Skleroprotopus yutiantianae Chen, Zhao, Golovatch & Liu, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Chen, Rong
name: Zhao, Yi
name: Golovatch, Sergei
name: Liu, Wei-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Mongoliulidae
Skleroprotopus
Skleroprotopus yutiantianae

description: 3.3. 1.Skleroprotopus yutiantianaesp. nov.
Figures 3 F, 4
Material examined.
Holotype male (SCAU), China, Qinghai Province, Xining City, Chengzhong District, Nanshan Park, 36°36′3.78″N 101°46′6.08″E, 2400 m, 18. VIII. 2020, Yu Tiantian leg.
Diagnosis.
Differs from congeners mostly based on the following combination of characters: (1) leg 1, 6 - segmented (Fig. 4 D); (2) penis much shorter than coxae 2 (Fig. 4 F); (3) coxal process of leg 7 (Fig. 4 E) tongue-shaped, about 2 × as long as a club-shaped telopodite; (4) anterior gonopod with a very long and narrow coxal process, carrying an irregularly dentate and membranous lobe (Fig. 4 I). — In addition, this new species differs from all other species analyzed in a> 12.7 % uncorrected p - distance of the COI barcoding gene.
Etymology.
The specific epithet is honored to Dr. Yu Tiantian (余甜甜) (Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), who is the collector; noun in the genitive case.
Description.
Length of holotype ca 25.0 mm, 1.6 mm in diameter, body with 53 podous + 1 apodous rings + telson. Coloration in alcohol marbled dark brownish, slightly lighter in anterior 1 / 3 body (Fig. 3 F). Antennae semi-transparent, gradually infuscate from base to end, antennomeres 5 and 6 darkest, frosted violet (Fig. 4 C). Eye patches blackish, triangular, arranged in 6 irregular rows, about 35 (left) or 43 (right) ommatidia per eye patch (Fig. 4 B). Legs pale yellow.
Head capsule (Fig. 4 B) smooth and hairless, vertex bulged, epicranial suture obviously concave. Labral margin with 2 + 2 supra-labral and 6 (7) + 6 (7) labral setae (Fig. 4 A). Antennae (Fig. 4 C) medium in length, reaching behind to middle of ring 2 when stretched dorsally. In length, antennomeres 3> 2> 4> 6 ≈ 5> 1> 7. Antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a distal corolla of sensilla basiconica. Antennomere 7 invaginated terminally, sensory cones inconspicuous. Mandibular stipes enlarged, with two nearly equal lobes (Fig. 3 F). Gnathochilarium with at least 4 setae on each lamella lingualis (ll); promentum (pr) long and diamond-shaped, swollen anteriorly (Fig. 4 A).
Collum (Fig. 3 F) with 6 lower striae laterally, but lowest stria not reaching the anterior margin. Prozona delicately alveolate, metazona laterally with 13–18 longitudinal striae (Fig. 3 F). Suture dividing pro- and metazona narrow, a regular comb. Ozopores starting with ring 6, lying anteriorly on lateral sides of metatergites.
Epiproct slightly protruding caudad, with 2 + 2 setae along posterior margin. Paraprocts convex, medially with 2 + 2 setae. Hypoproct eye-shaped, with 1 + 1 setae.
Legs (Fig. 3 F) short, about 0.7 × as long as midbody height, claw weakly curved, without modifications. Male leg-pair 1 (Fig. 4 D) hypertrophied, strongly curved anteriad, 6 - segmented, but dividing line (dl) between telopoditomeres 4 and 5 (t 4, t 5) incomplete. Both t 4 and t 5 combined longest, irregularly shaped, with a few scattered setae and short bristles medially. Coxa (cx) and telopoditomeres 1 and 2 (t 1, t 2) with some long setae. Telopoditomere 3 (t 3) broadest. Male leg-pair 2 (Fig. 4 F) reduced in size and slender; penis (pn) unpaired, shorter than coxae (cx), cylindrical, distal part with two long setae. Male leg-pair 7 (Fig. 4 E) strongly modified, with 2 - segmented telopodites, club-shaped, densely setose apically, telopoditomere 2 rather small. Coxal process (cp) strongly elongated, tongue-shaped, about 2 × as long as telopodite (te), clothed with dense long bristles.
Anterior gonopods (Fig. 4 H, I) with a very long and rather slender coxal process (cp) bearing a long row of short villi in anterior view, posteriorly carrying with an irregularly dentate membranous lobe (ml), outer margin of ml distinctly broadened and reflexed, subtriangular, distally sharp. Flagellum (f) long and slender, a little barbed. Telopodite (te) about 2 / 3 as long as cp, with long setae apically.
Posterior gonopods (Fig. 4 G) erect and thin, anterior branch slender, tapering regularly towards tip, higher than posterior branch, and both densely setose distally.
Female unknown.
Remarks.
The Nanshan Park, Xining City, Qinghai Province is nicely forested in 80 % of its area, dominated by hardwood tree species including Picea crassifolia Kom., 1923, Juniperus przewalskii Kom., 1924 and Pinus tabuliformis Carrière, 1867. The holotype of Skleroprotopus yutiantianae sp. nov. was found in forest litter.
description: Published as part of Chen, Rong, Zhao, Yi, Golovatch, Sergei & Liu, Wei-Xin, 2024, Molecular phylogenetic and morphological studies reveal increased species diversity in the millipede genus Skleroprotopus Attems, 1901 in China (Julida: Mongoliulidae), pp. 659-691 in Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 82 on pages 659-691, DOI: 10.3897/asp.82.e136751