Atelomastix melindae 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 melindae

description: <i>Atelomastix melindae</i>, sp. nov. Figs. 7, 65, 112, 113. <b>Type material:</b> AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: holotype male, Mount Arid, Cape Arid National Park, south side near summit, 33°57’45”S, 123°13’01”E, hand collected under granite rocks, 5 June 2007, M.L. Moir, M.C. Leng (WAM T 83248). Paratypes: 2 males, 2 females, collected with holotype (WAM T 83223). <b>Other material examined:</b> AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 male, collected with holotype (WAM T 82885); 2 males, 5 females, 8 juveniles collected with holotype (WAM T 80706); 2 males, 11 females, collected with holotype (WAM T 80705); 1 male, Mount Belches, near summit, Duke of Orleans Bay, 33°56’26”S, 122°34’31”E, hand collected under granite rocks, 2 June 2007, M.L. Moir, A. Longbottom (WAM T 82884); 7 males, 5 females, Mount Belches, southern side, Duke of Orleans Bay, 33°56’36”S, 122°33’42”E, hand collected under granite rocks, 2 June 2007, M.L. Moir, A. Longbottom (WAM T 80693). <b>Etymology:</b> The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Melinda Moir who collected the holotype and numerous other species of <i>Atelomastix</i> in southwestern Western Australia. <b>Diagnosis:</b> The male gonopod morphology of <i>Atelomastix melindae</i> is similar to that of <i>A. anancita, A. flavognatha</i> and <i>A. psittacina</i> as it has a distally bifurcated sclerite <i>c</i>, similar sclerite <i>b</i> morphology, and the tip of sclerite <i>b</i> extends between the bifurcation and beyond the edge of sclerite <i>c</i>. It can be distinguished from these species by a shallow, symmetrical to slightly asymmetrical distal bifurcation on the distal tip of sclerite <i>c</i>. Further, the distal tip of sclerite <i>c</i> is quite variable but generally widens distally to form an angular tip with two sharp, pointed edges either side of a shallow bifurcation, compared with the rounded, non bifurcated tip of <i>A. psittacina</i>. The distal end of sclerite <i>b</i> is quite variable but relatively shorter, broader and less curved compared with <i>A. flavognatha</i>. <b>Description:</b> <i>Male (holotype).</i> Colour: legs, gonopod, head, antennae golden brown; segments generally mottled chocolate brown; prozonites chocolate brown, metazonites chocolate brown to yellow in preserved specimens. Body: ca. 35 mm long and ca. 2.0 mm wide at collum. With 52 trunk segments, 93 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs. Head: with ca. 49 ocelli (Fig. 65), arranged in 7 rows (3: 5: 7: 9: 10: 8: 7). Gonopods: anterior gonopods (Figs. 112, 113) of medium to heavy sclerotisation, 2.1–2.5 (n=2) times longer than broad; sclerite <i>a</i> with swollen base that forms broad, curved distal hood; upper distal face of sclerite <i>a</i> with 19–23 (n=2) short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum relatively short and partially visible beneath distal hood; sclerite <i>b</i> curved sub-distally, tapering to blunt distal tip, generally extending between sclerite <i>c</i> bifurcation and beyond edge of sclerite <i>c</i>, with 13–20 (n=2) sub-distal setae; basal process of sclerite <i>b</i> short, 0.07 times length of main process; sclerite <i>c</i> shorter than sclerite <i>b</i>, shallowly bifurcate, lateral and medial process short and of variable symmetry, ending in angular pointed edges either side of bifurcation, with 5 setae (n=2) below bifurcation; sub-basal setae absent 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 T80673): length ca. 35, width ca. 2.0, L/W=17.2; sclerite <i>a</i> 1.312 / 0.627 (1.568 / 0.627), setae 19 (23); sclerite <i>b</i> 0.474 (0.454), basal process of sclerite <i>b</i> 0.033 (0.019), setae 20 (13); sclerite <i>c</i> 0.880 (0.928), lateral process 0.040 (0.045), medial process 0.048 (0.058), setae 5 (5). <i>Female</i>. Similar to male, other than sexual characters, and slightly larger. <b>Distribution and habitat:</b> <i>Atelomastix melindae</i> is known from the rocky outcrops and heath near the summit of Mount Arid in the Cape Arid National Park, and granite outcrop and eucalypt forest of Mount Belches, near the Duke of Orleans Bay (Fig. 7). Specimens were collected under granite rocks and have been found in sympatry with <i>A. longbottomi</i> at one locality where both species were under the same rocks.
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 27, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2371.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5312214