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

description: Sphaerobelum peterjaegeri new species
Figures 6F, 19
Material examined: 1 M, holotype (SMF SD553) from Laos, Luang Prabang Province, SE Luang Prabang, Nam Khan, Ban Pak Bak, Houay Kho, 328 m, (N19°44'09.1", 102°16'37.5"E), bank of stream, under stone, moist sand and gravel, leg. 28.II.2008, P. Jäger.
Diagnosis: S. peterjaegeri n. sp. belongs to a group of Sphaerobelum species in which the mesal margin of the femur is unmodified (Fig. 19B). S. peterjaegeri n. sp. shares only with S. separatum, S. truncatum and S. lachneeis n. sp. the absence of a "hook" at telopoditomere 4 of the posterior telopods (Figs 19G, H). S. peterjaegeri n. sp. differs from S. separatum in the absence of a lateral extension on podomere 3 of the anterior telopod, as well as the absence of an incurved process on telopoditomere 4 of the posterior telopods. S. peterjaegeri n. sp. is very similar to S. truncatum, but differs in several characters: <70 apical cones on the antenna (> 80 in S. truncatum), antennae and legs orange-red (yellow in S. truncatum), femur 1.7 times longer than wide (2.0 times longer than wide in S. truncatum).
Description. Measurements: Body length: holotype male: length ca 23.8 mm. Width of thoracic shield = 11.6 mm (= broadest). Height of thoracic shield = 6.9 mm (= highest). Coloration: in preserved specimens brown to orange (Fig. 6F). Collum dark olive brown, same as head. Antennae and legs orange.
Head: Eyes with ca. 60 ocelli. Aberrant ocellus located inside antennal groove. Antennae short, with rounded joints, extending posteriorly to leg-pair 3. First antennomere with cuticular scales. Lengths of antennomeres: 1=2=3=4=5<<6. Shape of apical joint thickened, apically widened. Apical disc with ca 66/68 apical cones. Organ of Tömösváry located inside antennal groove. Gnathochilarium: structure typical of the order. Palpi with sensory cones arranged in a single field. Mandibles: not dissected.
Stigmatic plates: first stigmatic plate well-rounded (Fig. 19A). Laterotergites: laterotergite 1 slightly projecting into a sharp but short tip. Laterotergite 2 with a broad, stout, much shorter projection. Collum: with few isolated setae on entire surface. Thoracic shield: surface hirsute like tergites, longer setae only in grooves. Shallow grooves beset with numerous long setae, slope towards groove with 4 or 5 posterior keels, anterior keels absent. Tergites: surface densely setose with short setae. Tips of paratergites of midbody tergites projecting posteriorly (Fig. 6F). Endotergum: posterior margin conspicuously tesselated. Inner section without any setae or spines. Middle area with a single row of dense elliptical, cuticular impressions, distance between impressions slightly smaller than their diameter. Apically, 2-3 dense rows of short marginal bristles, the longest just protruding up to 2/ 3 of the distance to tergal margin. Bristles not smooth, but with numerous small spicules. Anal shield: wellrounded. Surface completely covered by tiny setae. Underside with a single, very long black, locking carina, located close to last laterotergite. Legs: leg-pair 1 with 2 ventral spines, leg-pair 2 with 4, leg-pair 3 with 6. First two leg-pairs without an apical spine. Leg-pairs 4–21 with 7–10 ventral spines and one dorso-apical spine. In leg 9, femur 1.7 times, tarsus 4.6 times longer than wide (Fig. 19B). All podomeres densely setose. Coxa with a large and well-rounded process. Coxal process absent at leg 1 and 2 (Figs 19A, C).
Female unknown
Male sexual characters: gonopore covered with a single, undivided, circular, sclerotized plate (Fig. 19C). Anterior telopods (Figs 19 D–F): consisting of 4 telopoditomeres above syncoxite. Telopoditomere 1 rectangular, as long as wide. Telopoditomere 2 large, as long as telopoditomere 1. Process of telopoditomere 2 located posteriorly, visible in anterior view. Process of telopoditomere 2 wide, projecting to half of telopoditomere 4, apically with a well-rounded tip. Telopoditomere 3 cylindrical, straight, apically slightly tapering, as long as telopoditomere 4. telopoditomere 4 cylindrical, apex slightly bent posteriorly. Posterior side with a black sclerotized spot and two small, triangular spines. Telopoditomeres 1–4 with only few, mainly marginal long setae. Posterior telopods (Figs 19G, H): telopoditomere 1 elongated, twice as long as wide. Immovable finger (process of telopoditomere 2) shorter than movable finger, consisting of telopoditomeres 3 and 4. Immovable finger with a characteristic, distally swollen apex, well rounded, apex not expanded, only slightly wider than base. Telopoditomere 3 elongated, towards immovable finger close to apex with a slight extension carrying a small spine. Telopoditomere 4 shorter and more slender than telopoditomere 3, 2.1 times longer than wide, apically weakly tapering, very slightly curved towards immovable finger, at inner margin with two small spines. Telopoditomere 1 and 2 at both sides covered by setae. Telopoditomere 3 at base at inner margin with a few setae, remaining parts of telopoditomeres 3 and 4 almost glabrous.
Derivatio nominis: peterjaegeri, noun in apposition, after the Arachnologist Peter Jäger, great collector of arthropods in Laos and other countries.
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 227-229, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4563.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2601072