A revision of the Thyropygus allevatus group. Part 1: the T. opinatus subgroup (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Harpagophoridae)
Author
Pimvichai, Piyatida
Author
Enghoff, Henrik
Author
Panha, Somsak
text
Zootaxa
2009
2016
17
50
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.185971
1db39382-b4f0-46fa-ae08-dd5e57e0e26b
1175-5326
185971
Thyropygus opinatus
(
Karsch, 1881
)
,
n. comb.
(
Figs. 6
A–F, 18A)
Spirostreptus opinatus
Karsch, 1881
: 23
Spirostreptus opinatus
:
Pocock 1889
: 294
, 1893: 401
Spirostreptus regis
Pocock, 1889
: 297
(?)
Spirostreptus andersoni
Pocock, 1893
: 401
(nomen nudum?) (?)
Cornugonus opinatus
:
Demange, 1961
: 178
Material:
1 male
MYANMAR
, Malewoon, 10° 14ˏ 0˝ N, 98° 37ˏ 0˝ E. Fea leg., (
ZMUC
). This specimen comes from the same series as that illustrated by
Demange (1961)
, studied earlier by
Pocock (1893)
and now belonging to
MNHN
,
3 males
,
2 females
THAILAND
, Petchaburi Province, Cha-Um district, at Nakwang cave, 12° 51ˏ 26˝ N, 99° 56ˏ 29˝ E.
6 October 2008
. H. Enghoff, S. Panha, P. Pimvichai and members of Animal Systematics Research Unit leg., (
CUMZ
),
1 male
THAILAND
, Prachuap Khirikhan Province, Bang Saphan district, Ban Grude, 11° 16ˏ 25˝ N, 99° 33ˏ 1˝ E.
12 October 2008
. C. Sutcharit and P. Tongkerd leg., (
CUMZ
),
3 males
THAILAND
, Prachuap Khirikhan Province, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, ca.
100 m
before Kaeo cave, 12° 11ˏ 17˝ N, 99° 59ˏ 27˝ E.
21 July 2006
. G. Hantke & F. Brand leg., (
SMF
) and
4 males
THAILAND
, Prachuap Khirikhan Province, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, ca. surrounding of
10 m
from Kaeo cave, 12° 12ˏ 6˝ N, 99° 59ˏ 25˝ E.
22 July 2006
. G. Hantke & F. Brand leg., (
SMF
,
ZMUC
)
FIGURE 6.
(A, D, E, F):
Thyropygus opinatus
, gonopods. A: anterior view, left telopodite removed (specimen from Malewoon). B: anterior view, anterior coxal fold (specimen from Nakwang cave). C: anterior view, anterior coxal fold (specimen from Ban Krude). D: right coxa, posterior view. E: right telopodite, anterior view. F: right telopodite, posterior view.
Diagnosis:
A species of the
opinatus
subgroup. Spatulate lobe (
sl
) at apical part of telopodite terminating in a sharp brown spine. Similar in this respect to
T. floweri
,
T. implicatus
and
T. erectus
. Differing from these species by mesal margin of anterior coxal fold (
alp
) serrated or with a single denticle, with a small spine (
ss
) at base of apical part, opposite the origin of tibial spine, and the mesal process of anterior coxal fold (
amp
) almost as long as lateral process.
Description:
Adult males with 62–70 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca.
19–21 cm
, width ca.
10.5–11.5 mm
. Adult females with 70 podous rings, no apodous rings. Length ca.
18 cm
, width ca.
9.8–10.8 mm
. Overall color of living animal (
Fig. 18A
) black. Legs and antennae reddish brown. Epiproct and margins of paraprocts yellowish brown.
