Sphaerobelum splendidum Wesener 2019, new species
Creators: name: Wesener, Thomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Sphaerotheriida
Zephronidae
Sphaerobelum
Sphaerobelum splendidum

description: Sphaerobelum splendidum new species
Figures 6H, 9D, 22.
Material examined: 1 M holotype (SMF) from Laos, Bolikhamsay Province, Lak Sao (1) (N18°11'09.0", 104°53'55.0"E), 500 m; cave entrance, rocks, vegetation, leg. 8.XI.2009, at day, by hand, P. Jäger & S. Bayer.
Diagnosis: S. splendidum n. sp. belongs to a group of Sphaerobelum species in which the mesal margin of the femur is unmodified (Fig. 22B). S. splendidum n. sp. shares only with S. hirsutum, S. clavigerum, S. nigrum n. sp. and S. schwendingeri n. sp. the presence of a "hook" at telopoditomere 4 of the posterior telopods (Figs 22G, H). S. splendidum n. sp. differs from S. hirsutum in the presence of glabrous tergites, from S. clavigerum in the presence of a short locking carina on the anal shield. Differs from S. nigrum n. sp. in the presence of a cylindrical antennomere 6, the presence of only 5–7 ventral spines on the tarsi (8–10 ventral spines in the aother species) (Fig. 22B), and the presence of a strongly curved telopoditomere 4 of the posterior telopod, all characters only shared with S. laoticum n. sp. and S. schwendingeri n. sp. S. splendidum n. sp. differs from both in the following characters: Anterior telopod, telopoditomeres 3 and 4 clearly separated (Figs 22 D–F) (separation only partly visible in S. laoticum n. sp. and S. schwendingeri n. sp.), antennae and legs brown (both red in S. laoticum n. sp. and S. schwendingeri n. sp.).
Description: Measurements: Body length 21.4 mm. Width, of thoracic shield = 11.3 mm (= broadest). Height, of thoracic shield = 5.9 mm (= highest). Coloration: Head and collum chestnut brown. Tergites black olive green, posterior tergite margin light brown (Fig. 6H). Antennae and legs dirty brown.
Head: with 40–50 ocelli. Antennae extending posteriorly to leg 5. Size of antennomeres 1=2=3=4=5<6, 6th apically widened, not flat. Apical disc carrying 49/46 apical cones. Antennomere 1–5 with only few setae. Organ of Tömösváry located inside antennal groove. Gnathochilarium: usual for the order, sensory cones located in clusters. Mandibles: not investigated.
First stigmatic plate: small, well-rounded, inconspicuous (Fig. 22A). Laterotergites: 1 and 2 with a short, but sharp, spine-like projection. Collum: only short setae at margin.
Thoracic shield: Shallow grooves with few setae, surface glabrous. Margin towards grooves with 2 anterior and 3 or 4 posterior keels. Tergites: shiny, polished, at high magnification chagrinated. Paratergite tips weakly projecting posteriorly (Fig. 6H). Tergite surface glabrous except for paratergite grooves. Endotergum (Fig. 9D): inner section without setae or spines. Single, sparse row of slightly elliptical large cuticular impressions, distance between impressions slightly larger than their diameter. Externally 2–3 rows of medium length marginal bristles, protruding at most up to tergite margin (Fig. 9D). Legs: leg-pair 1 with 2 ventral spines, leg pair 2 with 3, leg pair 3 with 4 or 5, leg pairs 4–21 with only 5–7. Apical spine present at tarsi 3–21. In leg 9, femur 1.6 times, tarsus 3.3 times longer than wide (Fig. 22B). Coxae 1 and 2 without a coxal process (Figs 22A, C). Anal shield: wellrounded, glabrous, underside with a single very small, almost dot-like, locking carina.
Male sexual characters: Male gonopore large, covered by small, inconspicuous plate (Fig. 22C). Anterior telopods (Figs 22 D–F): telopoditomere 1 rectangular, as long as wide. Telopoditomere 2 large, as long as telopoditomeres 3 and 4 combined. Process of telopoditomere 2 located posteriorly and laterally, visible in anterior view. Process of telopoditomere 2 slender, projecting almost as high as apical part of telopoditomere 4, apical part well-rounded. Telopoditomere 3 as long as wide, almost twice as long as telopoditomere 4, inconspicuous. telopoditomere 3 and 4 fused in posterior view, divided by a suture in anterior and lateral views. Telopoditomere 4 well-rounded, tapering apically. Posterior aspect with one black sclerotized spot and 2 spines. All podomeres apically covered with long setae. Posterior telopods (Figs 22G, H): telopoditomere 1 elongated, twice as long as wide. Immovable finger (process of telopoditomere 2) as long as movable finger, consisting of telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Immovable finger with a characteristic, distally swollen apex, massively swollen and curved towards movable finger. Apically broader than base. Telopoditomere 3 elongated, towards immovable finger at midpoint with a triangular extension carrying two large spines. Telopoditomere 4 tapering, apically strongly curved towards immovable finger, with thinly projecting apex. At inner margin with a large spine at midpoint and 1 or 2 smaller spines apically. Entire telopoditomere 1 and 2 at both sides covered with long setae, except for the immovable finger. Telopoditomere 3 only baso-laterally with a few setae, remaining part as well as telopoditomere 4 glabrous.
Derivatio nominis: splendidum, noun in apposition, based on the shiny appearance of this species.
description: Published as part of Wesener, Thomas, 2019, First records of giant pill-millipedes from Laos (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae), pp. 201-248 in Zootaxa 4563 (2) on pages 232-233, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4563.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2601072