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 tumula
,
sp. nov.
Figs. 6
,
74
,
135, 136
.
Type material:
AUSTRALIA
:
Western Australia
:
holotype
male,
Bluff Knoll
walking trail,
Stirling Range National Park
,
34°23’S
,
118°15’E
, hand collected,
6 April 2004
,
M.S. Harvey
,
J.M. Waldock
,
K.L. Edward
,
C. Poustie
(
WAM
T
74317)
.
Paratypes
:
1 male
, collected with holotype (
WAM
T
74318)
.
Other material examined:
AUSTRALIA
:
Western Australia
:
7 females
, collected with holotype (
WAM
T
70204)
.
Etymology:
The specific name is an adjective based on the
type
locality, Bluff Knoll (
tumulus
, Latin, raised mound of earth).
Diagnosis:
Atelomastix tumula
is generally greenish brown or dark brown with pale bands, and is relatively large in size (body width
2.4 mm
, length>
44 mm
). This species is similar to
A. danksi
,
A. montana
, and
A. poustiei
as the anterior gonopod sclerite
a
is broad and concave sub-medially. However, it can be distinguished by the presence of two bifurcations of sclerite
c
of the male gonopod. This species exhibits a shallow asymmetrical distal bifurcation with a larger medial process and a deep asymmetrical medial bifurcation with a larger lateral process. The distal hood of sclerite
a
is not as broad as similar species, but is rather deep with the elongate pseudoflagellum entirely exposed.
Description:
Male (
holotype
).
Colour: live specimens dark blue-grey with lighter bands between segments; head, antennae, ozopores and legs golden-brown, rest dark brown, prozonites green-brown, metazonites darker brown to pale white in preserved specimens.
Body: ca.
44 mm
long and ca.
2.4 mm
wide at collum. With 60 trunk segments, 109 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs.
Head: with ca. 21 ocelli (
Fig. 74
), arranged in 3 rows (6: 7: 8).
Gonopods: anterior gonopods (
Figs. 135, 136
) very large, heavily sclerotised and complex in structure, 2.14 times longer than broad; sclerite
a
with swollen base that forms broad, concave area where pseudoflagellum emerges, and, curved distal hood that is characteristically domed; sub-distal edge of concave area of sclerite
a
with 6 larger setae; upper distal face of sclerite
a
with 22 short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum long, elongate and distally visible beneath broadened distal hood; sclerite
b
elongate and curved, terminating in a blunt, rounded tip, with 0–1 sub-distal setae; basal process of sclerite
b
large, triangular, tapering to form rounded tip, 0.39 times the length of the main process; sclerite
c
same height as sclerite
b
, almost bifurcate with medial section noticeably broad, slightly tapering to blunt concave tip, with 10 setae (n=2) on internal concave face; with group of 6–8 (n=2) fine setae on sub-basal edge of sclerite
b
instead of single sub-basal setae where sclerites overlap, and group of 10 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 T74317): length ca. 44, width ca. 2.4, L/W=18.4; sclerite
a
1.248
/
0.584
(
1.152
/
0.558
), setae 8 + 6 (8 + 6); sclerite
b
0.520 (0.499), basal process of sclerite
b
0.204 (0.202), setae 0 (1); sclerite
c
0.904 (0.880), setae 3 (8).
Female
. Unknown.
Distribution and habitat:
Atelomastix tumula
is known only from
two males
and
seven females
hand collected under rocks along the Bluff Knoll walking trail in the
Stirling
Range National Park (
Fig. 6
). The habitat consists of moist jarrah (
Eucalyptus marginata
) and marri (
Corymbia calophylla
) forest with a relatively thick understorey.