Colossobolus oblongopedus Wesener &amp; Enghoff &amp; Sierwald 2009, sp. n.
Creators: name: Wesener, Thomas
name: Enghoff, Henrik
name: Sierwald, Petra
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirobolida
Pachybolidae
Colossobolus

description: <i>Colossobolus oblongopedus</i> Wesener, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 50DBF062-18CB-4A0A-AD61-10066B0A8604 <b>Material examined:</b> 9 &amp;male;, 3 &amp;female; <i>Holotype:</i> 1 &amp;male; (126 mm long), CAS BLF 9429 B, Madagascar, Province Antsiranana, Forêt d’Analabe, 30.0 km 72°ENE Daraina, 30 m, littoral rainforest, 13°05’00” S, 049°54’30” E, leg. B. L. Fisher, 27.XI.2003. <i>Paratypes:</i> 1 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;, CAS BLF 9429 B, same data as holotype; 1 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;, CAS BLF 10114, Province Antsiranana, Forêt d’Antsahabe, 11.4 km 275°W Daraina, 550 m, tropical dry forest, 13°12’42” S, 049°33’24” E, leg. B. L.Fisher, 12.XII.2003, general collecting. <b>Other material examined</b> : 4 &amp;male;, 1 imm., FMMC, Madagascar, Prov. Antsiranana, Réserve Spéciale de Manongarivo, camp 1, 785 m, 13°58‘38“ S, 48°25‘22“ E, leg. S. M. Goodman, 28.II–6.III.1999; 1 &amp;female;, FMMC, same data as previous; 2 &amp;male;, FMMC, same data as previous. <b>Differential diagnosis:</b> the general shape of the posterior gonopods of <i>Colossobolus oblongopedus</i> is similar to those of <i>C. giganteus</i> sp. n. The coxite branch is far shorter in <i>C. oblongopedus</i> than in <i>C. giganteus</i> sp. n. (compare Fig. 14A with Fig. 15E), while the telopodite main branch is more regularly shaped in the latter than in <i>C. oblongopedus</i> (compare Fig. 14B with Fig. 15F). The telopodite process of the anterior gonopod features a short, pointed, retrorse process in <i>C. giganteus</i> sp. n., which is entirely absent in <i>C. oblongopedus</i> (compare Fig. 13D with Fig. 15D). The collum is completely red in <i>C. oblongopedus</i> (Fig. 13A), while it is centrally dark in <i>C. giganteus</i> sp. n. (Fig. 15A). <b>Description.</b> <i>Measurements</i>: males with 50–52 body rings, 120–148 mm long, 10.5–11.4 mm wide. Females with 50–52 body rings, 122–125 mm long, 10.5–12.6 mm wide. <i>Coloration</i> affected by alcohol. Head, collum, antennae and telson red (Fig. 13A). Legs also red, but tarsi whitish (Fig. 13B). Meso- and metazonites of body rings reddish, posterior margin with a thin, dark brown line. <i>Antennae</i> protruding back to ring 4. <i>Male coxal processes</i> on coxae 3 and 4 weakly developed, on coxae 5–7 barely visible (Fig. 13B). <i>Preanal process</i> well-rounded, not projecting. <i>Anterior gonopod</i> sternite elongated into a wide, broadly rounded lobe (Fig. 13C). Mesal process of coxite weakly developed, protruding into a short, wide lobe with a pointed tip (Fig. 13C). Telopodite on posterior side basally with a circular groove (Fig. 13D). Telopodite process long and well-rounded (Fig. 13D), mesal margin laterally sharp, slightly protruding in basal half (Fig. 13D). <i>Posterior gonopods</i> telopodites positioned parallel to one another. Coxite branch relatively short, wide, stout, less than half as long as lateral branch of telopodite (Figs 14A, B). Latter slightly curved, basally wide, at midpoint tapering, tip again wide and swollen (Fig. 14A). Central membranous area developed as a short, wide, well-rounded lobe (Fig. 14A). Mesal main branch short, basal part running parallel to lateral branch. Apical part of main branch extending towards and touching lateral branch (Fig. 14B). Mesal margin of main branch with two tiny, well-rounded, overlapping membranous folds (Fig. 14A). Main branch laterally with a very large, irregular-shaped membrane (Figs 14A, B). <b>Intraspecific variation:</b> the specimens from the dry forest Antsahabe (52 body rings) and Manangarivo (53 body rings) are slightly larger and more voluminous than the type series specimens from the littoral forest of Analabe, which possess 50 or 51 body rings. The gonopods from both populations are almost identical. <b>Distribution and ecology:</b> <i>C. oblongopedus</i> occurs in the dry forest of Manangarivo, around Daraina and the tiny littoral forest fragment of Analabe (Fig. 10). Both areas are now isolated from one another by vast areas of pseudosteppe (Moat and Smith 2007). <i>C. oblongopedus</i> occurs in Analabe sympatric with <i>C. minor</i> sp. n., in Antsahabe together with <i>C. semicyclus</i> sp. n. <b>Etymology:</b> <i>oblongopedus</i>, adjective, refers to the extraordinary long legs.
description: Published as part of <i>Wesener, Thomas, Enghoff, Henrik &amp; Sierwald, Petra, 2009, Review of the Spirobolida on Madagascar, with descriptions of twelve new genera, including three genera of ' fire millipedes' (Diplopoda), pp. 1-128 in ZooKeys 19 (19)</i> on pages 26-28, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.19.221, http://zenodo.org/record/576503
description: {"references": ["Moat J, Smith P (2007) Atlas of the Vegetation of Madagascar. Kew Publishing, London, 124 pp."]}