Touranella moniliformis, Gordana & Ambros, 2018

Golovatch, S. I. & Semenyuk, I. I., 2018, On several new or poorly-known Oriental Paradoxosomatidae (Diplopoda: Polydesmida), Arthropoda Selecta 27 (1), pp. 1-21 : 13-16

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.15298/arthsel.27.1.01
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15539518
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D787B3-FFE8-FF98-23D7-F8E9BE71F8D2
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Touranella moniliformis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Touranella moniliformis View in CoL sp.n.

Figs 5 View Figs 3–5 , 45–57 View Figs 45–48 View Figs 49–51 View Figs 52–54 View Figs 55–57 .

HOLOTYPE ♂, Vietnam, Dong Nai Prov., Cat Tien National Park , N 11°26′, E 107°21′, 180 m a.s.l., monsoon broadleaved lowland tropical forest, on bush, IV.2017, leg. I.I. Semenyuk. GoogleMaps

PARATYPE: 1 ♂, same data, together with holotype. GoogleMaps

DIAGNOSIS. Differs from other species of the genus primarily by the large body, the special and contrasting colour pattern, the bare and smooth metaterga, the absence of an additional gonoprefemoral outgrowth, the peculiar shape of the distal part of the solenophore, and the presence of a small, dorsal, midway peg on the latter. Using the latest available key [Golobatch, 2016], this new species keys out to the strictly sympatric T. cattiensis Golovatch et Semenyuk, 2010 , but the latter species is much smaller (9–10 mm long), devoid of a contrasting colour pattern, the paraterga are more strongly developed and most are strongly incised laterally at the anterior 1/3 and drawn into a sharp tooth caudally, the dorsum is lightly, but clearly pilose, and the gonopods are much more simple, etc. [ Golovatch, Semenyuk, 2010].

NAME. To emphasize the moniliform body; adjective.

DESCRIPTION. Both holo- and paratype ca 25 mm long, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 1.6 and 2.0 mm, respectively (♂). General coloration in alcohol blackish brown with a characteristic bead-shaped pattern of contrasting lighter, ochre to orche-orange, dorsal markings (large, more or kess coniform, central spots on collum and following metaterga, most of these spots being divided into two by dark transverse sulci in rear 1/3; smaller spots in anterior halves of proterga as well), similarly ochre to dark orchre paraterga, an axial ochre stripe on telson extending onto entire epiproct; legs also contrasting nearly pallid to light brown; tips of antennae pallid ( Figs 45–48 View Figs 45–48 ). Live coloration very similar, but pattern somewhat brighter, legs clearly orange, dorsal spots from orange to yellow ( Fig. 5 View Figs 3–5 ).

Clypeolabral region sparsely setose, only a few long setae between and just above antennae; both vertigial and occipital regions bare; epicranial suture thin and superficial ( Fig. 46 View Figs 45–48 ). Antennae long and slightly clavate ( Figs 45, 46 View Figs 45–48 ), in situ extending back behind segment 3 (♂) when stretched dorsally; in length, antennomeres 2–6 >> 1 = 7; interantennal isthmus about as broad as diameter of antennal socket ( Fig. 46 View Figs 45–48 ).

