Bicoxidens grandis Lawrence 1965
Creators: name: Mwabvu, Tarombera
name: Hamer, Michelle L.
name: Slotow, Robert H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirostreptida
Spirostreptidae
Bicoxidens
Bicoxidens grandis

description: B. grandis Lawrence, 1965
Fig. 5
Bicoxidens grandis Lawrence, 1965; Krabbe, 1982; Hamer, 1998; Mwabvu, 2000, 2005 Rhodesiostreptus matabele Schubart, 1966 syn. n.
Bicoxidens matabele Krabbe, 1982; Hamer, 1998; Mwabvu, 2000
Type material B. grandis (examined): Holotype: ZIMBABWE: 1 ɗ, 15 km West of Birchenough Bridge [19°50'S, 32°30'E], 20.ii.1962, D. G. Broadley (NMSA 8884)
Type material B. matabele (examined): Holotype: ZIMBABWE: 1 ɗ, WN West Nicholson, 6.v.1951 (MZLU /L951/3730)
Additional material examined: ZIMBABWE: 1 ɗ, Silobela [19º20' S, 29º35'E], xi.1997, T. Mwabvu (NMZ uncatalogued); 1 ɗ 2Ψ, Birchenough Bridge [19°55'S, 32°35'E], 1998, T. Mwabvu (NMSA 20528); 1 ɗ 3Ψ, Zvomukonde [20º50'S, 30º30'E], xii.1998, T. Mwabvu (NMZ uncatalogued); 2 ɗ 4Ψ, Silobela [19º20' S, 29º30'E], xii.1998, T. Mwabvu (NMSA 20546).
Diagnosis: Apical telocoxite with a horizontal apically acute lateral process and a curved median process that overlaps with median process from opposite gonopod (Figs. 5 a, 5b). Aborally, an apical ear-shaped lobe present on lateral leaf at same level as axe-shaped median process.
Description:
Size: Body length 135 mm; minimum and maximum body width 7–8 mm and 8–11 mm; antenna length 7–9 mm
Number of body rings: 52–62.
Colour: Body black; antennae and legs brown.
Collum: With three complete folds (Fig. 5 d).
Pre-femoral process of 1st pair of male legs: Proximal halves parallel, almost touching; rounded distally, with apical nipples deflected to face the other (Fig. 5 c).
Sigilla on body ring: Three rows, becoming one ventrally.
Gonopod: 6–7 mm long. Orally, apical telocoxite with a lateral and median process (Fig. 5 a). Median process crescent-shaped and overlapping the opposite process. Lateral process horizontal, long and apically acute. Distally, median leaf with median axe-shaped process not touching the opposite one (Fig.5 a).Femoral lobe typically long, (Fig. 5 a).
Aborally, a small almost ear- shaped transverse projection is present on the lateral leaf (Fig. 5b) at same level as the axe-shaped process (Fig. 5b).
Distribution: Current records are from southern Zimbabwe (Fig.10)
Remarks: The gonopod of Rhodesiostreptus matabele Schubart, 1966 is identical to that of B. grandis, and the taxa also have overlapping distributions. Additionally, they both have an ear-shaped projection on the lateral leaf behind the median leaf apex, as well as identical telocoxites and median leaves and a telopodite with a much longer femoral lobe unlike the other species of Bicoxidens. B. matabele is therefore a junior synonym of B. grandis.
Although grandis is larger than flavicollis, their gonopods are similar in that they have overlapping, flattened median processes on the distal telocoxites and axe-shaped processes on the median leaf unlike the other species. The two species are, however, quite distinct; flavicollis does not have a lateral process on the apical telocoxite or an aboral ear-shaped projection on the lateral leaf. Unlike flavicollis, the paracoxite of grandis is not tightly attached to the lateral leaf as in friendi and gokwensis. B. grandis has only been recorded in hot and dry areas.
Abbreviations: asp, axe-shaped process; at, apical telocoxite; cf, collum fold; fl, femoral lobe; llp, lateral leaf projection; ll, lateral leaf; lp, lateral process; mp, median process; pc, paracoxite; pfl, prefemoral lobe; st, sternite; tp, telopodite
description: Published as part of Mwabvu, Tarombera, Hamer, Michelle L. & Slotow, Robert H., 2007, A taxonomic review of the southern African millipede genus, Bicoxidens Attems, 1928 (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Spirostreptidae), with the description of three new species and a tentative phylogeny, pp. 1-23 in Zootaxa 1452 on pages 10-11, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.176282