Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913

Golovatch, S. I., Mauriès, J. P. & Akkari, N., 2021, On the collections of Indo-Australian Spirobolida (Diplopoda) kept in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University, Russia. 3. Some Rhinocricidae, Arthropoda Selecta 30 (1), pp. 3-27 : 15

Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913

Figs 53–76 .

Dinematocricus faucium Brölemann, 1913: 129 , original description from the ♂ holotype from Thursday Island , Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia.

MATERIAL. 11 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀, 3 ♀♀ juv. ( ZMUM), Papua New Guinea, Trobriand Archipelago , Kiriwina Island, 24.I.1977, G.F. Kurcheva leg.

DESCRIPTION. Adults mostly ca. 85–120 mm long and 8.5–11.5 wide (♂, ♀), with 53–59p+T segments (♂, ♀), presumed subadults 53–78 mm long and 5–6 mm wide, with 45p+4ap+T, 53p+3ap+T or 55 p+3ap+T segments. A single deviant ♂ ca. 52 mm in length, ca. 5.5 mm in width, with 47p+4ap+T segments (see below). Colouration grey-brown to brown, pattern indistinctly cingulate due to darker brown metazonae and distinctly cingulate due to yellowish or light brown prozonae ( Figs 53–60 ). Collum sometimes narrowly flavous along anterior margin ( Fig. 53 ). Epiproct often similarly flavous dorsally ( Figs 56 , 60 ) Epiproct ( Fig. 46 ) uniformly dark brown like head. Legs light to dark grey-brown. Presumed juveniles mostly greyish. Eye patches usually blackish brown, in adults each composed of 36–45 ommatidia arranged in 6–8 vertical rows.

All characters as in Propodobolus sp. , except as follows.

Tegument smooth and shining, mostly very delicately vermiculate. Interantennal isthmus ca. 2x diameter of antennal socket. Collum broadly and regularly rounded laterally, anterior and lateral margins, as well as caudolateral corner clearly, but narrowly bordered. Midbody segments/rings faintly striate to striolate, more densely and clearly so ventrad, striations on dorsum above ozopore level completely obliterate. Scobinae present, starting with ring 8 and traceable at least until last few segments: inconspicuous, paramedian, narrow, lunular pits separated from each other by ca. 3x their own width, each with a small posterior field ( Figs 54 , 59 ). Ozopores small, inconspicuous disks, starting with ring 6, each pore lying upon line/suture both just before metazona and longitudinal line. Numerous light and irregular spots/ sigilla on internal surface of meso- and metazonae. Epiproct small, faintly concave near proximal third in lateral view, flattened dorsoventrally. Paraprocts very clearly swollen along caudal margin ( Figs 56 , 60 ).

Legs ca. 1/2 (♂) or 1/3 (♀) as long as body height; distinct sole pads present only on ♂ tarsi, gradually reduced towards posterior body third. ♂ coxae 3–5 swollen ventrally ( Fig. 58 ), a spine each above and below claw.

Gonopods ( Figs 61–66 ). Anterior gonopods with a strong, central, distally broadened and apically narrowly rounded, sternal process (s), the latter being much longer/higher than both coxa (cx) and telopodite (t) with its small, apical, rounded, caudolateral process (tp); cx stout, with a moderate, elongate, mesal, subtriangular projection (mp), t more slender than cx. Posterior gonopods consisting of a shorter, relatively stout, subcylindrical coxa and a slender, much longer, bipartite telopodite; apicolateral branch (lb) the longest,>3x as long as a similarly flagelliform solenomere (sl).

REMARKS. Among the ♂♂ in the above series the smallest one (length ca. 52 mm, width ca. 5.5 mm, with 47p+4ap+T segments) superficially looks much the same as the others ( Figs 69–74 ), but the ♂ sole pads are missing, the scobinae are only ca. 2x apart from each other and show better developed posterior fields ( Fig. 70 ), whereas the gonopods ( Figs 67, 68 , 71–74 ), both anterior and posterior, differ in the central sternal process (s) of the anterior gonopods being slightly bifid, club-shaped and considerably shorter than the telopodite (t), the medial projections (mp) of the coxite (cx) are relatively more prominent, and the entire posterior gonopod is much shorter. This sole ♂ may prove to belong to a different species, but given the entire body of evidence, including the smallest body size, the increased number of apodous segments, the absence of sole pads, the clearly shortened posterior gonopods etc., on balance we tend to regard that deviant ♂ as abnormal and somewhat underdeveloped, perhaps premature, and thus it seems conspecific with the other material. The development of most Spirobolida being hemianamorphotic, that of the gonopods in some members has long been known to be gradual [ Mauriès, 1980; Enghoff et al., 1993; Bond et al., 2003], in D. aff. faucium likely getting modified at least between certain prematuration moults (cf. above under D. aff. bionus ).

Among the other variable characters, we can mention a lighter, rather vague dorsal spot on the dorsal side of the epiproct that is noticeable in several specimens. Carl [1918] distinguished that morph as the variety fulvosignatus , from an unspecified place in New Guinea, in which that light spot was clear. This variety still remains such and has no status in the nomenclature.

