Acanthophorella barjadzei
Creators: name: Antić, Dragan Ž.
name: Makarov, Slobodan E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Chordeumatida
Anthroleucosomatidae
Acanthophorella
Acanthophorella barjadzei

description: Acanthophorella barjadzei gen. et sp. nov.
Figs 118–120
Diagnosis. The new species differs from the other two species of the genus by the structure of the anterior gonopods and body, such as the presence of very wide shields on the anterior gonopods with a pair of lobes at the base or the presence of narrower and more gracile processes on the anterior side of the anterior gonopods, as well as a twice larger, pigmentless, yellowish white body with less numerous ocelli, with elongated walking legs and antennae and a very characteristic coxal process on male leg-pair 7.
Etymology. The new species is named after Dr. Shalva Barjadze, a Georgian entomologist and biospeleologist, the collector.
Material studied (total: 1 male, 2 females, 5 juveniles). Holotype. GEORGIA: male, Racha region, Ambrolauri district, Racha karst massif, 1 km from village Velevi, Cave Dolabistavi, dark zone, 13 Oct. 2014, S. Barjadze leg. (IZB).
Paratypes (total: 2 females, 3 juveniles). All from GEORGIA: 2 females, 5 juveniles, same data as holotype (ISU, IZB).
Type locality. GEORGIA: Racha region, Ambrolauri district, Racha karst massif, 1 km from village Velevi, Dolabistavi Cave.
Description. Body with 31 segments (including telson) in adults.
MEASUREMENTS. Holotype male 17 mm long, vertical diameter of the largest pleurotergite 1.4 mm. Females 16–18 mm long, vertical diameter of the largest pleurotergite 1.4–1.6 mm.
COLORATION (Fig. 118). Pigmentless, yellowish white.
HEAD. With a longitudinal depression in male. Labrum with three medial teeth and 3+2 labral and 2+2 supralabral setae. Promentum triangular, without setae. Lingual plates with 10+9 setae, on each plate arranged in three irregular rows. Stipites with ca 32+32 setae. Antennae elongated and slender in both sexes, 3.05 mm long in holotype. Length of antennomeres (in mm): I (0.15), II (0.34), III (0.83), IV (0.45), V (0.75), VI (0.27), VII (0.21) and VIII (0.05). Length/breadth ratios of antennomeres I–VII: I (1), II (2), III (6), IV (3), V (5), VI (1.5) and VII (1.6). Antennomeres II, IV, V, VI and VII with one, three, one, four and one sensillum, respectively. Number of ocelli 6, arranged in 2 irregular rows in holotype; 5–7 in 2–3 irregular rows in females.
COLLUM. Narrower than head, with six macrochaetae. Anterior edge semi-circular, posterior margin gently concave.
BODY SEGMENTS (Fig. 118). Lateral keels moderate. Macrochaetae relatively long and trichoid. CIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 0.6; MIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 1.8; PIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 0.5; MA (pleurotergite 15) ~ 115˚.
TELSON. Epiproct with a pair of spinnerets and 3+3 setae (1+1 paramedian, 2+2 marginal). Hypoproct with 1+1 apical setae. Paraprocts with 3+3 marginal setae.
WALKING LEGS. Elongated and slender. In both sexes, leg-pairs 1 and 2 with tarsal combs; prefemora with several long and robust setae; femora and postfemora with a group of several long and robust setae.
MALE SEXUAL CHARACTERS (Fig. 119). Leg-pairs 3–7 enlarged, especially so leg-pairs 3, 4 and 7. Leg-pairs 3 and 4 each with a basal exterior protrusion on prefemur. Leg-pair 5 with a basal, subtriangular, oral protrusion on prefemur. Leg-pair 6 with a basal, exterior, small protrusion on prefemur. Leg-pair 7 with a characteristic, very wide, posteriorly orientated, lamellar, coxal process, acuminate mesally and rounded exteriorly. Leg-pair 10 with coxal glands and with a coxal subtriangular protrusion orientated posteriorly. Leg-pair 11 with coxal glands, without other peculiarities.
ANTERIOR GONOPODS (Fig. 120 A–C). Sternal plate (sp) anteriorly with a small, medial, nippled, sternal sac (ss). At base of gonopods, two anterior lobes (lo) can be seen. Medial parts characterized by the presence of welldeveloped and wide medial shields (mp) with mesal edges folded inside and forming posterior projections (ppr). Shields with numerous and very thin striae (str) anteriorly. Lateral sides of shields with a small widening (sw) which covers medial parts of slender, thorn-like processes (tp). The lateralmost parts of anterior gonopods are lateral lamellae (ll) with small nipples. These lamellae almost as high as apex of lateral widening of shields. Posteriorly, anterior gonopods with a pair of mesally situated coxal vesicles (cv), with well-developed and highly hairy levers (hl) situated laterally to coxal vesicles, as well as with two lateralmost lobes (us).
POSTERIOR GONOPODS (Fig. 120 D). Coxites (c) divided. Telopodites (t) small, present on posterolateral sides. Coxal processes (cp) orientated laterally and their apices curved anteriorly. Coxal vesicles (cv) present on anterior side.
Distribution. Georgia (known only from Cave Dolabistavi) (Fig. 169, red circle).
Notes. This species is known only from a cave and shows some troglomorphic features such as a pigmentless, yellowish white body, a reduced number of ocelli, and elongated and slender antennae and walking legs. This species probably inhabits some other caves in the Racha region. One female and two juveniles probably of this species were collected in Cave Muradis, Racha region, but in the absence of an adult male, these specimens remain unidentified.
description: Published as part of Antić, Dragan Ž. & Makarov, Slobodan E., 2016, The Caucasus as a major hotspot of biodiversity: Evidence from the millipede family Anthroleucosomatidae (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida), pp. 1-205 in Zootaxa 4211 (1) on pages 143-147, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4211.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/272750