Xystopyge frontieri, Frederiksen, Sara B. & Enghoff, Henrik, 2012

Frederiksen, Sara B. & Enghoff, Henrik, 2012, East African odontopygid millipedes 1: Five new species of Xystopyge (Attems, 1909) and a proposal for a new gonopod terminology (Diplopoda; Spirostreptida; Odontopygidae), Zootaxa 3485, pp. 69-82 : 75-77

Xystopyge frontieri n. sp.

Fig. 8 , 11 .

Material: Holotype male: TANZANIA, Tanga region, Muheza + Korogwe districts, Nilo forest reserve 04°57`53,1”S 38°38`28,6”E, 09/II/2001, Frontier Tanzania, ( ZMUC 00020526)

Diagnosis: Metaplica large, proplica small. Differs from congeneric species by its broad gonopod coxa with a short apical metaplical process and a large hook-shaped posteriad posterior process.

Etymology: The name honours the NGO Frontier (http://www.frontier.ac.uk/About-Us/Background- Mission.aspx) in recognition of their huge effort to document and protect biodiversity in Tanzania and elsewhere. Description:

Body length 91 mm, diameter 4.5 mm. 59 podous body rings, no apodous rings in front of telson. Coloration (after 11 years in alcohol): Same as X. pelecys , but slightly more yellow, especially telson. Head and body: 6 horizontal rows of ocelli. Length of eye (along upper row of ocelli) 0.72 × interocular distance. Distal margin of mandibular stipes very shallowly bilobed, almost square. Lateral lobes of collum rounded with two furrows, the ventral furrow positioned close to the edge, both clearly visible. Setae on the anal valves cannot be ruled out since there is a puncture mark on either valve from which a seta might have been situated but since broken off. Otherwise as described for X. pelecys .

Gonopods ( Figs. 8 , 11 ): Anterior sternum (st) as in X. lamella ; triangular-elongated, squat (slightly tilted in Fig. 11 which makes it look even squatter). Coxae: Mesal metaplical flange (mmf) small as in all Xystopyge . Proplica with a lateral, anteriad proplical flange (pf), centrally placed on proplica. Proplica ending in a distad proplical lobe (pl). Metaplica with a small triangular lateral metaplical process (lmp), and a distad apical metaplical process (amp). Median metaplical process (mmp) projecting anteriad with two distad lobes, making the process look saddle-shaped. Furthermore a quite large posteriad posterior metaplical lobe (pml) is present, in anterior view visible medially to the apical metaplical process. Telopodite: basomere with extended torsotope, no spines. Solenomere with long spine (bss) basally and a short dark spine (ass1) and a sligthly longer lamellate spine (ass2) apically. Solenomere closely appressed to telomere; solenomere and telomere performing a complete horizontal loop. Telomere elongated with lamellae running down its sides, making it look ribbon-shaped. Lamellae broadened, rounded apically. Two short, dark sclerotized telomeric spines located mesally (ts1, ts2). Posterior sternum somewhat like in X. lamella , but indentation placed proximally, instead of in the middle.

Remarks: Resembles X. lamella , but coxa with a large curved posteriad posterior lobe (pml) where X. lamella has a bicuspid apex. Also X. frontieri has an inconspicuous triangular lateral metaplical process (lmp), which X. lamella does not. The telomere has two extra spines compared to X. lamella , one medially, one distally, both small and dark sclerotized. Differs from X. enghoffi by the direction of the posterior metaplical lobe (pml): in X. frontieri it is curved proximad whereas in X. enghoffi is curved apicad. Furthermore, X. frontieri does not have a proplical flange which is present in X. enghoffi , and the sternum of the latter species is more elongate.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Xystopyge spp., solenomere apex (X. proplicatus: complete solenomere). — asl: apical solenomere lamella, ass: apical solenomere spine, bss: basal solenomere spine, msl: mesal solenomere lamella.

FIGURE 11. Xystopyge frontieri n. sp., left gonopod, anterior view. Scale 1 mm. — amp: apical metaplical process, bss: basal solenomere spine, lmp: lateral metaplical process, mmf: mesal metaplical flange, mmp: median metaplical process, pf: proplical flange, pl: proplical lobe, pml: posterior metaplical lobe, st: anterior sternum, ts 1, ts 2: telomeric spines.