apical/ventral) view. F. Telopodite, distal view, showing solenomere and the two distal telomere branches. al = anterior lamella of telomere, cu = cucullus, la = lateral angle of coxa, mf = metaplical flange, mp = mesal metaplical process, ms = metaplical shelf, mss = metaplical shelf-spine, pl = posterior lamella of telomere, slm = solenomere. Scales: 0.1 mm (A–D), 0.01 mm (E–F).