Inversotyphlus ammirandus Antić & Akkari 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Antic, Dragan
name: Akkari, Nesrine
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Julidae
Inversotyphlus
Inversotyphlus ammirandus

description: Inversotyphlus ammirandus sp. nov.  
Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A  
Diagnosis.  
The new species is distinguished from all congeners and other members of Typhloiulini by its highly modified head, which is characterised by having two labral lobes with a wide incision between to accommodate the lingual palps, a unique gnathochilarium that is distally very wide, bearing a distolateral bundle of long setae on the stipites and distal (anterior) rows of long setae on both the stipites and lamellae linguales (such structures are absent in all congeners). In addition, the body rings are strongly vaulted and bear very long metazonal setae; the tarsal claws are very long.  
 Concerning the gonopods, the new species is characterised by a slightly higher mesomere compared to the promere (vs mesomere lower than promere in I. opisthonodus comb. nov. and I. gracilis comb. nov., or mesomere much higher than promere in I. lobifer comb. nov. and I. clavatus comb. nov., or mesomere and promere of equal height in I. edentulus comb. nov.). Except in the new species, a mesomere slightly higher than the promere is found only in I. gellianae comb. nov., but I. ammirandus sp. nov. differs from this and all other members of Inversotyphlus stat. nov. in the presence of a spoon-shaped mesomere. Further differences in the gonopods can be seen in Fig. 6.   
Name.  
 From the Latin ammirandus (= wonderful, admirable, astonishing, remarkable, extraordinary), reflecting the impressive appearance of this bizarre creature. Moreover, this species name is dedicated to all speleologists and speleobiologists around the world who risk their lives exploring deep caves, which makes them admirable too. Adjective in masculine gender.   
Material examined.  
 Holotype ♂ (NHMW MY10380), Albania, Shkodër County, Malësi e Madhe Municipality, Bogë village, Prokletije Mountain range, Radohimës (Radohinës) mountain group, Cave Ru, - 460 m, 8 September 2013, T. Čuković leg.   
Description.  
 Number of body rings and size: 30 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.5 mm, body with 36 podous rings + 1 apodous ring + telson.   
 Colouration: after a decade in ethanol, generally greyish brown (Fig. 1). Anterior part of body and telson rather yellowish brown (Fig. 1A, B). Antennae and forehead yellowish; legs brownish. Metazonae with dark-brown posterior rings.   
 Head: highly modified (Figs 2, 3), without ommatidia, with a pair of frontal setae (Fig. 2A, E; both fallen off). Labrum considerably shorter than gnathochilarium, with two rounded lobes with a wide inscision between lobes to accomodate lingual palps; no labral teeth; 3+3 short labral and 5+5 long supralabral setae (Figs 2, 3B). Gnathochilarium (Fig. 3A) subtrapezoidal, with a very wide distal part; stipites strongly developed, with rounded distolateral margins and characteristic long distal setae in a transverse row and distolateral bundles; lamellae linguales rectangular, with a transverse row of long distal setae, a group of somewhat shorter proximal setae, and a longitudinal row of lateral setae, lingual palps directed dorsad; promentum very short, deltoid. Mandibles (Figs 2A-F, 3B-D) highly modified, dorsoventrally strongly flattened, external (et) and internal tooth (it) reduced, four pectinate lamellae (pl) hypetrophied, with very long outher pectinate teeth, molar plate (mp) reduced. Antennae 2.30 mm long, their length ca 150% of vertical diameter of widest body ring. Length of antennomeres I-VIII (in mm): 0.17 (I), 0.57 (II), 0.40 (III), 0.35 (IV), 0.43 (V), 0.27 (VI), 0.07 (VII) and 0.04 (VIII). Length/width ratio of antennomeres I-VII: 1 (I), 2.8 (II), 2 (III), 2 (IV), 1.7 (V), 1 (VI) and 0.5 (VII). Antennomere I with a few very long anterior setae (Figs 2E, 3B); antennomeres V and VI each with a terminal corolla of large sensilla basiconica bacilliformia; antennomere VII with a terminal corolla of small sensilla basiconica bacilliformia.   
 Body rings: body in general moniliform (Fig. 1A). Metazonae strongly vaulted compared to prozonae (Fig. 1A, C, E, F). Entire metazonal area with longitudinal striations, striae more numerous and denser below ozopore and rarer and less conspicuous above ozopore (Fig. 1E). Length of metazonal setae ca 45% of vertical diameter of rings, ca 40 per ring (Fig. 1E, F). Posterior margin of metazona thickened dorsolaterally (Fig. 1F). Ozopores behind pro-metazonal suture at ca ½ of metazonal length (Fig. 1F).   
