Hessebius jangtseanus ( Verhoeff, 1942 )

Pei, Sujian, Ma, Huiqin, Zapparoli, Marzio & Zhu, Mingsheng, 2010, A review of the Chinese species of Hessebius Verhoeff, 1941 (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha: Lithobiidae), Zootaxa 2631, pp. 51-61 : 53

1. Hessebius jangtseanus ( Verhoeff, 1942)

Lithobius (Paobius) jangtseanus Verhoeff 1942: 46 , fig. 14.

Hessebius jangtseanus ( Verhoeff, 1942) : Eason 1986: 191.

Lithobius jangtseanus Verhoeff, 1942 : Wang & Mauriès 1996: 90. non Paobius jangtseanus Verh. : Loksa 1965: 213, figs 55–62.

Material examined. 4 3, 4 ƤƤ, China, Sanshenggou, Wolong Town, Wenchuan County, Aba City, Sichuan Province, 31°24'N 103°48'E, altitude range 2800–3300 m, 12 June 2003, leg. Chao Zhang.

Diagnosis. Body length 6.9–10.7 mm, 14.0 mm in Verhoeff’s (1942) original description, antennae of 19– 22 articles, commonly 20+20; 9–12 ocelli moderately small, approximately equal in size arranged in 3 horizontal rows on each side, the posterior ocellus oval to round, comparatively large; Tömösváry’s organ moderately large, rounded, slightly bigger than the adjoining ocelli; 2+2 moderately sharp coxosternal teeth; porodont moderately thickset, posterolateral to lateral tooth; all tergites without sharp posterior triangular projections; legs 14 and 15 thicker than anterior ones in female, legs more thicker in male; coxal pores 4–6, ovate to round, arranged in one row; the first article of the female gonopods with 2+2 thick, bullet–shaped spurs, the second article of the female gonopods having a moderately feeble long terminal spur pointing backwards; apical claw simple, only with one small ventral triangular denticle; male gonopods short and small, only a small hemispherical bulge, with 1–2 long setae on the surface, tip slightly sclerotised. Leg spinulation as in Tab. 1.

C t P F T C t P F T 1 – – p am am – – p ap a 2 – – mp amp am – – p ap a 3–9 – – mp amp am – – ap ap ap 10 – – (a)mp amp am – – ap ap ap 11 – – (a)mp amp am – – amp ap ap 12 – – amp amp am – – amp ap ap 13–14 – m amp amp am a – amp ap ap 15 – m amp am a a – amp ap – Distribution. H. jangtseanus seems to date confined to Central China, in the Sichuan region. The type specimens (3 ƤƤ) examined by Veroheff (1942: 47) were collected in “nördlich Yekundo [= Jyekundo (Yushu)] im Yangtsetale”. All the specimens here examined were collected in Sanshenggou, Wolong Town, Wenchuan County, Aba City, Sichuan Province, 31°24'N 103°48'E. Records from Mongolia published under Paobius jangtseanus by Loksa (1965), belong to Lithobius giganteus Seliwanoff, 1881 according to Loksa (1978); see also Eason (1986).

Ecological notes. Verhoeff (1942: 47) noticed this species in “Zwergbiotop mit Weidenberberitzen und Rhododendren” at 4300 m above sea level. The specimens here examined were collected in forest of Larix mastersiana , in moderately moist soil under stones, altitudinal range 2800–3300 m.

Remarks. The material here examined morphologically mostly agree with the original description of the species given by Verhoeff (1942) except for the body size, 6.9–10.7 mm long in the new specimens, 14.0 mm long in the Verhoeff's specimens. Although the type specimens of H. jangtseanus has never been revised and their body length has never been confirmed, this differences in size is not surprising if we assume the type specimens mature. Actually, differences in body size could be the expression of a variation in this character, as observed in other species of Hessebius such as H. barbipes , which in Middle East populations body length range from near 12 to 19.5 mm ( Eason 1981; Negrea & Matic 1995), or H. procurvus , from Turkmenistan, 18- 28 mm long ( Zalesskaja 1978).