Rhysida lewisi, Joshi & Karanth & Edgecombe, 2020

RHYSIDA LEWISI SP. NOV.

( FIG. 16)

h t t p:/ / z o o b a n k. o r g / u r n:l s i d: z o o b a n k. o r g: a c t: D2DD6016-549F-45BF-9097-9F6582A56BDC

Rhysida cf. immarginata View in CoL (CES07224, CES07238, CES07271, CES07275, CES07276), Joshi & Karanth, 2011: 289.

Diagnosis: Twenty (19) antennal articles, three glabrous. Coxosternal tooth-plates with four main teeth. Coxopleural process with two apical spines, lacking subapical spine. Ultimate leg prefemoral spine formula VL2, VM1, DM1. Legs 1–18 (16/17) with two tarsal spurs.

Type material

Holotype: CES07224 , Anshi-Dandeli Tiger Reserve , Karwar district, Karnataka, India (14.9890°N, 74.3712°E, 600 m a.s.l.), collected by Jahnavi Joshi, 17 August 2008. GoogleMaps

Paratypes: CES08908 , Kurunjal , Kudremukh National Park, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka ; CES091010 , Kudremukha Peak , Kudremukh National Park, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, India . Other material: CES07238 , Kumta, Uttara Kannada district , Karnataka ; CES08909 , CES08914 , Kurunjal, Kudremukh National Park, Chikkamagaluru district , Karnataka ; CES08920 Tadoli, Kudremukh National Park, Chikkamagaluru district , Karnataka ; CES08950 , Shirgaovkar Road, Amboli, Sindhudurg district , Maharashtra ; CES07271 , Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolhapur district , Maharashtra ; CES08275 , Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolhapur district , Maharashtra, India ; collected by Jahnavi Joshi in August–September 2008 –2009. Locality coordinates in the Supporting Information ( Table S1) .

Etymology: This species is named for Dr John G. E. Lewis, in appreciation of his exemplary work on Scolopendromorpha .

Description: Length ≤ 45 mm. Twenty (19) antennal articles, basal three articles glabrous dorsally and ventrally ( Fig. 16A). Cephalic plate and T1 smooth. Longitudinal median furrow on anterior 10% of cephalic plate. Cephalic plate and T1 brown–dark green, the following tergites brown with red–green pigmentation, legs pale yellow. Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates wider than long, with four main teeth separated into two groups, two inner and two outer; outermost smaller in comparison to other three teeth; base of tooth-plates defined by oblique sutures diverging at 110° ( Fig. 16B, E). Trochanteroprefemoral process bearing two apical and two lateral teeth. Tergites with paramedian sutures complete from TT 4–5 in most specimens, rarely from TT6 or TT7. Tergites not marginated. Tergites with shallow longitudinal depressions ( Fig. 16G). Paramedian sutures 10% length of sternites ( Fig. 16H). Tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment ~1.3 times wider than long, with parallel lateral margins, rounded posteromedially ( Fig. 16J). Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment slightly shorter than wide, lateral margins gently convex, moderately convergent posteriorly; faint depression near and parallel to lateral margin; strong median depression ( Figs 16D, I). Coxopleural process 1.5 times the length of sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, with two apical spines, lacking subapical and dorsal spines. Pores dense, with pore-field terminating distinctly beneath dorsal margin of coxopleuron; non-porose area on coxopleural process a narrow strip almost reaching to opposite posterior margin of sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment ( Fig. 16D, I). Ultimate legs long, prefemur ≤ 3.5 mm, femur ≤ 3.3 mm, tibia ≤ 3 mm, tarsus 1 ≤ 2.25 mm and tarsus 2 ≤ 1.5 mm; prefemoral spine formula VL2, VM1, DM1 ( Fig. 16I, J). First 18 (less commonly 16 or 17, exceptionally 11) pairs of legs with two tarsal spurs; remaining legs to leg 19 with one; leg 20 lacking tarsal spur. Legs 1 and 2 (exceptionally, leg 1 only) with tibial spur. Leg 1 with femoral spur.

Distribution: This species is distributed in the central and northern parts of the Western Ghats. It is currently known from three distinct locations in the former and two in the latter. It is found across a broad elevational range (500–1800 m a.s.l.) and in different types of habitats, including low- and high-elevation montane forests, grassland and moist deciduous forests.

Remarks: Phylogenetically, R. lewisi is sister to R. immarginata from Southeast Asia, one of the widely distributed species in Asia ( Fig. 3). It is retrieved as a putative species by mPTP. In GMYC, there are three distinct units, one single specimen and another two with multiple individuals. Within-group variation in COI (corrected p -distance) is 4.5%. Morphologically, the three units identified by GMYC cannot be distinguished, and mPTP recovers only one unit. Therefore, it is treated currently as a single species.

Morphologically, R. lewisi can be distinguished from its closest relative, R. immarginata , based on the arrangement of spines on the coxopleural process and the number of antennal articles. Rhysida lewisi has only two apical spines, whereas R. immarginata has two apical and one subapical spine. Rhysida lewisi has 20 (19) antennal articles, whereas R. immarginata ranges from 16 to 18 antennal articles.

Within the R. immarginata clade, two more distinct species are identified by both species delimitation methods with strong support ( Fig. 3): Rhysida . sp. 1 and R. sp. 2. Rhysida sp. 1 is sister to a clade consisting of R.immarginata and R.lewisi , with a broad geographical distribution in the central and southern Western Ghats and the southern Eastern Ghats. However, it is represented by three immature individuals and thus cannot be described morphologically, but provides evidence for another species. More sampling in the Western and Eastern Ghats will be essential to describe this species morphologically.

Rhysida sp. 2 is represented by two individuals from the central Eastern Ghats, CES101400 and CES101032. Phylogenetically it is distinct, with a PP of one and BS of 100%, but its position is unresolved, and it is part of a clade consisting of R. immarginata , R. sada , R. lewisi and Rhysida sp. 1 .