 Pleurotergum 7: ventral margin with very low, poorly developed lobe (Fig. 1C, D).   
 Telson: pre-anal ring densely setose, with a short, acuminate epiproct (Fig. 1G, H). Paraprocts rounded, each with ca 30-35 long setae over entire surface. Hypoproct in form of symetrical subtriangle, covered with ca 15 long setae, without any modifications.   
 Legs: leg-pair 1 modified, hook-shaped, with three complete podomeres; coxa with one seta; prefemur with five setae; femur, postfemur, and tibiotarsus coalesced, with indications of segmentation; femur with two or three setae; postfemur with one seta; tibiotarsal part with a small distal lobe and four setae; tip slightly tuberculate (Figs 1C, 4A, B, 5A, B). Anterior walking legs with an adhesive pad on tibia (Fig. 4C, E), most pronounced in leg-pair 2 (Fig. 4C), gradually disappearing in posterior direction, completely disappearing around mid-body (Fig. 4F). Length of mid-body legs ca 1.45 times as long as mid-body vertical diameter; tarsus ca 2 times as long as tibia with very long, spinelike ventral seta; apical claws strongly developed, very long, ca 60% of tarsus length (Fig. 4F); no accesory claw.   
 Penis: bilobed. Lobes prominent, elongated (Figs 4D, 5C).   
 Gonopods: in situ protruding from gonopodal sinus (Fig. 1B, C). Promere (p) and mesomere (m) surpassed by opisthomere (o) (Figs 4G, H, 5D, E, 6A). Promere (Figs 4G, I, 5D-F, 6A) somewhat shorter than mesomere; subrectangular in anterior and posterior views; sides almost parallel, mesal margin straight, lateral margin slightly convex; distally microsquamose; mesal lobe (ml) well developed, subtriangular in lateral and mesal views, with one or two long distal setae; telopodite (t) smaller than mesal lobe, egg-shaped. Mesomere (Figs 4G, H, J, 5D, E, G, 6A) spoon-shaped in anterior view, slightly sigmoid in lateral and mesal views; anterodistal margin slightly denticulate; anterior side distally concave and microsquamose. Opisthomere (Figs 4G, H, 5D, E, 6A) straight and slender with distal half slightly directed anteriad; proximomesal spine present; anteromesal lamella poorly developed; velum (v) unipartite, tapering anterodistad, with fimbriated tip; solenomere (s) narrow, tubelike.   
Habitat.  
 The Ru Cave (Fig. 7A) was discovered by Bulgarian speleologists in 2010. It is located at an altitude of 2225 m in the Radohimës massif (Fig. 7B) of the Prokletije Mountains. With an explored depth of 574 m, this cave (length 1300 m) is the second deepest cave known in Albania. It has a predominantly vertical character and is risky in terms of rockfall and flooding. The new species was found in a short horizontal meander whose bottom is covered by water, 460 m below the entrance. In addition to the new species, representatives of Lumbricidae, Leiodidae, and Opiliones, as well as Chordeumatida (probably Macrochaetosoma Absolon & Lang, 1933), were also found in the cave at various depths (Tamara Čuković and Vladimir Georgiev, pers. comm.).   
Remarks.  
 Besides the chordeumatidan Macrochaetosoma troglomontanum Absolon & Lang, 1933 (see Absolon and Lang 1933; Stoev 2001), Inversotyphlus ammirandus sp. nov. is the second undisputed troglobiotic millipede in the fauna of Albania. In addition, this is one of the rare cave-dwelling julids characterised by modifications of the body and mouthparts for a semiaquatic life and filtering diet, and also the first such millipede in the territory of Albania.   
It is interesting to note that several ultraspecialized hygropetricolous leptodirinine beetles were recently described from this Albanian part of the Prokletiје Mountains (Giachino and Casale 2022).   
 In addition to the two unequivocal troglobionts mentioned above, there are two other Albanian millipede species that may potentially be troglobiotic, Metonomastus petrelensis Mauriès, Golovatch & Stoev, 1997 and Typhloiulus beroni Mauriès, Golovatch & Stoev, 1997, both known from artificial galleries (Mauriès et al. 1997).   
Distribution.  
So far the new species is only known from a single pit in the Albanian part of the Prokletije Mountains.  
Additional material examined
description: Published as part of Antic, Dragan & Akkari, Nesrine, 2023, The genus Inversotyphlus Strasser, 1962, stat. nov. and Inversotyphlus ammirandus sp. nov., a new bizarre, highly modified troglobiotic millipede (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae) from Albania, Balkan Peninsula, pp. 65-80 in ZooKeys 1184 on page 65, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1184.113498