Sphaeromimus midongy Moritz & Wesener 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Moritz, Leif
name: Wesener, Thomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Sphaerotheriida
Sphaerotheriidae
Sphaeromimus
Sphaeromimus midongy

description: Sphaeromimus midongy sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FA9166CE-73E5-41FE-A203-E4C999D2C0EE Figs 7–9, 11
Diagnosis
Large, massive, dark brown Sphaeromimus,> 50 mm long. Differing from the only known species of Sphaeromimus with six stridulation ribs on the male harp (S. ivohibe Wesener, 2014), with which it also shares the two lobes on the movable finger of the posterior telopod, in the following characters: large difference in size and colour pattern, a densely pubescent male gonopore, legs 4–21 with 14 or 15 ventral spines (12 in S. ivohibe), and endotergum with two dense rows of long marginal bristles (single row in S. ivohibe).
Etymology
The specific epithet ‘midongy’, noun in apposition, refers to the type-locality, the Parc National de Midongy.
Material examined (1 ♂)
Holotype MADAGASCAR: 1 ♂, Province de Fianarantsoa, Parc National de Midongy-Befotaka, 11.5km SW of Befotaka village, VS-1536, 23°53.3′ S, 46°53.8′ E, 1055m alt., dense humid transitional lowland and montane forest, 27 Feb. 2008, V. Soarimalaia leg. (FMNH-INS 3119888).
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Male holotype ca 51.5 mm long, 24.1 mm (2nd segment) and 26.1 mm (9th segment) wide, 14.2 mm (2nd segment) high.
COLORATION OF PRESERVED SPECIMEN. Tergites dark brown with black tips, posterior margin with a light brown band which is bordered anteriorly and posteriorly by thinner black bands. Paratergite impressions and groove of thoracic shield lighter brown. Legs, antennae, pleurites, head and collum brown, eyes green.
HEAD. Eyes with>80 ocelli. Antennae short, protruding to third leg pair. Antennomere 1 as long as 2+3; 2 shorter than 3; 3–5 of similar length; 6 slightly shorter than 4+5. Antennomeres 1–6 densely pubescent (Fig. 7A). Antennomere 6 towards disc with single row of sensilla basiconica (Figs 7B, C). Disc of male with 50/49 apical cones as well as several sensillae shorter or as long as sensory cones (Fig. 7B). Organ of Tömösváry in antennal groove close to eye. Margin of labrum with setae.
MOUTHPARTS. Not dissected.
COLLUM. Collum glabrous except for few setae at margins.
THORACIC SHIELD. Thoracic shield chagrinated (leather-like). Grooves deep, covered with setae.
BODY RINGS. Paratergites 3–12 with posterior margin smooth, rest chagrinated, with hairs on posterior and anterior margin, paratergite tips of mid-body tergites strongly projecting posteriorly.
ANAL SHIELD. Anal shield massive, well-rounded, lacking pubescent area. Underside with single black locking carina, located closer to tergite margins than to pleurite.
ENDOTERGUM. Endotergum inner section with setae and triangular spines (Fig. 8A). Between margin and inner area with single row of large, elliptical cuticular patterns. Externally two row of marginal bristles. Bristles protruding weakly above tergite margin. Bristles with small triangular spines, apically increasing in density (Fig. 8B).
STIGMATIC PLATES. First stigma-carrying plate with a well-rounded, projecting apex covered by hairs (Fig.9A). Second plate without apex, but with field of teeth opposite of coxa (Fig.9B).
FIRST PLEURITE. First pleurite laterally well-rounded, without extensions.
LEGS. Leg 1 with 4, 2 with 5 ventral spines and no apical spine; leg 3 with 10 ventral spines and a short apical spine. Leg pairs 4–21 with 14 or 15 ventral spines. Coxa process weakly developed, with small, black, triangular spines (Fig. 9C). Femur 1.5, tarsus 3.5 times as long as wide. All podomeres densely pubescent (Fig. 9C). Toothed ridge of femur ca ⅔ length of femur, with 40 small teeth, distally increasing in size. Coxa in anterior aspect basally with a row of teeth, similar to toothed ridge on femur.
MALE GONOPORE. Male gonopore densely pubescent, shape typical for genus (Fig. 9B).
ANTERIOR TELOPOD. Harp with six stridulation ribs (Fig. 9D), all ribs of similar length. Shape usual for genus, telopoditomere 4 with one large triangular spine with sclerotized tip and 2 smaller spines (Figs 9E–F). Telopoditomeres 3 and 4 with sclerotized spots.
POSTERIOR TELOPOD. Podomere 3 slightly curved, 3 times longer than wide, slightly longer than immovable finger (Fig.9G). Hollowed-out inner margin with two lobes and two spines, posterior aspect with ca32 small crenulated teeth (Fig.9H). Immovable finger constant in width, only apically tapering, tip weakly curved towards podomere 3. Podomere 1 with setae, podomere 2 with few setae on anterior and posterior side. Podomere 3 and immovable finger with only few marginal setae (Fig.9G–H).
Female sexual characters
Unknown.
Distribution
Only known from the type-locality, the Parc National de Midongy (Fig. 11). Mountainous rainforest.
description: Published as part of Moritz, Leif & Wesener, Thomas, 2017, Integrative description of two new species of Malagasy chirping giant pill-millipedes, genus Sphaeromimus (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida: Arthrosphaeridae), pp. 1-25 in European Journal of Taxonomy 381 on pages 13-17, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2017.381, http://zenodo.org/record/1118110