Colossobolus aculeatus 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 aculeatus</i> Wesener, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: FA93B3D8-7AD7-4E8F-93E9-CA4B329D4BB9 <b>Material examined:</b> 2 &amp;male; <i>Holotype:</i> 1 &amp;male; (122 mm long), CAS BLF 9555, Madagascar, Province Antsiranana, Forêt de Binara, 7.5 km 230° SW Daraina, 375 m, tropical dry forest, 13°15’18”S, 049°37’00”E, leg. B. L. Fisher, 1.XII.2003. <i>Paratype:</i> 1 &amp;male;, same data as holotype. <b>Similar species:</b> the special U-shaped posterior gonopods are unique for <i>Colossobolus</i> except for <i>C. pseudoaculeatus</i> sp. n. <i>C. aculeatus</i> differs from the latter in the presence of a sharp-ending preanal process, which is well-rounded in <i>C. pseudoaculeatus</i> sp. n. (compare Fig. 20C with Fig. 21B). The lateral branch of the posterior gonopod telopodite is of equal width all along in <i>C. aculeatus</i> while it is basally slen- der with a swollen tip in <i>C. pseudoaculeatus</i> sp. n. (compare Fig. 20E with Fig. 21E). <b>Description.</b> <i>Measurements</i>: males with 51 body rings, circa 122 mm long, 9.5 mm wide. Female unknown. <i>Coloration</i> affected by alcohol. Head, antennae, legs and telson red (Figs 20 A–C). Median part of collum dark, margins red (Fig. 20A). Pro- and anterior part of mesozonites dark brown, posterior part of meso- and metazonites red. <i>Antennae</i> protruding back to ring 3. <i>Male coxal processes</i> on coxae 3 and 4 barely visible, on coxae 5–7 absent (Fig. 20B). <i>Preanal process</i> sharp-edged, but not projecting over anal valves (Fig. 20C). <i>Anterior gonopod</i> sternite elongated into a wide, broadly rounded lobe (Fig. 20D). Mesal process of coxite weakly developed, protruding into a very short wide lobe with a well-rounded tip. Lobe only slightly longer than sternite (Fig. 20D). Telopodite process long, becoming apically thicker than basally. Mesal margin laterally sharp, not projecting (Fig. 20F). <i>Posterior gonopods</i> telopodites positioned parallel to one another, generally Ushaped (Figs 20E, G). Coxite branch absent (Fig. 20E). Lateral branch of regular width, tip wide, well-rounded, not thicker than median or basal parts (Fig. 20E). Central membranous area present as a wide, well-rounded knob (Fig. 20G). Main branch slightly longer than lateral branch, latero-apically towards lateral branch with a large membranous area (Fig, 20G). <b>Distribution and ecology</b> : <i>C. aculeatus</i> is only known from the Forêt Binara (Fig. 10) where it occurs in close proximity to <i>C. semicyclus</i>. <b>Etymology:</b> <i>aculeatus</i>, adjective, refers to the sharp-edged preanal process, unique for <i>Colossobolus</i>.
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 35-37, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.19.221, http://zenodo.org/record/576503