Leucogeorgia abchasica Antić & Reip 2020, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Antić, Dragan Ž.
name: Reip, Hans S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Julidae
Leucogeorgia
Leucogeorgia abchasica

description: Leucogeorgia abchasica (Lohmander, 1936) comb. nov.
Figs 1A, 3–6, 56–57
Archileucogeorgia abchasica Lohmander, 1936: 91.
Diagnosis
This species belongs to the group of Leucogeorgia spp. without modified mouthparts, also characterized by the presence of teeth on the mesomeral claw (vs absent in L. golovatchi sp. nov., L. lobata sp. nov. and L. prometheus sp. nov.). Leucogeorgia abchasica differs from L. satunini by the height of the mesomeral lamella, which slopes down caudad, also lacking a posterior rise (vs lamella of the same height all along and with a posterior rise in L. satunini), by the presence of short midbody setae, ca 5% of vertical diameter of rings (vs longer midbody setae, ca 10% of vertical diameter of rings in L. satunini), and by the presence of a subtriangular ventral margin on male body ring 7, with strong teeth in ventral view (vs a rounded ventral margin on male body ring 7, devoid of strong ventral teeth in L. satunini). Leucogeorgia abchasica differs from L. borealis sp. nov. by the presence of an elongate and erect mesomeral claw (vs robust in L. borealis sp. nov.). Leucogeorgia abchasica differs from L. gioi sp. nov. by the presence of a more robust and more or less strongly denticulate mesomeral claw (vs a more slender mesomeral claw with just a few teeth in L. gioi sp. nov.), by the presence of a slightly serrate mesomeral lamella (vs a strongly serrate mesomeral lamella in L. gioi sp. nov.) and by the presence of a subtriangular ventral margin on male body ring 7 (vs a strongly developed triangular ventral margin in L. gioi sp. nov.). Leucogeorgia abchasica differs from L. oculata sp. nov. by the height of the mesomeral lamella gradually decreasing caudad and lacking a posterior rise (vs a lamella of the same height all along and with a posterior rise in L. oculata sp. nov.), by the presence of an elongate and erect mesomeral claw (vs robust in L. oculata sp. nov.), and by the absence of both pigmentation and ommatidia and the presence of metazonal setae (vs a pigmented body, the presence of ommatidia and the absence of metazonal setae in L. oculata sp. nov.).
Material examined
ABKHAZIA – Gudauty District • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Bzyb Mt Ridge, Hipstinsky karst Massif, Hipsta Mountain, Snezhnaya Cave, small crevice near entrance; 43.26° N, 40.72° E; Aug. 1980; V. Dolzhansky leg.; ZMUM. – Gulripsh District • 4 ♀♀; Tsebeldinsky karst Massif, near Amtkel village, Holodnaya Rechka Canyon, Pakhuchaya Cave, depth - 65 m; 43.06° N, 41.31° E; 18 Sep. 2014; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 18 juvs; Tsebeldinsky karst Massif, near Amtkel village, Holodnaya Rechka Canyon, Bolshaya Medveditza Cave, depth - 15 m; 43.06° N, 41.31° E; 17 Sep. 2014; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 3 ♂♂, 2 juvs; Tsebeldinsky karst Massif, near Tsebelda village, Tsebeldinskaya (= Tsebelda) Cave; 43.03° N, 41.28° E; 29 Aug. 1959; S.I. Ljovuschkin leg.; ZMUM • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 2 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but N.T. Zalesskaja leg.; ZMUM. – Ochamchira District • 5 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, 3 juvs; Panavsky karst Massif, near Otap village, Dzykhayskaya I Cave, 15 m from the entrance; 42.93° N, 41.52° E; 7 Sep. 2014; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 3 juvs; Panavsky karst Massif, near Otap village, Dzykhayskaya II Cave, 10 m from the entrance; 42.94° N, 41.53° E; 7 Sep. 2014; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 1 ♀; Panavsky karst Massif, near Otap village, Abraskila (= AchzheTyz-Gua, Golova Otapa) Cave; 42.92° N, 41.53° E; 1939; J. Birstein leg.; ZMUM • 9 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, 4 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but 8 Aug. 1939; ZMUM • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 29 Aug. 1964; S.I. Ljovuschkin leg.; ZMUM • 8 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 6 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but 21 Aug. 1962; ZMUM • 11 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 8 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but 8 Sep. 2014; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding but 9 Sep. 2014; IZB • 7 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, 7 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but 20 Aug. 2015; SMNG • 6 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, 8 juvs; same collection data as for preceding but Feb. 1989; S. Smirnov leg.; ZMUM • 5 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀, 3 juvs; Panavsky karst Massif, near Otap village, Uatapachy (= Kolodets nad Golovoy Otapa) Cave; 42.93° N, 41.54° E; 24 Aug. 2015; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Panavsky karst Massif, near Otap village, Samshitovaya Cave; 42.93° N, 41.54° E; 21 Aug. 2015; I.S. Turbanov leg.; ZMUM.
