Skleroprotopus change Chen, Zhao, Golovatch & Liu, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Chen, Rong
name: Zhao, Yi
name: Golovatch, Sergei
name: Liu, Wei-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Mongoliulidae
Skleroprotopus
Skleroprotopus change

description: 3.3. 5.Skleroprotopus changesp. nov.
Figures 2 A, 3 H, 8
Material examined.
Holotype male (SCAU), China, Hubei Province, Xianning City, Xian’an District, Chang’e Scenic Park, Cave Feixian Dong, 29°43′56.29′′N 114°14′2.86′′E, 160 m, 13. VII. 2019, Tian Mingyi, Cheng Jingli, Chen Mengzhen and Ma Zijun leg. Paratypes: 1 male, 4 females (SCAU), same data as for holotype.
Diagnosis.
Differs from congeners mostly based on the following combination of characters: (1) telopoditomere 4 of male leg 1 rounded, with a small mesal hump (Fig. 8 E); (2) penis slightly longer than male coxae 2 (Fig. 8 D); (3) male leg 7 with a very small coxal process and a 4 - segmented telopodite (Fig. 8 F); (4) anterior gonopod (Fig. 8 G, H) with a very long coxal process carrying a somewhat broadened and dentated membranous lobe. — In addition, this new species differs from all other Skleroprotopus species analyzed in uncorrected p - distances ranging from between 6.6 % (compared to S. longiflagellatus sp. nov.) and 15.6 % (compared to S. longissimus sp. nov.).
Etymology.
The specific epithet is primarily derived from its type locality, which is named after Chang’e. She is the fairy of the moon palace in the ancient Chinese mythology. “ Change ” in Chinese “ 嫦娥 ”, a noun in apposition.
Description.
Length of both sexes ca 20.5–28 mm, width 1.7–1.8 mm, midbody height 1.5–1.8 mm, body with 48–56 podous + 1–2 apodous rings + telson. Natural coloration marbled reddish- to purple brownish (Fig. 2 A). Anterior 2 / 3 body in alcohol yellowish brown, posterior 1 / 3 body yellowish. Antennae and legs pale yellowish (Fig. 3 H). Eye patches blackish, subtriangular, arranged in 4–6 irregular rows, altogether about 15–30 ommatidia per eye patch.
Head capsule smooth and hairless, eyes slightly bulged, epicranial suture well-defined. Labral margin with 2 (3) + 2 (3) supra-labral and 11 + 11 labral setae. Antennae of medium length, reaching behind to middle of ring 2 when stretched dorsally. In length, antennomeres 3 ≈ 2> 6 ≈ 5> 4> 1> 7. Antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a distal corolla of sensilla basiconica. Mandibular stipes well-rounded in males, more strongly rounded in females. Gnathochilarium with at least 5 setae on each lamella lingualis (ll); promentum (pr) lanceolate, slightly swollen anteriorly in males (Fig. 8 A), vs a narrow drop-shaped pr in females (Fig. 8 B).
Collum with 6–8 lower striae laterally, but lowest 2 striae not reaching the anterior margin (Fig. 3 H). Prozona with 4 irregular subtransverse striae and metazona with 13–17 longitudinal striae laterally. Suture dividing pro- and metazona very narrow, a regular comb. Ozopores starting with ring 6, lying mid-laterally on sides of metatergites (Fig. 3 H).
Epiproct slightly protruding caudad, laterally with 2 + 2 setae. Paraprocts convex, smooth. Hypoproct eye-shaped, with 1 + 1 setae.
Legs short, about 0.6 × as long as midbody height, claw weakly curved, without modifications. Male leg-pair 1 (Fig. 8 E) hypertrophied, 5 - segmented, strongly curved anteriad; coxa (cx) and telopoditomeres 1 and 2 (t 1, t 2) with some long setae. Telopoditomere 3 (t 3) longest, about as long as all other telopoditomeres combined. Telopoditomere 4 (t 4) irregularly shaped, with a small mesal hump (h) subapically; t 3 and t 4 with few scattered setae and short bristles on mesal face. Male leg-pair 2 (Fig. 8 D) reduced in size and slender; penis (pn) unpaired, slightly longer than coxae (cx), cylindrical, distal part undulating, with five long setae. Male leg-pair 7 (Fig. 8 F) strongly reduced, each leg with a 4 - segmented asymmetrical telopodite (not including claw); coxal process (cp) small, densely setose.
Anterior gonopods (Fig. 8 G, H) with a very long coxal process (cp) bearing two long rows of short villi in anterior view, posteriorly carrying with a membranous lobe (ml), outer margin of ml somewhat broadened, with small and irregular denticulations. Flagellum (f) very long and slightly thickened, distally villose. Telopodite (te) about half as long as cp, with long setae both distally and mesally, laterobasally with a minute remnant (r) of a second podomere.
Posterior gonopods (Fig. 8 I) erect, branched at tip, anterior branch smooth, with a pointed tip, posterior one densely setose.
Vulva (Fig. 8 C) mostly wrapped inside a membrane, characteristic in shape, strongly elongated; operculum (op) longer than bursa, with two parallel rows of short setae on anterior face and 2 long setae distally.
Remarks.
This species inhabits Feixian Dong, a cave that is open to the public. Based on the pigmented body, black eyes, as well as very short legs, S. change sp. nov. is considered a troglophile.
description: Published as part of Chen, Rong, Zhao, Yi, Golovatch, Sergei & Liu, Wei-Xin, 2024, Molecular phylogenetic and morphological studies reveal increased species diversity in the millipede genus Skleroprotopus Attems, 1901 in China (Julida: Mongoliulidae), pp. 659-691 in Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 82 on pages 659-691, DOI: 10.3897/asp.82.e136751