Chondromorpha greke, Gordana & Ambros, 2023

Golovatch, S. I., 2023, On several new or poorly-known Oriental Paradoxosomatidae (Diplopoda: Polydesmida), XXXI, Arthropoda Selecta 32 (1), pp. 1-14 : 1-8

Chondromorpha greke sp.n.

Figs 1–9 , 58 .

MATERIAL. HOLOTYPE ♂ (presently fragmented) ( ZMUM), Nepal, Lumbini Prov., Banke Distr., ca 15 km SEE of Khaskusma, 30 km NW of Lamahi, Kali Khola , N 27°57′38″, E 82°14′1″, 235 m a.s.l., half-dry lowland forest ( Fig. 58 ), 4.VII.2022, K. Greķe & D. Telnov leg.

DIAGNOSIS. At present, five lowland- to foothill-dwelling species of the basically South Asian genus Chondromorpha Silvestri, 1897 , have been recognized: C. kaimura Turk, 1947 (a cave in Bihar state, northern India), C. kelaarti (Humbert, 1865) (much of India and Sri Lanka, also introduced to Great Britain), C. mammifera Attems, 1936 (distributed across much of India), C. severini Silvestri, 1897 (the type species, also occurring across much of India), and C. xanthotricha (Attems, 1898) (pantropical) [ Silvestri, 1897; Attems, 1936, 1937; Turk, 1947; Sankaran, Sebastian, 2017; Likhitrakarn et al., 2017; Almeida et al., 2022]. The new species differs from congeners by the following combination of characters, these being arranged below in a tabular form (Table).

NAME. Honours Kristina Greķe (LNDM) , malacologist and one of the collectors who participated in the 2022 trip to Nepal; noun in apposition.

DESCRIPTION. Length ca 16 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 1.5 and 2.0 mm (♂), respectively. Coloration in alcohol mainly brown, pattern indistinctly cingulate due to darker, brown anterior halves of metaterga and protergal regions adjacent to strictures, vaguely contrasting to lighter greyish or yellowish paraterga, posterior (transparent) halves of metaterga, most parts of proterga, legs, venter and tip of epiproct; tergal setae pallid, while antennae mostly contrasting dark brown ( Figs 1–9 ).

Body with 20 rings. Entire head very densely setose and microgranulate, vertigial epicranial suture very distinct ( Fig. 2 ). Antennae long, slender and only slightly clavate ( Figs 1– 3 ), extending back until metatergum 4 when stretched dorsally (♂). In length, antennomere 2=3=4=6>5>1=7. Interantennal isthmus only slightly wider than diameter of antennal socket ( Fig. 2 ). Tegument dull, metaterga very densely granulate and setose dorsally, roughly granulate on sides below paraterga, smooth at bottom of strictures between pro- and metazonae, faintly beaded at bottom of transverse metatergal sulci ( Figs 1–3 ). In width, head <collum <ring 2 = 3 <4 <5–16; thereafter body gradually tapering on rings 17–20 ( Figs 1–3 ). Metaterga slightly and regularly convex, paraterga broad, thin, mostly set at about upper 1/3 body, always lying below dorsum and faintly sloping laterad, narrowly bordered, nearly straight both anteriorly and laterally ( Figs 1, 2 ); poreless paraterga only slightly thinner than pore-bearing ones; calluses smooth, thin, slightly sinuate dorsally only before ozopores, delimited by indistinct sulci both dorsally and ventrally; caudal corners of collum acute ( Fig. 3 ), on postcollum paraterga pointed and, starting with ring 5, increasingly produced past rear tergal margin; anterolateral corner of paraterga with a distinct tooth ( Figs 1, 2 ). Ozopores fully lateral, invisible from above, lying at bottom of narrow oblong grooves. Tergal setae short, bacilliform, each borne on a grain, especially well preserved in a row before caudal margin of metaterga. Limbus entire. Transverse metatergal sulci thin, faintly arcuate forward in the middle, almost reaching the bases of paraterga, present on rings 5–18, absent from 19 th. Axial line absent. Pleurosternal carinae low, arcuate and granulate ridges, gradually reduced, but visible on rings 2–7 (♂). Epiproct ( Figs 1, 2 ) flattened dorsoventrally, long, tip slightly concave, apical and lateral pre-apical papillae very small. Hypoproct ( Fig. 2 ) roundly tapeziform, caudal margin with 1+1 setae borne on distinct and round knobs.

Sterna very densely hirsute, cross-impressions weak, axial ones being particularly weak; sternum between legs 4 with a paramedian pair of small, low, rounded and densely setose globules (♂) ( Fig. 2 ). Legs long, 1.6–1.7x as long as body height (♂), very densely setose, devoid of tarsal and adenostyles ( Fig. 4 ), likely only femora 6 or 7 (all detached, hence unclear which exactly) each with a faint, midway (not parabasal!), very faint, setose, ventral knob (♂). In length, femur = tarsus >> coxa = prefemur = postfemur = tibia ( Fig. 4 ).

Gonopods ( Figs 5–9 ) in situ lying subparallel to each other. Coxite subcylindrical, sparsely setose on dorsal side; cannula as usual, a short and strongly curved hollow tube. Prefemoral (= densely setose) part (prf) clearly longer than both coxite (cx) and femorite (fe), the latter set off by distinct sulci from both prf and a very short postfemoral part (pf); a strong, curved, subunciform, mesal postfemoral process (pfp) typical of the genus. Seminal groove running entirely on mesal side of fe and pf, and only distomesally on pf moving onto a long, free, flagelliform solenomere (sl), the latter being protected, partly sheathed and supported by a coiled, membranous, similarly long, acuminate and rather simple solenophore (sph).

