Colossobolus Wesener &amp; Enghoff &amp; Sierwald 2009, gen. n.
Creators: name: Wesener, Thomas
name: Enghoff, Henrik
name: Sierwald, Petra
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirobolida
Pachybolidae
Colossobolus

description: <i>Colossobolus</i> Wesener, gen. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 3F5F1E9A-F3BE-44F4-AB34-62DB25472FBD <b>Type species</b>: <i>Colossobolus semicyclus</i> sp. n. <b>Other species included</b> : <i>C. oblongopedus</i> sp. n. <i>C. giganteus</i> sp. n. <i>C. minor</i> sp. n. <i>C. litoralis</i> sp. n. <i>C. aculeatus</i> sp. n. <i>C. pseudoaculeatus</i> sp. n. <b>Diagnosis</b>: distinguished by the slender telopodite process of anterior gonopods and the disc-like shape of posterior gonopod telopodite which is always divided into two branches. The sperm canal runs through the mesal branch and the area between both branches is basally membranous (Fig. 9F). Shares a large body size (90–170 mm) and an aposematic red/black colour pattern (Figs 9A, 13A) with <i>Aphistogoniulus</i> Silvestri, 1897, <i>Madabolus</i> Wesener &amp; Enghoff, 2008, <i>Corallobolus</i> and <i>Sanguinobolus</i>. Male tarsal pads are prominently developed. Shares a wide and short coxite process of the anterior gonopods (Fig. 9D) with <i>Sanguinobolus</i>, while this process is slender in <i>Corallobolus</i> (Fig. 2A), and slender as well as longer than the telopodite in <i>Aphistogoniulus</i>. <b>Distribution and ecology</b> : species of <i>Colossobolus</i> have been recorded from littoral, dry and subhumid forests in northern Madagascar (Fig. 10). Two different <i>Colossobolus</i> species occur sympatrically at numerous sites, but no <i>Colossobolus</i> species have been found in rainforests. Species of <i>Colossobolus</i> and <i>Aphistogoniulus</i> occurred sympatrically on at least one site. Species of <i>Colossobolus</i> are probably active on the soil surface and might even climb trees because of their long legs, aposematic colour pattern and the fact that some species were caught in pitfall traps. <b>Description.</b> <i>Males</i>: length up to 165 mm, diameter up to 12.0 mm, 47–52 rings. Females: length up to 128 mm, diameter up to 15.5 mm, 49–52 rings. Apodous rings absent in all adult specimens. <i>Coloration</i> (after short time in alcohol): prozona and mesozona red or reddishbrown (faded to grey because of light or alcohol exposure in some specimens), metazona dark brown or black (Fig. 17). Ozopores surrounded in some specimens by a large black spot. Telson (also faded to grey in some specimens), head, antennae, gonopods and legs always red (Figs 9A, C). <i>Head</i>: each eye with circa 35–40 ocelli arranged in 6–9 vertical rows (Fig. 9A). Labrum with circa three irregular teeth and one row of 10–12 stout marginal setae (Fig. 9B). Clypeus with two setiferous foveolae on each side (Fig. 9B). Antennal cavity present, not extending below eye (Fig. 13A). Antennae short, reaching back to ring 3 or 4 (Fig. 9A). Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1&lt;&lt;2&gt;&gt;3=4=5=6, antennomere 2 longest (Fig. 11A). Terminal antennomere with four large sensory cones located together inside a membranous area (Fig. 11C). Antennomere 5 latero-apically with four rows, antennomere 6 with three rows (Fig. 11B) of sensilla basiconica. <i>Gnathochilarium</i>: of usual spirobolidan shape. Lamellae linguales each with two standard setae located behind one another. Stipites each with three apical setae (Fig. 13B). Mentum with several transverse ridges in basal half. Palpi of gnathochilarium with numerous sensilla. Hypopharyngeal crest with a field of spine-like structures. Central pads of endochilarium separated by a step into two levels, group of 10–12 sensilla located apically in recessed area. Medial palps with a large group of sensilla each, located towards hypopharyngeal crest (Fig. 11D). <i>Mandible</i>: external tooth simple, rounded; mesal tooth with three cusps. Five pectinate lamellae. Mesal margin of pectinate area with circa four rows of small slender spines. Molar plate with numerous (7–10), very shallow transverse furrows (Fig. 12A). <i>Collum:</i> smooth, laterally not protruding as far as ventral surface of body ring 2 (Figs 9A, B). <i>Body rings:</i> mostly smooth, with some irregular punctation and some transverse impressions on mesozona. Metazona