Dalodesmus kompantsevi Wesener, Akkari & Golovatch, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wesener, Thomas
name: Akkari, Nesrine
name: Golovatch, Sergei I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Polydesmida
Dalodesmidae
Dalodesmus
Dalodesmus kompantsevi

description: Dalodesmus kompantsevi sp. nov.
Figs 13, 14
Type material.
Holotype • ♂ (ZMUM), Northern Madagascar, Antsiranana Prov., 4 km SW of Joffreville (= Ambohitra), Parc National Montagne d’Ambre, 12.51358°S, 49.183001°E, 900–1000 m a. s. l., tropical forest, 16–18. XII. 2018, A. Kompantsev leg.
Other material.
• 1 ♀, (MZUF Fi-30 A), Madagascar, Montagne d’Ambre, 900 m, c/o grande cascade, leg. 26 Sept. 1989, L. Bartolozzi & S. Taiti.
Diagnosis.
Tips of paraterga not projecting past posterior tergal margin (Fig. 13 A – C), like in D. hova, D. tectus and D. speophilus sp. nov., vs sharper and projecting beyond margin in D. hamatus, D. odontopezus and D. orator. Differs from all other species of the genus primarily by the light colouration, coupled with the unusually compact, short, and clearly trifid acropodite, this being divided into three subequally long and upright branches: a middle, subacuminate and non-sigmoid solenomere (sl) flanked by a securiform, axe-shaped mesal branch (mb) and a nearly finger-shaped lateral branch (lb) of the solenophore (Fig. 13 E, F). See also Key below.
Etymology.
To honour the late Aleksandr Kompantsev (Russia), the collector.
Description.
Length of holotype ~ 23 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazona 1.5 and 2.9 mm, respectively. Width of prozona 2.2 mm, of metazona 4.2 mm in ♀ non-type.
Colouration in alcohol uniformly pale brown to beige, axial stripe on prozona thin, vague, and grey, antennae somewhat infuscate, increasingly brown distad (Fig. 13 A – C).
Body with 20 rings. Tegument mainly dull to only slightly shining, microgranulate to microtuberculate throughout, even surfaces of prozona and of metazona below paraterga finely microgranulate, sterna granulate. Head also densely microtuberculate or granulate throughout, micropilose up to level of antennae; epicranial suture thin, but distinct; genae squarish, set off ventrally from gnathochilarial stipes by a small, but evident ridge (Fig. 13 A – C). Interantennal isthmus ~ 2 × diameter of antennal socket (Fig. 13 C). Antennae short and rather clavate, in situ reaching back past ring 3 when stretched dorsally, very densely setose and microgranulate. In length, antennomere 6> 5> 3> 4> 2> 1 = 7; antennomere 6 the largest and the highest, antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a small, round, distodorsal knob. In width, collum <head <ring 3 <2 = 4–16; thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson (Fig. 13 A). Collum transversely suboval, regularly and broadly rounded laterally, densely tuberculate, most tuberculations being slightly oblong-oval, evident, equipped with very short, mostly subclavate setae and arranged in 7–8 transverse, rather irregular, arcuate rows. Metaterga 2 and 3 each with four similar transverse arcuated rows of setiferous tubercles, following metaterga each largely with 5–6 such rows (Figs 13 A, 14 A, B). Paraterga well-developed, set high (mostly at upper ¼ body), largely slightly upturned to subhorizontal, thus leaving the dorsum only faintly convex (Figs 13 B, 14 B); anterior and posterior margins of paraterga 2 and 3 clearly drawn both forward and caudad, following paraterga drawn increasingly only caudad, but caudal corners produced past rear tergal margin only on rings 17–19; posterior margins clearly bisinuate, well concave behind paraterga (Fig. 13 A – C). Lateral and caudal margins of paraterga beset with numerous, similarly oblong, and usually subequal, setigerous tubercles / lobulations, caudolateral lobulation nearly sharp. Ozopores (Fig. 14 B, D) inconspicuous, opening dorsally near penultimate lateral lobulation on pore-baring rings 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–19. Strictures between pro- and metazona narrow and rather deep, nearly smooth (Fig. 14 C). Epiproct small, conical and subtruncate at tip. Hypoproct trapeziform, with 1 + 1 setae borne on distinct oblong knobs at caudal margin. Limbus very thin, small, and entire. Neither an axial line nor pleurosternal carinae (Fig. 13 A – C). Endotergum inconspicuous, posterior margin of metazona projecting into long, sharp, apically microdenticulate, triangular projections (Fig. 14 E).
Sterna mostly densely setose, deep, and narrow between coxae 1–3, increasingly broad thereafter, clearly excavate between coxae 5 and 6 (♂); postgonopodal sterna rather flat, devoid of modifications, cross-impressions faint (Fig. 13 C). Gonopodal aperture roundly pentagonal, relatively small, taking up ~ 1 / 3 width of metazonum 7, clearly open and drawn into metazonum 6 (Fig. 13 D). Legs incrassate, rather long. 1.4–1.5 × as long as body height, with small, stout, abundant and usual curved setae (Fig. 14 F) with admixture of sphaerotrichomes ventrally on all podomeres (♂); gonopores on coxae 2 inconspicuous, each borne on a very small swelling (♂); prefemora not bulged laterally; claws very small; in length, tarsus> femur> prefemur> tibia> postfemur> coxa.
Gonopods (Fig. 13 D – F) very slender and long, tips in situ reaching anteriorly beyond coxae 6 (Fig. 13 C, D). Both coxites and clearly prefemoral (= densely setose) parts of telopodites equally very short and stout, fused medially, the former fully and the latter mostly hidden inside gonopodal aperture. Femorites (fe) contiguous medially in basal 1 / 3, basically bare and only one at base with a distinct lateral seta, both very faintly attenuating and diverging distad. Acropodites of both telopodites clearly diverging, but unusually compact, short, and clearly trifid, being divided into three subequally short and upright branches: a middle, subacuminate and non-sigmoid solenomere (sl) flanked by a solenophore represented by a securiform, axe-shaped mesal branch (mb) and a nearly finger-shaped lateral branch (lb) with a mesal knob parabasally.
description: Published as part of Wesener, Thomas, Akkari, Nesrine & Golovatch, Sergei I., 2025, Revision of the millipede family Dalodesmidae in Madagascar, with descriptions of two new Malagasy species of Dalodesmus Cook, 1896 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida), pp. 185-220 in ZooKeys 1223 on pages 185-220, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1223.139346