A review of the Australian millipede genus Atelomastix (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Iulomorphidae) 2371
Author
Edward, Karen L.
Author
Harvey, Mark S.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2010-02-25
2371
1
1
63
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2371.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.2371.1.1
11755334
5312214
6140530D-9F81-4443-AFD1-7EF84005E834
Atelomastix poustiei
,
sp. nov.
Figs. 6
,
68
,
120, 121
.
Type material:
AUSTRALIA
:
Western Australia
:
holotype
male,
Wedge Hill
,
Stirling Range National Park
,
34°25’13”S
,
118°10’58”E
, hand collected,
9 April 2004
,
M.S. Harvey
,
J.M. Waldock
,
K.L. Edward
,
C. Poustie
(
WAM
T
72775)
.
Paratype
:
1 male
, collected with holotype (
WAM
T
72774)
.
Other material examined:
AUSTRALIA
:
Western Australia
:
6 females
, collected with holotype (
WAM
T
70201)
;
3 males
,
3 females
,
Wedge Hill
,
Stirling Range National Park
,
34°25’S
,
118°11’E
,
wet pitfall traps
,
8 April 1997
,
M.S. Harvey
,
J.M. Waldock
,
B.Y. Main
(
WAM
T
69818)
.
Etymology:
This species is named for Cameron Poustie who assisted in the collection of the
type
specimens.
Diagnosis:
Atelomastix poustiei
is similar to
A. tumula
,
A. danksi
and
A. montana
as the anterior gonopod sclerite
a
is broad and concave sub-medially enveloping an elongate pseudoflagellum beneath a broad distal hood. However, it can be distinguished from other species because sclerite
a
is only distally bifurcated with the medial process longer than the lateral process, and the tip of sclerite
b
slightly tapers to a rounded tip, instead of a narrow pointed tip in
A. montana
. This species also has a smaller gonopod (total length=
1.05– 1.06 mm
) compared with
A. danksi
(
1.1–1.2 mm
), and
A. tumula
(
1.15–1.25 mm
).
Description:
Male (
holotype
).
Colour: live specimens dark blue-grey with lighter bands between segments; head, antennae, ozopores and legs yellow-brown, rest light blue grey, prozonites light blue, metazonites yellow brown to pale white in preserved specimens.
Body: ca.
30 mm
long and ca.
1.9 mm
wide at collum. With 42 trunk segments, 73 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs.
Head: with ca. 21 ocelli (
Fig. 68
), in 4 rows (2: 5: 6: 8).
Gonopods: anterior gonopods (
Figs. 120, 121
) very large, heavily sclerotised and complex in structure, 2.13 times longer than broad; sclerite
a
with swollen base that forms broad, concave area where pseudoflagellum emerges, and broad, curved distal hood; sub-distal edge of concave area of sclerite
a
with 8 setae; upper distal face of sclerite
a
with 8 short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum long, elongate and partially obscured beneath broadened distal hood; sclerite
b
elongate and curved distally, terminating in blunt, rounded tip, with 1 subdistal seta; basal process of sclerite
b
large, triangular, slightly curved distally, tapering to form rounded tip, 0.36 times the length of the main process; sclerite
c
slightly longer than sclerite
b
, medial section relatively narrow, slightly tapering to a blunt concave tip, with 5–9 setae (n=2) on internal concave face; with group of 6 (n=2) fine setae on sub-basal edge of sclerite
b
instead of single sub-basal setae where sclerites overlap, and group of 10–12 (n=2) short setae sub-basally on sclerite
c
; posterior gonopods inconspicuous, small, with several small setae on interno-lateral face of each gonopod.
Dimensions (mm):
holotype
male (
paratype
male, WAM T72774): length ca. 30 (24), width ca. 1.9 (1.7), L/W=15.8 (14.1); sclerite
a
1.05/0.493 (1.06/0.527), setae 8 + 8 (7 + 2); sclerite
b
0.474 (0.448), basal process of sclerite
b
0.162 (0.176), setae 1 (1); sclerite
c
0.912 (0.848), setae 5 (9).
Female
. Similar to male, other than sexual characters, and slightly larger.
Distribution and habitat:
Atelomastix poustiei
is only known from Wedge Hill on the eastern side of the
Stirling
Range National Park (
Fig. 6
) and has been collected using pitfall traps and hand collecting under logs, leaf litter and bark.