A giant African millipede re-discovered, re-located and re-classified after 120 years (Diplopoda, Spirobolida, Pachybolidae) Author Fiemapong, Armand Richard Nzoko Author Enghoff, Henrik text Zootaxa 2018 2018-12-06 4527 3 403 413 journal article 27842 10.11646/zootaxa.4527.3.9 195c5a0b-ee6c-4865-ae6e-52403a5b0bc5 1175-5326 2612371 0BAB4687-ED83-416D-9573-8668E05F6E66 Pelmatoiulus tectus ( Cook, 1897 ) , new combination Figs 1–7 Pachybolus tectus Cook, 1897 . Type-locality: Zanzibar . Holotype (only specimen known until now) said by Cook (1899) to be in the museum at Hamburg, but missing from that collection ( Weidner 1960 ). Material studied. 1♂ Cameroon , littoral evergreen forest, Sanaga Maritime Division , Yansoki , 04°20’N , 009°83’E, secondary forest, 17.x.2017 , A.R. Nzoko Fiemapong & A. Yetchom Fondjo leg. ( ZMUC ) ; 1♀ Cameroon , littoral evergreen forest, NKAM Division , Djawara , 04°21’N , 009°76’E, 10.ix.2017 , A.R. Nzoko Fiemapong leg. ( ZMUC ) ; 1♂ Cameroon , Littoral Evergreen Forest Region , Yabassi , 4°95′N, 010°24′E , secondary forest, under dead leaves, 27.I.2017 , A.R. Nzoko Fiemapong leg. ( ARNF ) . Descriptive notes. The following notes are based on the newly studied material. Male. Body length ca. 15 cm , diameter 1.5 cm, 53 podous body rings + telson (no apodous body rings in front of telson). Colour of live animals ( Fig. 1 ). Head, collum and telson brown; body ringed in black, orange and yellow, each body ring divided into a bright yellow anterior zone, an orange-red intermediate zone and a strongly contrasting, deep black posterior zone; antennae, legs and venter yellow-brown. After one year in alcohol head, antennae, collum, legs and telson reddish brown; body rings with pro- and mesozona rust red, metazona black. FIGURE 1 . Pelmatojulus tectus (Cook, 1897) , live specimen from Cameroon. Incisura lateralis closed. Antennae with ca. 30 apical sensilla ( Fig. 2 A–D); tip of sensilla with a pore surrounded by finger-shaped processes ( Fig. 2 C ). Antennomeres 5 and 6 with dorso-apical fields of small sensilla ( Fig. 2 D ). Gnathochilarium: stipites ( st ) each with 4–6 apical setae; lamellae linguales ( ll ) each with two setae arranged in a transverse subapical row ( Fig. 2 E, F ). Legs from third to last pair with large tibial pads. Anterior gonopods ( Figs 3 A–B, 4 A–B) exactly as illustrated by Cook (1899) : sternum ( st ) with a large, tongue-shaped, broadly rounded median lobe; coxae ( cx ) ca. 25% longer than sternal lobe, apically broadly rounded; telopodites ( tlp ) longer than sternal lobe, but shorter than coxae, in posterior view strongly narrowed at ca. 2/3 of their length, apical part a rounded lobe ( lo , tip of lo visible in anterior view), mesal margin of telopodite broadly bent posteriad, forming a sigmoid flange (s f ) ending in apical lobe. Posterior gonopods ( Figs 3 C–D, 4 C, 5 A–B) also exactly as illustrated by Cook (1899) : a single, slender, Cshaped sclerite with an irregularly rounded process ( pr ) at base, close to articulation with tracheal apodeme; at ca. 2/3 from base with constriction ( cn ), tip folded mesad, forming a broadly rounded apical lobe ( al ). A poorly sclerotized, obliquely striate area ( sa ) covering middle 1/3 and ending at constriction on external side of the "C". Efferent groove ( eg ) (cf. Enghoff 2011 ) running along inner curvature of "C", ending near gonopod apex at bentover side of apical lobe. FIGURE 2 . Pelmatojulus tectus (Cook, 1897) , male from Cameroon, A–D. Right antenna. A . Apical view. B . Close-up of a dyad of sensilla from apical (7th) antennomere. C . Tip of sensillum from apical antennomere. D . Apico-dorsal sensilla from 6th antennomere. E–F . Gnathochilarium. Abbreviations : ll = lamella lingualis, st = stipes. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (E–F), 0.1 mm (A), 0.01 mm (B, D), 0.001 mm (C). Female . Body length ca. 15 cm , diameter 1.5 cm, 54 podous body rings + telson (no apodous body rings in front of telson). Non-sexual characters as in male, except antennae with 20–25 apical sensilla and gnathochilarial stipites each with 3 or 4 apical setae. FIGURE 3 . Gonopods of Pelmatojulus tectus (Cook, 1897) (A–D) and P. togoensis (Cook, 1897) (E–G), after Cook (1899), rearranged. A, E . Anterior gonopods, anterior view. B : Anterior gonopods, posterior view. C, F . right posterior gonopod, anterior view. D, G . right posterior gonopod, posterior view. Not drawn to scale. Vulvae ( Fig. 6 ) kidney-shaped; valves in basal half meeting in almost straight line, mesal margins with numerous short setae from level of tip of small operculum ( op ) almost up to highest point of valves ( Fig. 6 B, D ), in apical half with poorly sclerotized margins, margin of lateral valve with large rounded lobe ( lb ).