Aphilodon micronyx Brolemann 1902
Creators: name: Calvanese, Victor C.
name: Brescovit, Antonio D.
name: Bonato, Lucio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Chilopoda
Geophilomorpha
Aphilodontidae
Aphilodon
Aphilodon micronyx

description: Aphilodon micronyx Brölemann, 1902
(Figs 7A, 8D, 16, 17, 9A, 11C, 38B, 41I, 42F, 44O, 45B)
Aphilodon micronyx Brölemann 1902: 46 (original description), figs 14–19;
Mecistauchenus micronyx: Brölemann 1907: 282, 283; Brölemann 1909a: 335, fig. 4; Chamberlin 1914: 156, 209; Verhoeff 1925: 558; Attems 1928: 182; Attems 1929: 320 (description), figs 292–294; Bücherl 1942a: 161, 162, 165, 168, 212 (new record), 216, fig. 7, microphotos 1-7; Bücherl 1942b: 364 (new record), 368; Pereira 1998: 473; Foddai et al. 2000: 106; Bonato et al. 2011: 408.
Brasilophilus micronyx: Verhoff 1908: 286, pl. XX: figs 35-36.
Type specimens. Original holotype: ♀, from “ Brazil ” (Brölemann 1902), deposited in MZUSP 01; apparently lost. Neotype (designated herewith to fix the name and allow a comparison with other species of the genus): ♀, from Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, 16/12/2017, V. Calvanese & A. Silva col., deposited in IBSP 6174.
Type locality. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia: Parque Nacional de Itatiaia: 22°22′31″S, 44°39′44″W.
Taxonomic history. Brölemann (1902) described and illustrated the original holotype of A. micronyx as having the coxosternite of the second maxillae divided by a mid-longitudinal sulcus and the mandible provided with two pectinate lamellae. Through light microscopy and SEM on reliably conspecific specimens, we found that Brölemann (1902) was inaccurate on these two characters: the second maxillary coxosternite is only shorter in the middle part rather than in the lateral parts (Fig. 7A), but not divided, and the mandible bears a single pectinate lamella, as common to all Geophiloidea. It is possible that Brölemann was misled by some artifact in the preparation of the maxillae for microscopic examination (see Crabill 1964, for a similar case regarding the first maxillae) and by some injury to the mandible (for instance, some basal denticles of the single pectinate lamella could have been broken and lost). Although A. micronyx presents peculiar autapomorphies within the Aphilodontinae, it is here confirmed in the genus Aphilodon because it shares a major synapomorphy of the genus (a terminal spine on the legs of the ultimate pair; Fig. 16C) and other features distinguishing Aphilodon from other Aphilodontinae (e.g.: a single tarsal article in the ultimate legs in both sexes).
Notes on nomenclature. The single specimen originally described by Brölemann (1902) is considered lost and its provenance was indicated only generically from Brazil. The four specimens mentioned by Bücherl (1942b) were not found in IBSP, having been probably burned in a fire in 2010. As a consequence, we selected a neotype among the individuals recently collected from a locality in the Southeastern Brazil.
Material examined. BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Caratinga, RPPN Feliciano Abdala, Reserva Muriqui (19°43’38”S, 41°49’17”W), 15–18/11/2007, C. Sampaio col., 1♀ (MNRJ 30013). Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, 15– 18/11/2007, C. Sampaio col., 1♀ (MNRJ 30013); Parque Nacional de Itatiaia (22°22′31″S, 44°39′44″W), 03– 17/12/2017, V. C. Calvanese & A. Silva col., 1♀ (IBSP 6174) [neotype], 2♂ and 2♀ (IBSP 6175), 5♀ (IBSP 6176), 1♀ (IBSP 6184), 1♀ (IBSP 6185), 1♀ (IBSP 6186), 1♀ (IBSP 6187). São Paulo: Serra Negra, Alto da Serra (22°36’44”S, 46°42’02”W), 09∕1927, R. Spitz col., 1♂ (MZUSP 551); Monte Alegre do Sul (22°40’57’’S, 46°40’53’’W), 21∕01∕1947, 1♂ (MZUSP 3124).
