Xystopyge bentemarieae, Enghoff, 2022

Xystopyge bentemarieae sp. nov.

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Figs 4B View Fig , 62–64 View Fig View Fig View Fig

Diagnosis

Differs from other species of Xystopyge by the combination of a hammerlike profile of the distal part of the gonopod coxa in certain views ( Fig. 63C View Fig ) (shared only with X. martella VandenSpiegel & Pierrard, 2004 , and X. doggartae sp. nov.), an only moderately long, tongue-shaped gonopod sternum (very long, slender-triangular in X. martella and X. doggartae sp. nov.), a very stout, moderately curved hook ( th) at midlength of the gonopod telomere (very strongly curved in X. doggartae sp. nov.), lack of a basal solenomeral spine ( BSS) (a small tubercle in X. martella , a long basal spine in in X. doggartae sp. nov.) and a distal division of the solenomere into two branches (undivided in X. martella ).

Etymology

After my granddaughter Bente Marie Enghoff Mogensen.

Material examined (total 7 ♂♂)

Holotype TANZANIA • ♂; Morogoro Region, Kanga Mts , Kanga FR ; 400–500 m a.s.l.; 22–25 Nov. 1984; lowland rain forest; N. Scharff leg.; NHMD 621766 .

Paratypes TANZANIA • 6 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; NHMD 621767 .

Description

SIZE. Length 57–73 mm. Diameter 3.5–4.0 mm. 61–62 podous rings; no podous rings in fornt of telson.

COLOUR. After 36 years in alcohol faded to light (greyish) brown; however, a broad mid-dorsal pale stripe still evident.

SUPRALABRAL SETAE. 5–6.

MANDIBULAR STIPES. Distal margin slightly concave, posterior-distal corner almost right-angled.

ANAL VALVES ( Fig. 4B View Fig ). Each with a distinct dorsal spine and 2 setae on raised margin; no ventral spine.

LIMBUS ( Fig. 62C View Fig ). Margin with short, smooth rounded lobes.

LEGS. With postfemoral and tibial pads from leg-pair 5, except for last few leg-pairs; size of pads decreasing towards posterior.

FIRST PAIR OF LEGS ( Fig. 62D–F View Fig ). Prefemoral lobes short, triangular in ventral view. Six to eight long coxosternal setae ( CXS) adjacent to lateral side of prefemoral process; prefemur with a few peglike mesapical sensilla ( APS) and ca 12 peglike lateral sensilla ( LPS).

GONOPOD STERNUM (STERNUM 8) ( Fig. 62A View Fig ). Tongue-shaped, ca twice as long as broad.

STERNUM 9. Pentagonal with parallel lateral margins (‘house-shaped’).

GONOPOD COXA ( Fig. 63 View Fig ). Proplica ( PP) simple, proplical lobe ( PPL) relatively slender, clearly visible in anterior view. Metaplica ( MP) at level of proplical lobe produced mesad into triangular ridged process ( mpo), at lateral end of mpo a large vertical lobe ( mpv), distally produced into complex structure with four subhorizontal processes: 1. A large, subrectangular meso-posteriad process ( mpp), 2. A long, triangular mesad process ( mtp), 3. A very slender process ( sx) process originating next to mtp 4. A subrectangular anteriad process ( rx) ( sx and rx corresponding to the similarly labelled processes in X. doggartae sp. nov.).

GONOPOD TELOPODITE ( Fig. 64 View Fig ). Arculus 135°. Torsotope not very well delimited. Solenomere ( SLM) at rest concealed within gutter formed by telomere; ca as long as telomere, simple, without a basal spine, towards end divided into a long, striate branch ( sdl) with the opening of the efferent canal, and a longer, slender, smooth, curved spinelike branch ( sdp), the latter with a short basal accessory spinelike branch. Telomere ( TM) overall consisting of a ribbon describing a full circle and at the same time folded lengthwise forming a concavity along the inner side of the circle, with a very stout, smooth hook ( th) ca at mid-length; at the end with a transverse spinelike process ( ttp).

Distribution and habitat

Only known from lowland rain forest at 400–500 m a.s.l. at the type locality, Kanga FR in the Kanga Mts (part of Nguru Mts).

Remarks

Although X. bentemariae sp. nov. is here diagnosed vis-à-vis X. martella and X. doggartae sp. nov., it also shows some striking similarities with X. robusta Attems, 1910 . This species has been illustrated by Attems (1910) and VandenSpiegel & Pierrard (2004), but the opportunity is here taken to show some SEM images ( Fig. 65 View Fig ) of the gonopods of a male of X. robusta collected close to the Uluguru Mts, viz:

TANZANIA • ♂; Morogoro Region, Morogoro, foot of Uluguru Mts , above the university campus; 17 Mar. 1989; hand collecting from ground and from plants; Mahunka and Zicsi leg.; HNHM diplo-03051 (Compared side by side with a syntype of X. robusta (NHMW 9114, Insel Pemba, Chake Chake, Voeltkow leg. and don.) – the gonopods are completely identical.)

Specific similarities between X. robusta and X. bentemarieae sp. nov. include:

- the very complicated distal part of the metaplica, especially the slender process sx

- the simple telomere (TM)

- the hooklike moderately curved telomeral process ( th)

Differences include:

- details of the apical metaplical processes other than sx

- the solenomere ( slm) which in X. robusta ends in a striate lamella with a terminal hook, vs divided into a striate branch ( sdl) and a spinelike process ( sdp) in X. bentemarieae sp. nov.