Diploexochus cacique Lopez-Orozco, Carpio-Diaz & Campos-Filho 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Borja-Arrieta, Ricardo
name: López-Orozco, Carlos Mario
name: Carpio-Díaz, Yesenia M.
name: Gutierrez-Estrada, Miguel
name: Campos-Filho, Ivanklin Soares
name: Navas-S., Gabriel R.
name: Bichuette, Maria Elina
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Isopoda
Armadillidae
Diploexochus
Diploexochus cacique

description: Diploexochus cacique López-Orozco, Carpio-Díaz & Campos-Filho sp. nov.
Figs 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 B, 13 B
Type material.
Colombia • 1 ♂, holotype, Cerro Bañaderos, Hatonuevo, La Guajira, 11°7'33.3"N, 72°47'6.9"W, 12. I. 2016, leg. M Gutierrez-Estrada, CBUC-CRU 350 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (parts in micropreparations), paratypes, same data as holotype, CBUDC-CRU 413 • 1 ♀, paratypes, same data as holotype, CBUDC-CRU 414.
Description.
Maximum body length: male 8 mm, female 9 mm. Body outline as in Fig. 5 A. Color dark brown with typical muscular insertions (Figs 8 B, 13 B); upper portion of tubercles randomly depigmented; pereonite 1 epimera anterior corner, pereonites 2–7 paramedian portions, pereonites 3 and 4 epimera, and pleonites 3–5 epimera randomly depigmented. Endoantennal conglobation (Figs 5 A, 8 B, 13 B). Dorsum covered with large triangular tubercles, arranged as follows (Fig. 5 A, B): vertex of cephalon with 12 tubercles in three rows; pereonite 1 with 20 tubercles; pereonites 2–6 with 16 tubercles; pereonite 7 with 15 tubercles; pleonites 3–5 and telson with two paramedian tubercles. Pereonites 1–7 epimera with one line of noduli laterales per side inserted on outer surface of second tubercle of posterior row (Fig. 5 A). Dorsal surface with short and narrow semi-circular scale-setae (Fig. 5 C). Cephalon (Fig. 5 D – F) with frontal shield prominent, distinctly protruding above vertex; eyes with 20–21 ommatidia. Pereonites 1–7 epimera flattened and slightly directed outwards; pereonite 1 strongly grooved on lateral margin, inner lobe of schisma rounded, extending beyond posterior margin of outer lobe (Fig. 5 G, H), pereonite 2 with triangular and narrow ventral lobe directed outwards, not extending beyond posterior margin of epimera; pereonites 4–7 with oblique ventral ridge (Fig. 5 F – H). Pleonites 3–5 (Fig. 5 I, J) with epimera well developed, rectangular and slightly directed outwards. Telson (Fig. 5 I) with proximal part slightly broader than distal part, dorsum slightly depressed, distal margin straight. Antennula (Fig. 5 K) of three articles, proximal and distal articles subequal in length, distal article with four aesthetascs inserted sub-apically. Antenna (Fig. 5 L) short, not surpassing posterior margin of pereonite 1 when extended backwards; flagellum of two articles, distal article about twice as long as first bearing one row of two lateral aesthetascs. Mandibles with molar penicil semi-dichotomized; left mandible (Fig. 6 A) with 2 + 1 penicils, right mandible (Fig. 6 B) with 1 + 1 penicils. Maxillula (Fig. 6 C) inner endite with two stout penicils, distal margin bearing fringe of thin setae; outer endite of 4 + 6 teeth simple. Maxilla (Fig. 6 D) inner lobe rounded covered with thick setae; outer lobe rounded, three times as wide as inner lobe, covered with thin setae. Maxilliped (Fig. 6 E) basis rectangular bearing sparse setae; palp with two distinct setae on basal article; endite subrectangular, medial seta overpassing distal margin, distal margin bearing two setae. Pereopods 1–7 merus and carpus bearing setae on sternal margin, not sparse appearance; carpus 1 with distal setae cleft at apex; ungual seta and dactylar organ simple, both surpassing outer claw. Uropod (Fig. 6 F) protopod flattened, enlarged on basal part, distal part subrectangular, medial margin concave; exopod short inserted dorsally near medial margin bellow distinct lobe, lobe not extending beyond medial margin; endopod club-shaped bearing many short setae on distal part. Pleopods 1–5 exopods with monospiracular respiratory structures.
Male. Pereopods 1–7 (Fig. 7 A, B) without particular modifications. Genital papilla as in Fig. 9 C. Pleopod 1 (Fig. 7 C) exopod triangular, as wide as long, outer and inner margin bearing many small setae, distal and proximal outer parts triangular; endopod about twice as long as exopod. Pleopod 2 (Fig. 7 D) exopod triangular, outer margin strongly concave bearing many setae; endopod slightly longer than exopod. Pleopod 3–5 exopods as in Fig. 7 E – G.
Etymology.
The new species is named after the Vallenato music singer Diomedes Díaz Maestre, also known as “ El Cacique de la Junta ”.
Remarks.
Diploexochus cacique sp. nov. easily differs from the previously mentioned species in the pattern of the dorsal tubercles of the pleon and telson, the pereonites 1 and 2 epimera with ventral lobes surpassing the posterior margin of the epimera, and the club-shaped uropod endopod.
Natural history.
Specimens of Diploexochus cacique sp. nov. were collected on tree bark around the Luis Pablo Ojeda Cave (Bañaderos cave), Cerro Bañaderos, Hatonuevo, La Guajira (Fig. 8 B). The area where the D. cacique sp. nov. species is found is composed of TDF and is part of the Sierra de Bañadero integrated management district (DMI), a mountain system in the upper basin of the Camarones River in the department of La Guajira, which is connected to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Distribution.
This species is known only from the type locality at Cerro Bañaderos, Hatonuevo, La Guajira, which is included into a TDF area (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Borja-Arrieta, Ricardo, López-Orozco, Carlos Mario, Carpio-Díaz, Yesenia M., Gutierrez-Estrada, Miguel, Campos-Filho, Ivanklin Soares, Navas-S., Gabriel R. & Bichuette, Maria Elina, 2025, From surface to caves: new species of Diploexochus Brandt, 1833 (Oniscidea, Armadillidae) from Colombia, with the description of the first troglobitic species, pp. 263-288 in ZooKeys 1223 on pages 263-288, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1223.133267