Gonopods (
Figs. 6
A–F): Anterior coxal fold (
ac
): lateral process (
alp
) broadly expanded and apically gradually narrowed, mesal margin with fine serrations (
Demange 1961: fig. 244
) or smooth with a single denticle (
Figs. 6
A–C,
Pocock 1889
: fig. 2b); mesal process (
amp
) almost as long as lateral process, slender, straight, directed distad, terminally slightly curved, pointed, sometimes crossing over with opposite
amp
(
Figs. 6
A–C). Posterior coxal fold (
pc
) (
Fig. 6
D) distally with two processes: mesal process (
pmp
) a rounded lobe, shorter than lateral process (
plp
) and separated from
plp
by deep, rounded sinus; lateral process (
plp
) a large, smooth, rounded node, projecting further caudad than mesal process. Telopodite (
Figs. 6
E–F): Femoral spine (
fe
) long, slender, very distinctly crenulated along outer curvature,
in situ
resting against posterior surface of
alp
; telopodite distally to
fe
with a massive, broad, round lobe (
lo
) projecting distolaterally; tibial spine (
ti
) long, slender, recurved, in anterior view crossing over with
fe
and reaching mesal end of
lo
; apical part: spatulate lobe (
sl
) terminating in a sharp brown spine (very slender in Nakwang specimens); a small spine (
ss
) at base of apical part, opposite the origin of
ti
; palette (
pa
) simple, with a longitudinal rounded crest (
cr
) near tip, distally with about ten brownish blepharochaetae (
bp
).
Distribution
(
Fig. 20
): Described from
MYANMAR
, Tenasserim, without an exact locality (
Karsch, 1881
). Subsequently recorded from Sullivan Island (10° 50ˏ 0˝ N, 98° 15ˏ 0˝ E) by
Pocock (1889)
. The
Myanmar
specimens studied by us,
Pocock (1893)
and
Demange (1961)
are from Malewoon, Tenasserim (10° 14ˏ 0˝ N, 98° 37ˏ 0˝ E). We here record the species as new to
Thailand
based on specimens from Petchaburi and Prachuap Khirikhan Provinces. The records from King Island (
Pocock 1889
), and from "S. Tenasserim" (
Pocock,1893
) are fraught with serious doubts (see notes) and are not shown on the map.
Notes:
This species presents several unresolved problems. The original description (
Karsch, 1881
) was said to be based on a male, but as usual, Karsch did not describe the gonopods. The whereabouts of the
type
specimen are unknown. The next mention of
opinatus
was by
Pocock (1889)
who reported it from Sullivan Island. Pocock gave a relatively good description, including a small gonopod drawing. In 1893, Pocock recorded
opinatus
from Malewoon and further noted that “Two young examples collected by Oates in S. Tenasserim are doubtfully referred to this species” and further that “This species was originally described from Tenasserim and was subsequently procured by Dr. Anderson from the Mergui Archipelago”. The latter statement must refer to the name “?
Sp
.
andersoni
”
Pocock, 1889
listed in the synonymy of
opinatus
by
Pocock (1893)
with an exact reference to the page and figure number in his 1889 paper and a note that this name is based on a young specimen. The strange thing is that in
Pocock (1889)
there is no
Spirostreptus andersoni
; instead there is, on the cited page and under the cited figure number, a
Spirostreptus regis
Pocock, 1889
, based on a single female from King Island. The length of this specimen was given as
55 mm
which does suggest a juvenile. It seems most likely that
andersoni
is a
lapsus calami
for
regis
, maybe due to confusion with
Spirobolus andersoni
Pocock, 1889
, described just two pages after
Spirostreptus regis
.
Demange (1960)
found specimens of neither
andersoni
nor
regis
in the Natural History Museum of London.
Demange (1961)
based his description of
opinatus
on a specimen from Malewoon examined by
Pocock (1893)
, and we have carried on this understanding of
opinatus
, being aware that rediscovery of Karsch’s
type
specimen may require a revision. Pocock’s (1889) gonopod drawing based on the specimen he described from Sullivan Island bears a strong resemblance to our
Fig. 6
A, although the lateral process (
alp
) of the anterior gonopod fold looks slightly narrower in the Sullivan Island specimen. Considering that the specimen illustrated by
Demange (1961)
is again slightly different from the one from the same series studied by us, in this case with an even broader
alp
, and further considering the variability among the new
Thai
specimens, we accept the record of
opinatus
by
Pocock (1889)
as belonging to this species as understood here.