Chaleponcus scopus, 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 : 27-30

Chaleponcus scopus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A4A8E1FE-3CE6-4D04-A1EE-80A63ED9FB79

Figs 4 , 9 , 15

Diagnosis

Medium-sized. Differs from all other group members by the profile of the gonopod coxal tip ( Fig. 9 ), especially the shape of the lateral process. Very similar to C. nikolajscharffi sp. nov., sharing, i.a., a nontransverse metaplical shelf and a groove for accommodating the solenomere formed by two telomere

lobes; differing from C. nikolajscharffi sp. nov. by being thinner and having a differently shaped lateral coxal process.

Etymology

The name is a Latin noun in apposition and refers to the profile of the gonopod coxa, which somewhat resembles the head profile of the hammerhead stork (Scopus umbretta).

Material studied (total: 16 ♂♂)

Holotype

TANZANIA: ♂, Iringa Region, Mufindi District, Udzungwa Mts, Kigogo FR, 1700 m, 8–10 Oct. 1984, pitfall traps in montane rain forest. N. Scharff leg. ( ZMUC).

Paratypes

All from TANZANIA, Iringa Region, Mufindi District, Udzungwa Mts, Kigogo FR, all in ZMUC: 6 ♂♂, 1700 m, 8–10 Oct. 1984, pitfall traps in montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg.; 9 ♂♂, 1900 m, 7–15 Oct. 1984, pitfall traps in montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg.

Type locality

TANZANIA: Iringa Region, Mufindi District, Udzungwa Mts, Kigogo FR, 1700 m, 8–10 Oct. 1984, montane rain forest.

Description (male)

DIAMETER. 1.9–2.0 mm, 47–49 podous rings.

COLOUR. After 30 years in alcohol with traces of paramedian darker bands flanking a broad middorsal light stripe; dark bands divided into separate dots on each diplosegment in anterior part of body.

ANAL VALVES. Each with a long dorsal spine and a well-developed, but small, triangular ventral one; marginal rim raised, setiferous tubercles well developed, on ‘ravelins’.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 4A ). With very long, slender triangular lobes; lobes ca. 2½ × as long as broad, almost meeting at base, striate on external surface.

TARSAL SETATION. Normal.

GONOPOD COXA ( Figs 9 , 15 ). About 3½ × as long as wide. Lateral margin basally slightly convex, curving strongly laterad ca. at level of prl, forming semicircular incision, and continuing in slender, curved, pointed lateral process (lp); apical margin sloping apico-mesad from process, irregularly undulate and with blunt-angled projection ca. 2/3 from tip of lp; cucullus (cu) mesally projecting as roundedsubrectangular lobe with irregularly undulate margin. Metaplical flange (mf) with very low rounded anteriad protrusion, no process; metaplical mesal margin basally straight, then overlaid by lamelloid process (mp) covering arculus. Metaplical shelf not transverse as in most other species: posterior surface of metaplica with large lobe (msl) roofing arculus; lobe concave on posterior face, folded anteriad and on anterior face giving rise to metaplical shelf-spine (mss). mms of medium length, curving first obliquely anteriad, then mesad, then obliquely basad, not reaching level of torsus.

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 15 ). Solenomere with a long, gently sinuous, mesad, proximal spine (ps)

arising from a wrinkled area. Telomere distally with two branches:

• a very large anterior lamella (al), increasing in diameter towards tip, with a broadly rounded smoothedged tip and a small, thumblike process (al’); solenomere resting between al’ and main body of al.,

• a small, rounded posterior lamella (pl) with irregular edges.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from Kigogo FR, Udzungwa Mts. Altitudinal range: 1700–1900 m asl. Habitat: montane rain forest.

Coexisting species

All four species known from Kigogo FR, i.e., C. quasimodo sp. nov., C. scopus sp. nov., C. howelli sp. nov. and C. mwabvui sp. nov., were found in the same samples.

Note

Very similar to and probably closely related to C. nikolajscharffi sp. nov. from Udzungwa Scarp FR.

Figures

Fig. 4. Limbus types in Chaleponcus species, SEM micrographs, external view, except I: internal view. — A. Lobes pointed, more than twice as long as broad (C. scopus sp. nov.). B. Lobes pointed, slightly less than twice as long as broad (C. howelli sp. nov.). C. Lobes pointed, almost equilateral triangles (C. netus sp. nov.), D. Lobes rounded, slightly longer than broad (C. dabagaensis Kraus, 1958). E. Lobes broadly rounded, slightly shorter than broad (C. hamerae sp. nov.). F. Lobes spatulate (C. gracilior sp. nov.). G. Lobes rounded, broader than long, spinose, ridged (C. krai sp. nov.). H. Lobes ca. 3 times as broad as high, rounded, spinose (C. teres sp. nov.). I. Lobes rounded, much broader than high, smooth (C. malleolus sp. nov.). J. No lobes (C. circumvallatus sp. nov.). Scales: 0.01 mm (A– F, J), 0.001 mm (G–I).

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. 15. Chaleponcus scopus sp. nov., right gonopod. A. Posterior view. B. Ventral-posterior view. C. Mesal-posterior view. D. Anterior view. al = anterior lamella of telomere, al’ = thumblike process of al, cu = cucullus, lp = lateral coxal process, mf = metaplical flange, mp = mesal metaplical process, msl = metaplical shelf-forming lobe, mss = metaplical shelf-spine, pl = posterior lamella of telomere, ps = proximal solenomeral spine, slm = solenomere. Scales 0.1 mm.