Chaleponcus nikolajscharffi Enghoff 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Enghoff, Henrik
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Spirostreptida
Odontopygidae
Chaleponcus
Chaleponcus nikolajscharffi

description: Chaleponcus nikolajscharffi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: FA4BA44E-0547-4E9C-A4A4-781E2298A650
Figs 9, 16, 34
Diagnosis
Medium-sized. Differs from all other group members by the profile of the gonopod coxal tip (Fig. 9). Very similar to C. scopus sp. nov., sharing, i.a., a non-transverse metaplical shelf and a groove for accommodating the solenomere formed by two telomere lobes; differing from C. scopus sp. nov. by apparently having the solenomere-conducting groove formed by the anterior and the posterior telomeral lamellae, instead of by the anterior lamella and a process from the latter, as well as by having a differently shaped lateral coxal process.
Etymology
The name honours my colleague, arachnologist Nikolaj Scharff (ZMUC), collector of this and numerous other Tanzanian millipedes.
Material studied (total: 11 ♂♂)
Holotype
TANZANIA: ♂, Iringa Region, Udzungwa Mts, Udzungwa Scarp FR, above Chita village, 1500 m, 2–13 Nov. l984, pitfall traps, montane rain forest. N. Scharff leg. (ZMUC).
Paratypes
All from TANZANIA, Iringa Region, Udzungwa Mts, Udzungwa Scarp FR: 1 ♂, above Chita village, 1450–1650 m, 4–9 Nov. l984, pitfall traps, montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, above Chita village, 1600–1650 m, 8–13 Nov. l984, pitfall traps, montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, above Chita village, 1400 m, 4–5 Nov. l984, pitfall traps, montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg. (ZMUC); 1 ♂, above Chita village, 1500 m, 2–13 Nov. l984, pitfall traps, montane rain forest, N. Scharff leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, 11 km SE of Masisiwe village, Kihanga Stream, 1800 m, 08°22’ 05.7” S, 35°58’ 41.6” E, 17–27 May 1997, ZMUC & SI Exp. leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, nr. Masisiwe, 08°20’ 32” S, 35°58’03” E, 12–15 Jul. 2004, A. Sforzi & L. Bartolozzi leg. (MZF, no Mag. 2695).
Type locality
TANZANIA: Iringa Region, Udzungwa Mts, Udzungwa Scarp FR, above Chita village, 1500 m, montane rain forest.
Description (male)
DIAMETER. 2.2–2.4 mm, 48–49 podous rings.
COLOUR. After 10 years in alcohol with a broad light middorsal stripe formed by an hourglass-shaped spot on each body ring; stripe flanked by brownish paramedian bands; older specimens unicolourous light brown/pinkish.
ANAL VALVES. Each with a long, slightly curving spine and a well-developed, triangular ventral one; marginal rim raised, setiferous tubercles well developed, on ‘ravelins’.
LIMBUS. With long, slender triangular lobes; lobes ca. 2½ × as long as broad, almost meeting at base, striate on external surface.
TARSAL SETATION. Normal.
GONOPOD COXA (Figs 9, 16). About 4 × as long as wide. Lateral margin basally slightly convex, curving strongly laterad ca. at level of prl, forming semicircular incision, and meeting apical margin in irregularly knobbed laterad process (lp); apical margin sloping apico-mesad from process, irregularly undulate; cucullus (cu) transverse, mesally projecting as rounded lobe with irregularly undulate margin. Metaplical flange (mf) ending in low, rounded process; metaplical mesal margin basally straight, further distally overlaid by lamelloid process (mp) covering arculus. Metaplical shelf not transverse as in most other species: posterior surface of metaplica with large lobe (msl) roofing arculus; lobe concave on posterior face, folded anteriad and on anterior face giving rise to metaplical shelf-spine (mss). mms of medium length, curving first anteriad, then mesad, then basad, reaching level of torsus.
GONOPOD TELOPODITE (Fig. 16). Solenomere with a long, straight, mesad proximal spine (ps) originating from a wrinkled area. Telomere distally with two branches, al and pl, both curving anteriad, both broad, in part with irregularly serrate edges, lying closely together and accommodating solenomere.
Distribution and habitat
Known only from Udzungwa Scarp FR. Altitudinal rang: 1400–1800 m asl. Habitat: montane rain forest.
Coexisting species
C. hamerae sp. nov. was found in the same samples as C. nikolajscharffi sp. nov. In addition, C. circumvallatus sp. nov. was found in Udzungwa Scarp FR.
Notes
Very similar and probably closely related to C. scopus sp. nov. from Kigogo FR.
Very peculiar, mushroom-like inter-cytoscutal structures were observed with the scanning electron microscope in this species; see “Two notes on general morphology” and Fig. 34.
description: Published as part of Enghoff, Henrik, 2014, A mountain of millipedes I: An endemic species-group of the genus Chaleponcus Attems, 1914, from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae), pp. 1-75 in European Journal of Taxonomy 100 (100) on pages 30-32, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2014.100, http://zenodo.org/record/3860450