A new genus and species of native exotic millipede in Australia (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)
Author
Mesibov, Robert
Author
Car, Catherine A.
text
ZooKeys
2015
498
7
16
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.498.9716
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.498.9716
1313-2970-498-7
DED73206DA8F435EA717B96590CA9E56
DED73206DA8F435EA717B96590CA9E56
Taxon classification Animalia Polydesmida Paradoxosomatidae
Genus
Taxidiotisoma Mesibov & Car
gen. n.
Type species.
Taxidiotisoma portabile
Mesibov & Car, sp. n., by present designation.
Other assigned species.
None.
Diagnosis.
In gonopod structure,
Taxidiotisoma
gen. n. is closest to
Antichiropus
Attems, 1911,
Australodesmus
Chamberlin, 1920,
Pogonosternum
Jeekel, 1965 and
Pseudostrongylosoma
Verhoeff, 1924 in the Australian paradoxosomatid fauna (see Remarks). Differs from
Antichiropus
in lacking a process on the lateral surface of the femorite, from
Pogonosternum
in having the distal portion of the acropodite divided into two rather than three branches, from
Pseudostrongylosoma
in having a divided solenomere, and from
Australodesmus
in having a Y-shaped solenomere rather than a flagellum-and-sheath solenomere.
Name.
Greek taxidiotis,
"traveller"
+ soma, Greek
"body'
, often used as an ending for generic names in
Paradoxosomatidae
; neuter gender.
Remarks.
The gonopod of
Taxidiotisoma portabile
sp. n. appears most similar to that of species in
Antichiropus
Attems, 1911,
Australodesmus
Chamberlin, 1920,
Pogonosternum
Jeekel, 1965 and
Pseudostrongylosoma
Verhoeff, 1924, all four of which have been assigned to
Antichiropodini
by
Jeekel (1968
,
1979
). In all five genera a long, well-demarcated femorite abruptly ends in several prominent processes, one of which is the solenomere. In
Antichiropus
there may be more than one non-solenomere process, but there is always one that arises on the lateral surface of the femorite; this lateral process is lacking in
Taxidiotisoma portabile
sp. n. In addition,
Antichiropus
species have a long, free solenomere that tends to spiral, whereas that of
Taxidiotisoma portabile
sp. n. is short and Y-shaped. In
Pogonosternum
species there are three acropodite branches, while in
Australodesmus
,
Pseudostrongylosoma
and
Taxidiotisoma
gen. n., there are only two, of more or less equal size.
Pseudostrongylosoma sjoestedti
Verhoeff, 1924 has an undivided solenomere. In
Taxidiotisoma portabile
sp. n. the solenomere is Y-shaped, i.e. divided into two sub-branches spaced well apart and not greatly different in size, while in
Australodesmus divergens
Chamberlin, 1920 the solenomere is divided into a thin, flagellum-like branch carrying the terminus of the prostatic groove and a much larger, flattened, cowl-like branch sheathing the thinner branch.
Taxidiotisoma portabile
sp. n. is also characterized by a peculiar flattening of the head in lateral view, the result of depression of the clypeus.