Nepalella lobata Liu, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Liu, Weixin
name: Wesener, Thomas
name: Golovatch, Sergei
name: Tian, Mingyi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Chordeumatida
Lankasomatidae
Nepalella
Nepalella lobata

description: Nepalella lobata Liu, sp. nov.
Figs 2 B & 10–13
Material examined. Holotype male (SCAU n6), China, Sichuan, Mianyang City, Beichuan County, Cave Liangshui Dong, 31°55’30’’N, 104°40’56’’E, 1000 m a.s.l., 2014-VII-16, leg. Weixin Liu, Haomin Yin, Sunbin Huang & Xinhui Wang.
Paratypes: 2 males, 3 females, 5 juv. (SCAU n7), same locality and collecting data as in the holotype.
Etymology. To emphasize the anterior gonopod sternum bearing not only a large median lobe, but also two small lateral lobules; feminine adjective.
Diagnosis. Differs from congeners by the anterior gonopod sternum carrying a large median and two small lateral lobes, as well as the posterior gonopod bearing a foot-shaped colpocoxite.
Description. Length of both sexes ca 27–29 mm, midbody width 3.2–3.5 mm. Color in life (Figs 2 B, 10) light brown, marbled; head, antennae and eye patches dark brown.
Body with 30 segments. In width, collum <segment 2 <3 <head <4–5 <6–17; posterior to segment 18, body gradually tapering towards telson (Fig. 10 A). Clypeolabral region densely setose, slightly convex.
Eye patches triangular, each composed of 26 convex ocelli.
Antennae (Fig. 12) long and slender, reaching posterior to body segment 5 when stretched posteriorly; antennomere 7 with very small four apical cones.
Mandible with a movable external tooth with two cusps, and an internal tooth with six cusps.
Collum with rudimentary paraterga (Fig. 10 A). Integument smooth and shining, only prozonites distinctly and densely striolate transversely. Metatergal setation 3 + 3, typical, macrochaetae long, rather thick, but pointed, placed on clear knobs (Fig. 10 A); stricture between pro- and metazona shallow, inconspicuous (Fig. 10 A). Paraterga well-developed, high dorsolateral shoulders (Fig. 10 A).
CIX (15) = 0.37; MIX (15) = 1.49; MA (15) = 120°; PIX (15) = 0.62 (Fig. 13 A). Axial suture distinct, pallid, usual (Fig. 10 A).
Legs long and slender (Fig. 10), about 2.0 (♂) or 1.3 (♀) times as long as midbody height. Legs 1 and 2 slightly reduced, tarsi with usual ventral brushes, but without papillae. Other tarsi with conspicuous papillae (p) ventrally (Fig. 11). Male legs 3–7 distinctly incrassate, pairs 3 and 4 particularly so. Male femora 3 and 4 each with a small, but evident, mushroom-like protuberance (m) at midway ventrally (Fig. 11 A–B). Male legs 10 with coxal glands (cg) (Fig. 11 C); coxa 11 with highly vestigial glands, pilose apically; prefemur 11 with a strong basal process (d) ventrally (Fig. 11 D). Claws simple, long.
Male segment 7 slightly broader than adjacent ones, with ridge-like pleural arches.
Anterior gonopods (Figs 12 A–B, 13B) reduced, sternum with a large median lobe (ml) distally in caudal view and with two small lateral lobules (ll); coxites (cxi) slender and long. Posterior gonopods (Figs 12 C–D, 13C–D) hypertophied, with a foot-shaped colpocoxite (c) and a large bush-like structure (b) on caudal face; telopoditomere 1 (t1) particularly strongly setose, telopoditomere 2 (t2) very well-developed.
Female: Segment 3 conspicuously broadened. Vulva (Fig. 13 E) with a very long basal process (p) and a small process on operculum (op), tip of the latter bifid.
Remarks. According to the light brownish body and ocelli, the relatively short legs, as well as the number of ocelli, N. lobata sp. nov. is likely to be a troglophile.
description: Published as part of Liu, Weixin, Wesener, Thomas, Golovatch, Sergei & Tian, Mingyi, 2017, Contributions to the millipede genus Nepalella Shear, 1979 from China, with four new species and first results on phylogeny based on DNA-barcoding (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Megalotylidae), pp. 455-482 in Zootaxa 4243 (3) on pages 462-463, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4243.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/400124