REMARK. The new species is a typical member of Chondromorpha , yet differing clearly from congeners by several characters, both peripheral and gonopodal (Table and Figs 10–19 ). This is the first formal record of Chondromorpha from Nepal, although it is rather to be regarded as a tropical Indian faunal element, not a Himalayan one.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Chondromorpha greke sp.n., # holotype. 1, 2 — habitus, dorsal and ventral views, respectively; 3 — anterior part of body, frontodorsal view; 4 — leg 9, lateral view. Photographs by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Рис. 1–4. Chondromorpha greke sp.n., голотип #. 1, 2 — обЩий вид, соответственно сверху и сниЗу; 3 — переднЯЯ часть тела, одновременно спереди и сверху; 4 — нога 9, сбоку. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯто беЗ масШтаба.

Figs 5–9. Chondromorpha greke sp.n., # holotype. Right gonopod, subventral, ventral, mesal, lateral and subdorsal views, respectively. Photographs by K.V. Makarov, taken not to scale. Designations: cx — coxite; fe — femorite; pf — postfemorite; pfp — postfemoral process; prf — prefemorite; sl — solenomere; sph — solenophore. Рис. 5–9. Chondromorpha greke sp.n., голотип #. Правый гонопод, соответственно почти сниЗу, сниЗу, иЗнутри, сбоку и почти сверху. Фотографии К.В. Макарова, снЯто беЗ масШтаба. ОбоЗначениЯ: cx — коксит; fe — феморит; pf — постфеморит; pfp — постфеморальный отросток; prf — префеморит; sl — соленомер; sph — соленофор.

Figs 58–60. Pictures of the type localities of Chondromorpha greke sp.n. (58) and Delarthrum telnovi sp.n. (59: 13.5–13.9 km SE of Simikot, and 60: 34.5 km SE — 41 km E of Simikot), all courtesy D. Telnov (Riga, Latvia). Рис. 58–60. Фотографии типовых местностей Chondromorpha greke sp.n. (58) и Delarthrum telnovi sp.n. (59: 13,5–13,9 км ЮВ Simikot, и 60: 34,5 км ЮВ — 41 км В Simikot), все любеЗно предоставлены Д. Тельновым (Рига, ЛатвиЯ).

Figs 10–13. Midbody rings, dorsal view. 10 — Chondromorpha kaimura Turk, 1947, # syntype (original, courtesy H. Read and J. Beccaloni, taken not to scale); 11 — C. kelaarti (Humbert, 1865), # from Kerala state, India (after Sankaran, Sebastian [2017], scale bar: 2.0 mm); 12 — C. mammifera Attems, 1936, # from Kerala state, India (after Sankaran, Sebastian [2017], scale bar: 1.0 mm); 13 — C. xanthotricha (Attems, 1898), # from Chiang Mai, Thailand (after Likhitrakarn et al. [2017], scale bar: 0.5 mm). Рис. 10–13. СреднетуловиЩные сегменты, сверху. 10 — Chondromorpha kaimura Turk, 1947, синтип # (оригинал, любеЗно снЯто H. Read и J. Beccaloni, беЗ масШтаба); 11 — C. kelaarti (Humbert, 1865), # иЗ Штата Керала (ИндиЯ) (по: Sankaran, Sebastian [2017], масШтаб 2,0 мм); 12 — C. mammifera Attems, 1936, # иЗ Штата Керала (ИндиЯ) (по: Sankaran, Sebastian [2017], масШтаб 1,0 мм); 13 — C. xanthotricha (Attems, 1898), # иЗ Chiang Mai, Thailand (по: Likhitrakarn et al. [2017], масШтаб 0,5 мм).

Figs 14–17. Chondromorpha severini Silvestri, 1897, ## from India. 14 — midbody rings, dorsal view (granulations and setae on metaterga omitted); 15 — sterna between coxae 4 and 5, ventral view; 16 — leg 9, lateral view; 17 — left gonopod, mesal view. Reproduced after Attems [1936, 1937], drawn not to scale. Designations: a — adenostyle; cx — coxite; fe — femorite; pf — postfemorite; pfp — postfemoral process; prf — prefemorite; sl — solenomere; sph — solenophore. Рис. 14–17. Chondromorpha severini Silvestri, 1897, ## иЗ Индии. 14 — среднетуловиЩные сегменты, сверху (гранулЯциЯ и Щетинки на метатергитах опуЩены); 15 — стерниты между таЗиками 4 и 5, сниЗу; 16 — нога 9, сбоку; 17 — левый гонопод, иЗнутри. ВоспроиЗведено по: Attems [1936, 1937], нарисовано беЗ масШтаба. ОбоЗначениЯ: a — аденостиль; cx — коксит; fe — феморит; pf — постфеморит; pfp — постфеморальный отросток; prf — префеморит; sl — соленомер; sph — соленофор.

Figs 18, 19. Chondromorpha mammifera Attems, 1936, # from India. 18 — sterna between coxae 4 and 5, ventral view; 19 — right gonopod, mesal view. Reproduced after Attems [1936], drawn not to scale. Designations: cx — coxite; fe — femorite; pfp — postfemoral process; prf — prefemorite; sl — solenomere; sph — solenophore. Pис. 18, 19. Chondromorpha mammifera Attems, 1936, # иЗ Индии. 18 — стерниты между таЗиками 4 и 5, сниЗу; 19 — правый гонопод, иЗнутри. ВоспроиЗведено по: Attems [1936], нарисовано беЗ масШтаба. ОбоЗначениЯ: cx — коксит; fe — феморит; pfp — постфеморальный отросток; prf — префеморит; sl — соленомер; sph — соленофор.