Diagnosis. A species of Aphilodon with: around 57–61 leg-bearing segments; known body length in adults 30–70 mm; cephalic plate length/width ratio 0.8–0.9, with a distinct transverse suture; antenna ca. 2-3 times as long as cephalic plate; pectinate lamella of mandible with straight denticles; coxosternite of second maxillae distinctly shortened in middle part; telopodite of second maxillae with article 3 shorter than article 2, with one apical setae and one apical sensillum and one subapical seta; forcipular pretergite exposed; forcipule with lateral margin posteriorly straight; tarsungulum ca. 0.5 times as long as the trochanteroprefemur+femur; forcipule with 3+1 denticles, all very small; distal denticle of trochanteroprefemur and denticle of femur separate; all pleurites conspicuous; each coxopleuron with 25–38 coxal pores in adults, all sparse; ultimate presternite entire or apparently divided in the middle part; metasternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment length/width ratio ca. 0.9; ultimate legs ca. 1.8 times as long as penultimate legs, with tarsus 1 ca. 1.1–1.2 times as long as tibia.
A. micronyx differs from all other species of Aphilodon by having a cephalic plate being wider than long, with a distinct transverse suture (Fig. 17B), and a coxosternite of second maxillae distinctly shortened in middle part (Fig. 7A).
Recorded specimens: 23, including 15 ♀ and 4 ♂, from 8 localities.
Distribution. Brazil—Minas Gerais: Caratinga (new record). Brazil—Paraná: Rio Negro (Bücherl 1942b). Brazil—Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia (new record). Brazil—Santa Catarina (Bücherl 1942a). Brazil—São Paulo: Alto da Serra, Serra Negra (new record); Monte Alegre do Sul (new Brazil—record).
Description of neotype. Female (IBSP 6174).
Entire body: length 44, maximum width 1.2. Cephalic plate: length 0.83 and width 0.92 (length/width ratio 0.90). Antenna: length 2.03, ca. 2.4 times as long as cephalic plate; AA I–III wider than long; AA IV–XIV longer than wide; AA II–XIII length/width ratio 0.65–1.10; LAA ca. 1.5 times as long as AA XIII.
Clypeus: 7+7 LS, 2+2 PS, 16+14 SCS. Mandible: PL with 25 denticles relatively elongated. First maxillae: left TFM length 0.09 and width 0.06; DA with 3 apical and 1 subapical SL; each MPC with 4 SL arranged in a row in the middle part of structure. Second maxillae: 6 little SE distributed in a row along the posterior margin between TSM; CSM with suppressed middle part, ca. 0.3 times as long as the lateral margins; left TSM length 0.12 (ca. 1.4 times as long as TFM) and maximum width (basal margin) 0.07; both TSM with one SE and one SL apical plus one subapical SE.
Forcipular segment: FTE trapezoidal, length 0.40 (0.46 times as long as cephalic plate) and width 1.01, with a few scattered SE; FPT length 0.02 and width 0.70; FCX length 0.96 and width 1.16 (length/width ratio 0.82); FRL length 0.68, not reaching the anterior margin of cephalic plate; FRL with all denticles vestigial, with 1 SE over a small protuberance corresponding to FD2, 3 SE over FD2 and 3 SE over FD3, both also small; TA ca. 0.55 times as long as TFF, with DT relatively small.
Walking legs: 59 pairs; FL 0.84 times as long as the second leg, with procoxae not extended to the midline of the body; leg 27 length 1.07. Tergum from first to penultimate leg-bearing segment: TE rectangular, with rounded edges, more extended to the pleural region than in other species; TE 27 length 0.18 and width 0.56 (length/width ratio 0.32), with one row of 9 SE in anterior part, and one row of 3 SE in posterior region; PT short, 0.61 times as long as TE and with one row of 10 SE. Sternum from first to penultimate leg-bearing segment: STF wider than in other species, length/width ratio 0.30, elliptical; other ST sub-quadrate, from little longer than wide to little wider than long; ST 27 length 0.49 and width 0.50 (length/width ratio 1.02); PST exposed in middle and terminal region of the body.
Ultimate leg-bearing segment: MTL little wider than long, trapezoidal, length 0.32 and maximum width 0.35 (length/width ratio 0.91); UPS apparently divided in the middle part. Ultimate legs: thin, length 2.04, 1.8 times as long as penultimate leg; each CXP with 27–34 COP, scattered and with varying diameters. Postpedal segments: GF with 3+3 distal SE.
Known variation. Male: ultimate legs slightly thickened and hairy; MLT length/width ratio 1.1–1.3; GM1 elongated, with 2–3 SE in one row; GM2 triangular, tapering to distal region, each with 3–4 SE.
description: Published as part of Calvanese, Victor C., Brescovit, Antonio D. & Bonato, Lucio, 2019, Revision of the Neotropical species of Aphilodontinae (Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae), with eight new species and a first phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily, pp. 1-72 in Zootaxa 4698 (1) on pages 23-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4698.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3542876