Colossobolus giganteus Wesener &amp; Enghoff &amp; Sierwald 2009, sp. 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 giganteus</i> Wesener, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: AD9F0066-DFF2-4CDC-B39E-70CF2EC97F08 <b>Material examined:</b> 5 &amp;male;, 2 &amp;female;, 1 imm. Holotype: 1 &amp;male; (165 mm long), FMMC 6167, Madagascar, Province d’Antsiranana, RS d’Ankarana, Grotte des Chauves Souris, 3 km NW Mahamasina, 80 m, dry forest, 12°58’05.7’’ S, 049°07’09.6’’ E, leg. S. M. Goodman, 12.V.2003. <i>Paratypes:</i> 3 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;, 1 imm., FMMC 3920, RS Ankarana, 80 m, tropical dry forest, 12°54’32’’ S, 49°6’35’’ E, leg. B. L. Fisher et C. Griswold, 10–16. II.2001; 1 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;, MNHN noNumber, Province Diego-Suarez (Antsiranana), Rivière des Bois Pourris, Réc. A. Treha, 13.VII.1960. <b>Differential diagnosis:</b> the gonopods of <i>C. giganteus</i> are so unique that they can only be confused with <i>C. oblongopedus</i>. See <i>C. oblongopedus</i> for a comparison of the two species. <b>Description.</b> <i>Measurements</i>: males with 52 or 53 body rings, up to 165 mm long, 10.0–12.0 mm wide. Females with 52 body rings, of unknown length (broken), 10.3– 15.5 mm wide. <i>Coloration</i> affected by alcohol. Head, antennae, legs and telson red. Collum centrally dark (Fig. 15A). Meso- and metazonites of body rings reddish-brown. <i>Antennae</i> protruding back to ring 4. <i>Male coxal processes</i> on coxae 3 and 4 weakly developed, on coxae 5–7 short, barely visible (Fig. 15B). <i>Preanal process</i> well-rounded, not projecting. <i>Anterior gonopod</i> sternite elongated into a wide, broadly rounded lobe. Apical part of lobe slightly more slender than remaining part (Fig. 15C). Mesal process of coxite weakly developed, protruding into a short, wide lobe with a pointed tip (Fig. 15C). Telopodite process long and well-rounded, basally at mesal margin with a minute, but sharp, lateral retrorse projection (Fig. 15D). Mesal margin laterally sharp-edged, not protruding (Fig. 15D). <i>Posterior gonopod</i> telopodites positioned parallel to one another. Coxite branch long, wide and stout, almost as long as lateral branch of telopodite (Figs 15E, F). Lat- ter not tapering, apically slightly curved mesally (Fig. 15F). Central membranous area present as a short, wide, well-rounded lobe (Fig. 15E). Main branch shorter than lateral branch, both running parallel. Apical part of main branch extending towards and touching lateral branch (Fig. 15E). Inner margin of main branch with two very small, well-rounded, overlapping membranous folds. Main branch laterally with a very large irregularly shaped membrane (Fig. 15E). <b>Intraspecific variation:</b> the specimens from the MNHN of unknown locality are 3–5 mm more slender than those from Ankarana. <b>Distribution and ecology</b> : <i>C. giganteus</i> is only known from the dry forest of Ankarana (Fig. 10). The sample from the unknown locality from the MNHN suggests that <i>C. giganteus</i> has or had a wider distribution. <b>Etymology:</b> <i>giganteus</i>, adjective, refers to the large size of the species. <i>Colossobolus giganteus</i> at 165 mm is the largest known species of the genus and one of the largest millipedes known from Madagascar.
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 28-30, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.19.221, http://zenodo.org/record/576503