Atelomastix poustiei Edward &amp; Harvey 2010, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Edward, Karen L.
name: Harvey, Mark S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirostreptida
Iulomorphidae
Atelomastix
Atelomastix poustiei

description: <i>Atelomastix poustiei</i>, sp. nov. Figs. 6, 68, 120, 121. <b>Type material:</b> AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: holotype male, Wedge Hill, Stirling Range National Park, 34°25’13”S, 118°10’58”E, hand collected, 9 April 2004, M.S. Harvey, J.M. Waldock, K.L. Edward, C. Poustie (WAM T 72775). Paratype: 1 male, collected with holotype (WAM T 72774). <b>Other material examined:</b> AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 6 females, collected with holotype (WAM T 70201); 3 males, 3 females, Wedge Hill, Stirling Range National Park, 34°25’S, 118°11’E, wet pitfall traps, 8 April 1997, M.S. Harvey, J.M. Waldock, B.Y. Main (WAM T 69818). <b>Etymology:</b> This species is named for Cameron Poustie who assisted in the collection of the type specimens. <b>Diagnosis:</b> <i>Atelomastix poustiei</i> is similar to <i>A. tumula</i>, <i>A. danksi</i> and <i>A. montana</i> as the anterior gonopod sclerite <i>a</i> is broad and concave sub-medially enveloping an elongate pseudoflagellum beneath a broad distal hood. However, it can be distinguished from other species because sclerite <i>a</i> is only distally bifurcated with the medial process longer than the lateral process, and the tip of sclerite <i>b</i> slightly tapers to a rounded tip, instead of a narrow pointed tip in <i>A. montana</i>. This species also has a smaller gonopod (total length= 1.05– 1.06 mm) compared with <i>A. danksi</i> (1.1–1.2 mm), and <i>A. tumula</i> (1.15–1.25 mm). <b>Description:</b> <i>Male (holotype).</i> Colour: live specimens dark blue-grey with lighter bands between segments; head, antennae, ozopores and legs yellow-brown, rest light blue grey, prozonites light blue, metazonites yellow brown to pale white in preserved specimens. Body: ca. 30 mm long and ca. 1.9 mm wide at collum. With 42 trunk segments, 73 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs. Head: with ca. 21 ocelli (Fig. 68), in 4 rows (2: 5: 6: 8). Gonopods: anterior gonopods (Figs. 120, 121) very large, heavily sclerotised and complex in structure, 2.13 times longer than broad; sclerite <i>a</i> with swollen base that forms broad, concave area where pseudoflagellum emerges, and broad, curved distal hood; sub-distal edge of concave area of sclerite <i>a</i> with 8 setae; upper distal face of sclerite <i>a</i> with 8 short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum long, elongate and partially obscured beneath broadened distal hood; sclerite <i>b</i> elongate and curved distally, terminating in blunt, rounded tip, with 1 subdistal seta; basal process of sclerite <i>b</i> large, triangular, slightly curved distally, tapering to form rounded tip, 0.36 times the length of the main process; sclerite <i>c</i> slightly longer than sclerite <i>b</i>, medial section relatively narrow, slightly tapering to a blunt concave tip, with 5–9 setae (n=2) on internal concave face; with group of 6 (n=2) fine setae on sub-basal edge of sclerite <i>b</i> instead of single sub-basal setae where sclerites overlap, and group of 10–12 (n=2) short setae sub-basally on sclerite <i>c</i>; posterior gonopods inconspicuous, small, with several small setae on interno-lateral face of each gonopod. Dimensions (mm): holotype male (paratype male, WAM T72774): length ca. 30 (24), width ca. 1.9 (1.7), L/W=15.8 (14.1); sclerite <i>a</i> 1.05/0.493 (1.06/0.527), setae 8 + 8 (7 + 2); sclerite <i>b</i> 0.474 (0.448), basal process of sclerite <i>b</i> 0.162 (0.176), setae 1 (1); sclerite <i>c</i> 0.912 (0.848), setae 5 (9). <i>Female</i>. Similar to male, other than sexual characters, and slightly larger. <b>Distribution and habitat:</b> <i>Atelomastix poustiei</i> is only known from Wedge Hill on the eastern side of the Stirling Range National Park (Fig. 6) and has been collected using pitfall traps and hand collecting under logs, leaf litter and bark.
description: Published as part of <i>Edward, Karen L. &amp; Harvey, Mark S., 2010, A review of the Australian millipede genus Atelomastix (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Iulomorphidae) 2371, pp. 1-63 in Zootaxa 2371 (1)</i> on page 30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2371.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5312214