Some of the features of D. faucium which Attems [1914] recorded from samples from the mainland of eastern Papua New Guinea differed from the original description so significantly that Jeekel [2001] suggested that they belonged to a species other than D. faucium . We believe that until more comparative material becomes available for study, the identity of the Kiriwina material is bound to remain but provisional. According to Brölemann [1913], the holotype from an island off Queensland, Australia was 112 mm long, 9.5 mm wide, with 54p+1ap+T segments, blackish brown with red-brown cingula along the caudal margins of metazonae and a bright brown-red telson; scobinae are present on segment 8 to about 36 th, separated from each other by about 1.5x their diameter and each showing a posterior field; the anal valves are bordered near the caudal margin; and ♂ tarsi are devoid of sole pads. The anterior gonopods, however, are exactly the same as in Figs 61, 62 , 65 and 66 .

Figures

Figs 53–56. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, larger # from Kiriwina Island. 53 — anterior part of body, lateral view; 54 — body segments 8 and 9, dorsal view; 55 — middle part of body, lateral view; 56 — posterior part of body, lateral view. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 53–56. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, крупный # c острова Киривина. 53 — переднЯЯ часть тела, сбоку; 54 — сегменты тела 8 и 9, сверху; 55 — среднЯЯ часть туловиЩа, сбоку; 56 — ЗаднЯЯ часть тела, сбоку. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 57–60. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, larger # from Kiriwina Island. 57, 58 — anterior part of body, lateral and ventral views, respectively; 59 — midbody segments, dorsal view; 60 — posterior part of body, lateral view. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 57–60. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, крупный # c острова Киривина. 57, 58 — переднЯЯ часть тела, соответственно сбоку и сниЗу; 59 — среднетуловиЩные сегменты тела, сверху; 60 — ЗаднЯЯ часть тела, сбоку. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 61–64. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, larger # from Kiriwina Island. 61, 62 — anterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively; 63, 64 — posterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively. Designations explained in text. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 61–64. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, крупный # c острова Киривина. 61, 62 — передние гоноподы, соответственно спереди и сЗадиr; 63, 64 — Задние гоноподы, соответственно спереди и сЗади. ОбЪЯснениЯ обоЗначений в тексте. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 65–68. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, larger (65, 66) and smaller (67, 68) ## from Kiriwina Island. 65, 67 — anterior gonopods, anterior view; 66, 68 — right posterior gonopod, anterior view. Рис. 65–68. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, крупный (65, 66) и мелкий (67, 68) ## c острова Киривина. 65, 67 — передние гоноподы, спереди; 66, 68 — правый Задний гонопод, спереди.

Figs 69–74. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, smaller # from Kiriwina Island. 69 — anterior part of body, ventral view; 70 — midbody segments, dorsal view; 71, 72 — anterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively; 73, 74 — posterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 69–74. Dinematocricus aff. faucium Brölemann, 1913, мелкий # c острова Киривина. 69 — переднЯЯ часть тела, сниЗу; 70 — среднетуловиЩные сегменты, сверху; 71, 72 –– передние гоноподы, соответственно спереди и сЗади; 73, 74 — Задние гоноподы, соответственно спереди и сЗади. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 75–80. Eurhinocricus sp., # from Suva. 75 — habitus, lateral view; 76, 77 — anterior part of body, lateral and ventral views, respectively; 78, 79 — midbody segments, lateral and dorsal views, respectively; 80 — posterior part of body, lateral view. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 75–80. Eurhinocricus sp., # иЗ города Cува. 75 — обЩий вид, сбоку; 76, 77 — переднЯЯ часть тела, соответственно сбоку и сниЗу; 78, 79 — cреднЯЯ часть тела, соответственно сбоку и сверху; 80 — ЗаднЯЯ часть тела, сбоку. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 42–50. Dinematocricus aff. disjunctus Brölemann, 1913, # from Maclay Coast. 42 — habitus, lateral view; 43, 44 — anterior part of body, ventral and lateral views, respectively; 45 — body segments 9–14, dorsal view; 46 — posterior part of body, lateral view; 47, 48 — anterior gonopods, anterior and posterior views, respectively; 49, 50 — isolated left posterior gonopod, anterior and posterior views, respectively. Designations explained in text. Pictures by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 42–50. Dinematocricus aff. disjunctus Brölemann, 1913, # с Берега МаклаЯ. 42 — обЩий вид, сбоку; 43, 44 — переднЯЯ часть тела, соответственно сниЗу и сбоку; 45 — сегменты тела 9–14, сверху; 46 — ЗаднЯЯ часть тела, сбоку; 47, 48 — передние гоноподы, соответственно спереди и сЗади; 49, 50 — иЗолированный левый Задний гонопод, соответственно спереди и сЗади. ОбЪЯснениЯ обоЗначений в тексте. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯты беЗ масШтаба.