Polydrepanum xiphosum Muhsina, Pooja & Kalawate, 2025

Muhsina, Othayoth Musthafa, Misal, Pooja Kumar, Kalawate, Aparna Sureshchandra & Sudhikumar, Ambalaparambil Vasu, 2025, Two new species of the Indian millipede genus Polydrepanum Carl, 1932 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), Zootaxa 5642 (1), pp. 29-40 : 30-33

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5642.1.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:95E33544-2FA5-4041-8C54-2A18270CDC54
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15584807
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AB209B23-FFE7-FFA5-FF10-FA92FEB5F963
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Polydrepanum xiphosum Muhsina, Pooja & Kalawate
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Polydrepanum xiphosum Muhsina, Pooja & Kalawate sp. nov.

( Figs 1A View FIGURE 1 – 4F View FIGURE 4 )

Material examined. Holotype: 1 male ( ZSI-WRC, MYR/737 ), India, Karad , Maharashtra 17.422222N, 74.164444E, 20 July 2018, deciduous forest, coll. Kalawate A. S. GoogleMaps Paratypes: 1 adult male and 3 females ( ZSI-WRC, MYR/738 ), same date as for the holotype GoogleMaps .

Etymology: To emphasize the sword-like distomesal process ‘b’ on the male gonopodal femorite, “xiphosum ” meaning “sword” in Latin. A noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: Adult males of P. xiphosum sp. nov. are distinguished from other members of the genus Polydrepanum based on the following combination of characters. Adenostyle present on both male femora 1 and 2 ( Figs 3A–B View FIGURE 3 ); other members of the genus with adenostyle on femur 2 only, except P. spinatum sp. nov., which has no adenostyle on both femur 1 and 2. Bud-like process on legs of body rings 3–19 on proximal, distal part of prefemora, distal part of coxa. ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Gonofemorite long, slender ( Figs 4A–F View FIGURE 4 ); not stout as in P. tamilum . Distomesal processes a, b present, as in congeners, except P. lamprum . Process b upright, large, sword-like ( Figs 4D–F View FIGURE 4 ). Solenophore large, complex, as in P. tamilum and P. horridum , not as in P. granuliferum .

Description: Length of holotype (male), 16.3 mm; of paratype (female), 15.7 mm. Width of mid-body pro- and metazonites 1.2 and 1.3 mm, respectively. Width of paranota of midbody rings, 0.14 mm. Live specimens uniformly black. Paranota yellowish-brown in males; brownish-black in females. Legs coffee brown in both sexes. Coloration after preservation in 70% ethanol faded to brown. Male paranota posterolateral regions golden brown; in females black. Sternites, legs exhibit brownish hue ( Figs 1D View FIGURE 1 – 2D View FIGURE 2 ). Body with 20 rings in both sexes ( Figs 1A–B View FIGURE 1 ). Relative ring widths: 20<19<18<3<1<4<2<17<5=16. Head and collum subequal in width; width of rings gradually reducing towards telson. Vertex smooth and shining, stipes, cardo and clypeus moderately setose, epicranial suture ending 0.3 mm above interantennal isthmus ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Antennae moderately long (2.3 mm), slightly claviform, extending to ring 4 when stretched dorsally; relative lengths of antennomeres: 8<1<2<3<5<6<4<7; antennomere 8 broadest apically; postantennal groove shallow; diameter of antennal socket and isthmus between them, 0.24 mm and 0.32 mm, respectively; tip of antennomere 8 with four sensory cones ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Collum broad, lateral margin poorly developed as a paranotum. Anterior margin and paranota curved or circular. Posterior margin of collum slightly concave ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ). Collum dorsally bearing a single row of short fragile setae near anterior margin ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Anterior and posterior margins of body rings almost straight, without setae ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ). Paranota well-developed, set high, lying parallel to body axis. Posterior corners of collum paranota and paranota of rings 1–3 circular in shape, those of rings 4–12 triangular, posterior corner of paranota 13–19 acutely triangular ( Figs 1A–B View FIGURE 1 ). Anterior margins of paranota on collum and rings 3–18 nearly rounded; those of rings 19 and 20 inclinate. Anterior corner of ring 2 pointed and triangular ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ); paranotum of ring 2 larger than that of other rings and positioned slightly lower than lateral margin of collum and subsequent paranota ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ). Lateral margin of paranota thicker in poriferous rings. Pore formula normal (5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15–19); ozopores small, circular, opening posterolaterally at a thickened paranotal margin ( Figs 1A–B View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 ). Pleurosternal carinae decreased in size from 2 to 4. Pro- and metazonites smooth ( Figs 1D–E View FIGURE 1 , 2A, 2C–D View FIGURE 2 ), each metazonite with a shallow transverse sulcus, distinct on metaterga 5–18. Area between pro- and metazonites deep and beaded or striolate at bottom ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ). Surface below the paranota finely granulated ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 ). Sterna with fine depressions, bare. Legs long and slender, with tiny claws, males with tarsal brushes. Each coxa and prefemur bearing a single and long seta ( Figs 3A–C View FIGURE 3 ). Relative lengths of podomeres: femur>tarsus>tibia =postfemur>prefemur>coxa. Male leg-pair 1 with small, rounded, ventral tubercle/adenostyle on each femur ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Male leg-pair 2 with smaller, but distinct tubercle/adenostyle on each femur ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Other legs each with conical structure on proximal and distal ends of prefemora and distal end of coxa ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Gonopores visible in anterolateral region of male coxae 2 ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Pre-anal ring distinctly setose, with a pointed epiproct; dorsomedially flattened, overhanging both anal valves. Hypoproct semicircular in shape with 1+1 setae on small knobs at caudal margin ( Figs 2B–D View FIGURE 2 ). Gonopodal aperture oval, about 2/3 as wide as prozonite 7. Gonopods long, complex, in situ lying close to sternites. Gonopodal coxite subcylindrical, longer than femorite ( Figs 4A–4D View FIGURE 4 ). Distal portion of coxite swollen and setose distolaterally, proximal part with a cannula, like other Polydrepanum . ( Figs 4A and 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Prefemoral region short, densely setose ( Figs 3D View FIGURE 3 , 4A–4D View FIGURE 4 ). Gonofemorite long, slender and twisted, with two distomesal erect processes (a and b): b unusually large, upright and sword like ( Figs 4E–F View FIGURE 4 ); process a with a curved laminar structure. Solenophore medially curved with pointed corners at both sides of anterior margin. Seminal groove running mostly along lateral side of gonofemorite, turning laterally at a cuspidate fold on femorite. Process a small and sickle-shaped, vs b being prominent and broad. A protecting lobe lo visible just below apical fold/sulcus of femorite ( Figs 3A–3C View FIGURE 3 ). A flagelliform solenomere tightly attached to solenophore.

Taxonomic notes: The structure of the distomesal processes a and b of gonofemorite matches that of the genus Telodrepanum Carl 1932 , but a twisted gonofemorite Polydrepanum distinguishes xiphoideum sp. nov. from Telodrepanum .