Leucogeorgia gioi Antić & Reip 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Antić, Dragan Ž.
name: Reip, Hans S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Julidae
Leucogeorgia
Leucogeorgia gioi

description: Leucogeorgia gioi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A102B926-4299-4931-A6D7-F026A81CDE57
Figs 1C, 19–21, 56, 58
Diagnosis
This species belongs to the group of Leucogeorgia spp. without modified mouthparts and with teeth on the mesomeral claw (vs absent from L. golovatchi sp. nov., L. lobata sp. nov. and L. prometheus sp. nov.). Leucogeorgia gioi sp. nov. differs from both L. abchasica and L. satunini by having a more slender mesomeral claw with just a few teeth (vs a more robust, more or less strongly denticulate mesomeral claw in L. abchasica and L. satunini) and a strongly serrate mesomeral lamella (vs mesomeral lamella not too strongly serrate in L. abchasica and L. satunini). Leucogeorgia gioi sp. nov. differs from L. borealis sp. nov. and L. oculata sp. nov. by having an elongate and erect mesomeral claw with a few teeth (vs a stout mesomeral claw strongly denticulate in L. borealis sp. nov. and L. oculata sp. nov.).
Etymology
The new species is dedicated to its collector, Giorgi Gio Nebieridze from Georgia. Noun in the genitive case.
Material examined
Holotype
CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Chiatura District • ♂; village Gundaeti, Sachinkia Cave; 42.23° N, 43.32° E; 2 Mar. 2018; G. Nebieridze leg.; IZISU.
Paratypes
CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Chiatura District • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1 juv.; same collection data as for holotype; IZISU.
Other material
CENTRAL-WEST GEORGIA – Chiatura District • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 3 juvs; Rgani to Vachevi, Kokozouri Cave; 42.32° N, 43.22° E; 21 Nov. 2017; G. Nebieridze and S. Barjadze leg.; IZISU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 15 Jun. 2019; H. Reip leg.; SMNG • 1 ♂; village Sveri, Kotias Cave; 42.21° N, 43.32° E; Nov. 2018; G. Nebieridze leg.; IZISU • 1 ♂; Shvilobisa Cave; 42.32° N, 43.26° E; Nov. 2018; G. Nebieridze leg.; IZISU • 1 ♀; Devis Khvreli Cave; 42.31° N, 43.24° E; Nov. 2018; G. Nebieridze leg.; IZISU.
Description
SIZE AND NUMBER OF BODY RINGS. Holotype male 22 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.3 mm, body with 50 podous rings + 4 apodous rings + telson. Paratype male 32 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.6 mm, body with 67 podous rings + 0 apodous rings + telson. Females 27–31 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body rings 1.4–1.7, body with 58–62 podous rings + 1–3 apodous rings + telson.
COLOUR (Figs 1C, 19). Live colouration yellowish white. Greyish white in alcohol.
HEAD (Fig. 19B). Without ommatidia. Frontal setae absent. Labrum with three labral teeth, four supralabral setae and 18 labral setae. Gnathochilarium with rhomboid promentum; lamellae linguales with 4+4 setae in one row; stipites with 3+3 distolateral and 2+3 medial setae. Antennae 2 mm long in holotype male, their length ca 150% of vertical diameter of largest body ring. Lengths of antennomeres I–VIII (in mm): 0.14 (I), 0.43 (II), 0.34 (III), 0.34 (IV), 0.42 (V), 0.2 (VI), 0.1 (VII) and 0.03 (VIII). Length/width ratio of antennomeres I–VII: 0.9 (I), 3.3 (II), 3 (III), 2.5 (IV), 2.5 (V), 1.3 (VI) and 0.8 (VII). Antennomeres V and VI each with a terminal corolla of large sensilla basiconica bacilliformia; antennomere VII with a terminal corolla of small sensilla basiconica bacilliformia.
BODY RINGS (Fig. 19D). Entire metazonal area with longitudinal striations. Length of midbody setae ca 6% of vertical diameter of rings.
TELSON (Fig. 19C). Epiproct with a very short and blunt preanal process, covered with dorsal and lateral setae. Paraprocts rounded, with numerous setae. Hypoproct without any modifications.
LEGS IN MALES. First pair of legs modified, hook-shaped (Fig. 21 E–F), with three podomeres; coxa with one seta; prefemur with five setae; femora, postfemora, and tibiotarsi coalesced; femur with 3–4 setae; postfemur with one seta. Tibiotarsal part with a small distal lobe (tarsal remnant). Tip tuberculated. Postfemoral and tibial ventral pads well developed on anterior legs, then gradually disappearing towards posterior legs.
PENES (Fig. 21D). In form of a short trapezoid, apically with two small subtriangular lobes.
VENTRAL MARGIN OF MALE BODY RING 7 (Fig. 19E). Well-developed, subtriangular in lateral view.
GONOPODS (Figs 20, 21 A–C). Promere (p) long and slender, with a flagellum (f); apical part spatulate, with denticulate margins; basal half with two developed ridges. Mesomere (m) with a slender mesomeral claw (mc) with just a few teeth; mesomeral lamella (ml) with a strongly serrate distal margin, posterior part finely fimbriate. Opisthomere (o) bipartite. Anterior branch of o with a solenomere (s) with a long tip significantly exceeding posterior part of lamella in height, and a well-developed and fimbriate velum (v). Posterior branch of o in form of a shield-like protective lamella (pl). Mesomere and opisthomere connected basally with an accessory membrane (am).
Distribution
Known only from four caves in the Chiatura district (Fig. 58, green triangles).
Remarks
In the Kotias Cave, this species lives in sympatry with L. longipes, which has modified mouthparts; these two species represent the southeasternmost records of the genus Leucogeorgia.
description: Published as part of Antić, Dragan Ž. & Reip, Hans S., 2020, The millipede genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 in the Caucasus, with descriptions of eleven new species, erection of a new monotypic genus and notes on the tribe Leucogeorgiini (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae), pp. 1-106 in European Journal of Taxonomy 713 on pages 33-37, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.713, http://zenodo.org/record/4020752