Redescription
SIZE AND NUMBER OF BODY RINGS. Males 21–37 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.5–2 mm, body with 42–51 podous rings + 1–3 apodous rings + telson. Females 22–35 mm long, vertical diameter of largest body ring 1.6–2.1 mm, body with 41–51 podous rings + 0–2 apodous rings + telson.
COLOUR (Figs 1A, 3). Live colouration pigmentless, pallid. In alcohol from pale yellow to dark brown.
HEAD (Fig. 3B). Without ommatidia. Frontal setae absent. Labrum with three (four in one specimen) labral teeth, four supralabral and 14–17 labral setae. Gnathochilarium with rhomboid promentum. Lamellae linguales with 3+3–5+5 setae, stipites with 3+3 long distolateral setae and 2+3–5+5 short medial setae. Antennae 3 mm long (in males with 2 mm vertical diameter of the body rings), their length 150% of vertical diameter of the largest body ring. Lengths of antennomeres I–VIII (in mm): 0.2 (I), 0.7 (II), 0.61 (III), 0.53 (IV), 0.57 (V), 0.27 (VI), 0.09 (VII) and 0.03 (VIII). Length/width ratio of antennomeres I–VII: 0.8 (I), 3.8 (II), 3 (III), 2.8 (IV), 2.2 (V), 1.1 (VI) and 0.5 (VII). 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 (Fig. 3F). Entire metazonal area with longitudinal striations. Metazonal setae short, length of midbody setae ca 5% of vertical diameter of rings.
TELSON (Fig. 3E). Epiproct variable, with an almost absent to short and blunt preanal process. Paraprocts rounded, setose. Hypoproct without any modifications.
LEGS IN MALES. First pair of legs modified, hook-shaped (Fig. 4 C–E), with three complete podomeres; coxa with one seta; prefemur with 4–9 setae; femur, postfemur and tibiotarsus coalesced; femur with 2–3 setae; postfemur with two setae; tibiotarsus with a small distal lobe (tarsal remnant), sometimes also with one short seta. Podomeres slightly tuberculate. Postfemoral and tibial ventral pads well developed on anterior legs, then gradually disappearing towards posterior legs.
VENTRAL MARGIN OF MALE BODY RING 7 (Fig. 3 C–D). Well-developed, more or less subtriangular in lateral view, with strong teeth in ventral view.
PENES (Fig. 4G). In form of a short trapezoid, apically with two small subtriangular lobes.
GONOPODS (Figs 4F, 5–6). Promere (p) long and slender, with a flagellum; apical part spatulate, with denticulate margins; basal half with two poorly developed ridges. Mesomere (m) with a well-developed and denticulate mesomeral claw (mc); mesomeral lamella (ml) mainly flattened, sometimes poorly elevated in central part, slightly serrate, posterior part finely fimbriate. Opisthomere (o) bipartite. Anterior branch of o with a solenomere (s) with a medium-sized tip, and a well-developed and fimbriate
velum (v). Posterior branch of o in form of a shield-like protective lamella (pl), straight or sometimes curved anteriad. Mesomere and opisthomere connected basally with an accessory membrane (am).
Type locality
Kelasurskaya Cave (43.02° N, 41.14° E), Sukhum District, Abkhazia.
Distribution
Known only from caves in the Gudauty, Gulripsh, Sukhum and Ochamchira districts of Abkhazia (Fig. 57, green triangle).
Remarks
Several specimens have been found in a small crevice near the entrance to the Snezhnaya Cave where Leucogeorgia rediviva lives in the deeper parts. In Kelasurskaya Cave, L. abchasica occurs together with L. satunini and an unidentified species of Leucogeorgia with modified mouthparts.
See video about this species from the Abraskila (= Achzhe-Tyz-Gua, Golova Otapa) Cave: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDQ1iByPWA&t=35s
description: Published as part of Antić, Dragan Ž. & Reip, Hans S., 2020, The millipede genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 in the Caucasus, with descriptions of eleven new species, erection of a new monotypic genus and notes on the tribe Leucogeorgiini (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae), pp. 1-106 in European Journal of Taxonomy 713 on pages 8-14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.713, http://zenodo.org/record/4020752