Zehntnerobolus hoffmani Wesener, new species
Creators: name: Wesener, Thomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirobolida
Pachybolidae
Zehntnerobolus
Zehntnerobolus hoffmani

description: Zehntnerobolus hoffmani Wesener new species
Etymology. hoffmani, adjective, to honour the 'Altmeister' of the Diplopoda, Dr. Richard L. Hoffman.
Material examined. Holotype: 1 M (FMMC 4014), Madagascar, Province Fianarantsoa, Ihorombe, R. S. Ivohibe, 6.5 km ESE Ivohibe, camp III, 22°29' 48" S, 46°57'18" E, 1575 m, montane rainforest, coll. B. L. Fisher, mini-Winkler, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), 24–30.X.1997.
Paratype: 1 immature M (FMMC 4014), same data as holotype.
Diagnosis: species of Zehntnerobolus differing from its congener in shape of posterior gonopods: (1) coxite separated by articulation into basis and process; (2) telopodite with apical membranous lamellae resembling a 'sail'. Z. hoffmani n. sp. differs also from Z. rubripes in the lack of sclerotized nodules on the telopodite of posterior gonopods, presence of a slender sternite of the anterior gonopods (massive in Z. rubripes), and the only weakly developed coxal processes on male leg pairs 3–5 (strongly developed in Z. rubripes).
Description. Measurements: male holotype with 40 rings, circa 36 mm long, 3.2 mm wide. Male paratype (immature) with 38+2 rings. Female unknown.
Coloration: decolorized after 13 years in ethanol. Head and antennae greyish-red (Fig. 2 A), legs brown-yellow. Body rings laterally grey, except for red posterior margin (Fig. 2 B), dorsally with thin red stripe. Preanal scale grey, anal valves orange-red (Fig. 2 C).
Head: each eye with 22–24 ocelli arranged in 6 vertical rows (Fig. 2 A). Incisura lateralis open (Fig. 2 A). Labrum with standard three irregular teeth and a single row of 10–12 stout marginal setae. Clypeus with two setiferous foveolae on each side (Fig. 2 D). Antennae protruding back to ring 5 in males (Fig. 2 D). Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1<<2=3=4=5=6. Terminal antennomere with four large sensory cones located together inside a membranous area. Antennomere 5 and 6 latero-apically with sensilla basiconica.
Gnathochilarium: lamellae linguales each with two standard setae located behind one another. Stipites each with three apical setae. Basal part on mentum with transverse ridge. Mandible not dissected.
Collum: smooth, laterally not protruding as far as ring 2 (Figs 2 A, D).
Body rings: ozopores marked by reddish-brown color (Fig. 1 B), starting at ring 6, located on suture between mesozona and metazona (Figs 2 B, C). Rings with smooth, but irregular coriaecous surface, ventrally on metazona with transverse ridges.
Telson: paraprocts with weak lips, little micropunctation towards edges (Fig. 3 A). Epiproct sharp, but not protruding above paraproct (Fig. 2 C). Hypoproct inconspicuous (Fig. 3 A).
Legs: length of midbody legs circa 1.0 times body diameter in males (Fig. 3 B). Coxa long and elongated, cylindrical (Fig. 3 B). Each podomere ventrally with an apical seta, tarsus with a stout dorso-apical seta and three pairs of regular ventral spines.
Male sexual characters: tarsal pads absent (Fig. 3 B). Coxae 3 and 4 with short, rod-shaped coxal process, protruding posteriorly only to adjacent coxa (Fig. 2 D).
Anterior gonopod sternite neither slender nor massive (Fig. 3 C), elongated into a wide, well-rounded lobe (Fig. 3 C). Sternite in anterior view well-visible (Figs 2 E, 3D), without discernable apodemes. Coxite without processes (Figs 2 E, 3C). Telopodite with slender process arising mesally (Fig. 2 E), process conspicuously curved laterally (Fig. 3 C, D), short with a well-rounded tip, not reaching lateral margin of telopodite (Fig. 2 E).
Posterior gonopods consisting of three parts, each separated by articulations (Fig. 3 E): (1) basally a large, bulky coxite, followed by (2) a slender, elongated process of coxite, and (3) apically a telopodite with free sperm channel discharging laterally (Figs 3 F, G). Process of coxite and telopodite are standing in same axis (Figs 2 F, G). Pair of posterior gonopods located parallel to each other, connected by a small, sclerotized and visible sternite (Fig. 3 E). Basal part of coxite wide, mesally with small sclerite located on lower level than remaining part (Fig. 3 E). Coxite elongated in long, slender coxite process, coxite and coxite process separated by suture (Fig. 3 E). Efferent duct running at mesal margin of coxite (Figs 3 E, F). Telopodite with torsion, moving discharge opening of efferent duct from mesally to laterally (Figs 2 F, G). Telopodite shorter than coxite process (Figs 2 E, F), latero-apically with a wide, conspicuous membranous fringe (Figs. 2 F, G, 3E–G). Efferent duct running free starting at the apical part of process of coxite, protruding latero-apically above margins of telopodite (Figs 3 F, G).
Distribution and ecology. This species is only known from the type locality. Most likely living within the leaf litter (see genus description above), a cryptic lifestyle that explains the scarce records of this species despite largescale arthropod inventory programs conducted on Madagascar (Fisher 2005).
description: Published as part of Wesener, Thomas, 2011, Re-discovery after more than a century: a redefinition of the Malagasy endemic millipede genus Zehntnerobolus, with a description of a new species (Diplopoda, Spirobolida, Pachybolidae), pp. 21-26 in Zootaxa 3018 on pages 23-25, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278635