Afraustraloxenodes Duy-Jacquemin 2003, gen. n.
Creators: name: Duy-Jacquemin, Monique Nguyen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2003
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Polyxenida
Polyxenidae
Afraustraloxenodes

description: Afraustraloxenodes gen. n.    Type species: Afraustraloxenodes namibiensis sp. n.   
 Etymology: Afraustral refers to the southern (austral) African distribution pattern of this genus; xenodes means inhabitant, chosen by analogy to the related genus Macroxenodes.   
Generic Diagnosis: Distinguished by the following combination of character states:  
 Trichomes: short and thick.   
 Head: Eight ocelli on each side. Vertex with one pair of posterior tufts not separated from the anterior tufts and consisting of two rows (anterior and posterior); last trichome of posterior row slightly more posterior than the trichobothria. Distance between each tuft of vertex short. Three or more short, thick sensilla basiconica on antennal article VI, and two on article VII. One setiform and one coeloconicum sensilla on articles VI and VII.Three trichobothria of equal size with cylindrical funiculi (Fig. 3). Entire surface of labrum with numerous and varied papillae and armed with lamellate teeth at anterior margin. Outer palp of gnathochilarium with sensilla pseudoarticulated apically. Middle palp with sensilla pseudoarticulated apically, except for seven short antero-median sensilla (Figs 8, 26, 28).   
 Trunk: Two lateral tufts of trichomes on each tergite connected by a posterior row of trichomes arranged along posterior margin of tergite. Tergites II to VIII or IX with three rows of trichomes: an anterior row (a.r.) with trichomes directed anteriad; a median (m.r.) and a posterior (p.r.) row with trichomes directed caudad. Median row often sinuous; anterior row convex towards head with first and last trichomes often at same level as median row (Figs 18, 19).   
 Legs: Setae on coxae, trochanters and prefemora with subcylindrical, elongate and naked funiculi. Other small, thick but pointed setae present on all prefemora, femora, tibiae and tarsi II. Pretarsus bearing anterior process with spinous projection slightly shorter than claw and posterior lamellate process longer than claw, latter projection thickened and pleated basally. Claw with two strongly pointed latero-anterior and posterior teeth, subequal in length.   
 Telson: Two latero-dorsal penicils of crooked trichomes joined side by side. Dorsal face of telson with a few barbate trichomes (a), two subcircular groups composed of barbate trichomes (c), and one barbate antero-internal trichome (b) (Fig. 17). Ventral face with a subrectilinear row of barbate trichomes located at edge of penicil of crooked trichomes, usually with three to four crooks (Figs 20, 43, 48).   
 Generic grouping: Macroxenus Brölemann, 1917; Chilexenus Silvestri, 1948; Macroxenodes Silvestri, 1948; Afraustraloxenodes gen. n.   
Distribution: Southern Africa.
description: Published as part of Duy-Jacquemin, Monique Nguyen, 2003, A new genus of Penicillata from Southern Africa with pseudoarticulated sensilla on the palpi of the gnathochilarium (Diplopoda: Polyxenida: Polyxenidae), pp. 71-88 in African Invertebrates 44 (1) on pages 72-73, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7666480