and mesozona ventrally with deep longitudinal impressions. Ozopores starting at ring 6, located closely in front of, but not touching suture between mesozona and metazona. Ozopore on ring 6 located much more ventrally than subsequent ozopores. <i>Telson</i>: anal valves with well-developed lips and micropunctation, but with neither grooves nor setae. Preanal process well-rounded or sharp, but never extending beyond anal valves (Fig. 9C). Subanal scale inconspicuous. <i>Legs</i>: coxae 1 and 2 elongated and fused with sternum, podomeres from prefemur to tarsus in both sexes each with 4–10 ventral/mesal setae. Length of midbody legs circa 1.2 times body diameter in males, circa 0.8 times body diameter in females. Each podomere with an apical, ventral seta. Coxae 3 and beyond of rectangular shape (Fig. 18D). Tarsus with a stout dorso-apical setae and in males a pair of stout ventroapical setae, in females with three pairs of setae, of which apical pair stout, others successively much smaller. <i>Male sexual characters</i>: tarsi 3 and beyond with a large tarsal pad not protruding past base of claw. Coxae 3–7 with a short process each, this process protruding posteriorly, but never overlapping adjacent one. Processes on coxae 3 and 4 slightly longer than those on coxae 5–7 (Fig. 9B). Gonopods not projecting past body rings (Fig. 16A) <i>Anterior gonopods</i>: sternite triangular, well-rounded or only slightly tapering (Fig. 9D), protruding almost as high as coxite. Coxite broad, smoothly rounded, laterally curving around telopodite, extending only slightly towards posterior side, where it is laterally visible as a small triangular sclerite (Fig. 9E). Mesal coxite process short, wide and well-rounded (Fig. 9D). Telopodite mesally elongated into a long, wide, wellrounded process (Fig. 9D). Mesal margin basally of telopodite process always elevated, sharp-edged, in some species widely protruding (Figs 9E, 18F). A large, deep groove usually present in basal part of telopodite (Fig. 13D). Apodeme very small, located basally of sternite and entirely covered with muscle tissue (Fig. 15C). <i>Posterior gonopods in situ</i> almost completely covered by anterior gonopod. Posterior gonopods clearly divided into coxite and telopodite. Sternite sclerotized and well-visible (Fig. 15F). Coxite basally wide, mesally with a single groove (Fig. 14B) protruding into a stem towards telopodite. Telopodite always developed as a special disc, separated from coxite stem by a membranous area (Figs 9 F–I). Telopodites either standing face-to-face (Figs 9F, G), or parallel (Figs 19A, B) to one another. Telopodite comprising of three components: (1) median membranous area, (2) lateral branch, (3) mesal main branch with membranous folds. Sperm canal discharging into membranous folds proximally on main branch. Telopodite in some species basally with a finger-shaped process, termed here as a “coxite branch” (Figs 9F, G). It is unclear whether the coxite branch belongs to the telopodite or coxite. <i>Female sexual characters:</i> vulva simple, with a small, poorly sclerotized operculum at base, bivalve-like (Fig. 12B). Anterior valve shorter than posterior one. Both valves smooth, lacking sensory cones. Each valve basally towards opening with two or three rows of setae (Fig. 12B). <b>Etymology</b>: <i>Colossobolus</i>, masculine, is composed of <i>colossus</i>, which refers to the extraordinary large size of species in this genus, and - <i>bolus</i>.
description: Published as part of <i>Wesener, Thomas, Enghoff, Henrik &amp; Sierwald, Petra, 2009, Review of the Spirobolida on Madagascar, with descriptions of twelve new genera, including three genera of ' fire millipedes' (Diplopoda), pp. 1-128 in ZooKeys 19 (19)</i> on pages 17-23, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.19.221, http://zenodo.org/record/576503
description: {"references": ["Silvestri F (1897) Systema Diplopodum. Annali del Museo civico di storia naturale di Genova 38: 651 - 653.", "Wesener T, Enghoff H, Wagele J-W (2008) Pachybolini - a tribe of giant Afrotropical millipedes: arguments for monophyly and the description of a new genus from Madagascar (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Pachybolidae). Invertebrate Systematics 22: 37 - 53. [http: // www. publish. csiro. au /? act = view _ file &amp; file _ id = IS 07008. pdf]"]}