Body clearly moniliform. In width, collum <head = segment 2 <3 <4–16; thereafter body gradually tapering towards telson ( Figs 46–48 View Figs 45–48 ). Tegument smooth and shining throughout; prozonae very finely shagreened; metaterga and surface below paraterga smooth, only in places very finely striolate longitudinally, but surface above paraterga 2 clearly striolate. Collum broadly and regularly rounded laterally, its paraterga very small. Postcollum paraterga very modest, set low at about half of body height; paraterga 2 exceptional in being declivous squarish flaps slightly acute-angled and drawn into a nearly sharp tooth anteriorly and into a narrowly rounded, subrectangular tooth caudally; following paraterga gentle and regularly rounded bulges/calluses devoid of any extensions even caudally, always lying within posterior margin of metaterga, slightly thicker in pore-bearing segments than in poreless ones both in dorsal and lateral views ( Figs 45–48 View Figs 45–48 ). Calluses delimited by clear-cut and complete sulci both dorsally and ventrally. Ozopores small, completely lateral, barely traceable in dorsal view due to a very slight sinuosity, lying inside a short longitudinal groove, placed at about 1/3 off caudal corner ( Fig. 45, 47, 48 View Figs 45–48 ). Transverse metatergal sulci present on segments 5–17, thin, shallow, faintly sinuate mid-dorsally, not reaching the bases of paraterga, also traceable as a darker band in a very faint impression on segment 4. Stricture between pro- and metazonae thin and deep, clearly ribbed at bottom down to below paraterga ( Figs 45, 47, 48 View Figs 45–48 ). Tergal setae nearly fully abraded, retained only in a single transverse row on metatergum 19 ( Fig. 48 View Figs 45–48 ), short, setation pattern untraceable. Axial line missing. Pleurosternal carinae small flaps on segment 2, small ridges on segments 3 and 4, thereafter wanting. Epiproct long, subconiform, flattened dorsoventrally, subapical lateral papillae nearly missing, tip subtruncate ( Fig. 48 View Figs 45–48 ). Hypoproct roundly subtriangular, 1+1 setae strongly separated from each other, borne on minute knobs at caudal margin.

Sterna sparsely setose, cross-impressions moderately and equally deep, unmodified except for a paramedian pair of small setose cones between coxae 4 (♂). Legs very long and slender, apparently somewhat incrassate and longer compared to ♀,>2 times as long as midbody height (♂) ( Fig. 45 View Figs 45–48 ), devoid of adenostyles, ♂ prefemora not bulged laterally; tarsal brushes present ventrally on all ♂ legs except last two pairs; in length, femora >> tibiae = tarsi> prefemora = postfemora> coxae.

Gonopods ( Figs 46 View Figs 45–48 , 49–57 View Figs 49–51 View Figs 52–54 View Figs 55–57 ) complex, tripartite; coxite about 1/3 as long as telopodite, subcylindrical, with only a few short setae distolaterally; prefemoral (= densely setose) part of telopodite short, about 1/4 as long as acropodite; femorite rudimenary, immediately distal to prefemoral sulcus giving rise to a very long, strong, flat, distally lanceolate and acuminate femoral process (p) with an even longer, flagelliform solenomere (sl) neatly attached to and running along its mesal side; remaining part of solenophore (sph) longitudinally folded, protecting/sheathing both sl and p nearly all along and leaving only their tips exposed; sph membranous, suberect, somewhat geniculate dorsally near base, with a small, but conspicuous, dorsolateral peg (k) near midlength; distal end of sph with a large, rounded, mesal, hyaline lobe (l), a small, bifid, subtruncate, lateral branchlet (b) and a prominent apicomesal beak (a).

REMARKS. The genus Touranella Attems, 1937 has hitherto been known to comprise six species, all keyed [Golovatch, 2016], as follows: T. gracilis Attems, 1937 , the typespecies from Vietnam, T. himalayaensis Golovatch, 1994 and T. pilosa Golovatch, 2016 , from Nepal, as well as T. peculiaris Golovatch, 2009 , T. hirsuta Golovatch, 2009 and T. cattiensis Golovatch et Semenyuk, 2010 , all three again from Vietnam. Hardly surprisingly, two new species can now be added to the Vietnamese list.

PHENOLOGY. Based on longterm field observations, T. moniliformis sp.n. fails to show a peak of abundance every year, but in the years it does, like in 2017, the peak is restricted to April, the latest and harshest part of the dry season. During the other seasons, these millipedes are nearly absent. They appear in considerable abundance, up to 20 specimens per sq. m, and colonize only bushes above 1 meter high, mostly Acacia . The activity covers both daytime and night. This species, unlike most other millipedes, is capable of climbing up smooth vertical glass or plastic surfaces when kept in captivity.