Thursday, September 22, 2016

[Invertebrate • 2016] A Mountain of Millipedes V: Three New Genera, Casuariverpa scarpa, Yia geminispina & Utiliverpa decapsulatrix, of Odontopygidae from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae)


Yia geminispina Enghoff, 2016

Fig. 5. Yia geminispina gen. et sp. nov., holotype. A. Part of midbody showing the characteristic course of the suture and the position of the ozopore (highlighted in red on one body ring). B–D. Left gonopod coxa. B. Anterior-mesal view. C. Posterior view. D. Mesal view, close-up. E. Limbus. 

Abbreviations: cu = cucullus, lp = lateral coxal process, mf = metaplical flange, mp = metaplica, ms = metaplical shelf, msp = metaplical spine, pp = proplica, prl = proplical lobe. Scales: A = 1 mm; B–D = 0.1 mm; E = 0.005 mm.  DOI:  10.5852/ejt.2016.221

Abstract
 Three new genera of Odontopygidae are described, all based on new species from the
Udzungwa mountains, Tanzania, and all monotypic: Casuariverpa gen. nov. (type species: C. scarpa gen. et sp. nov.), Yia gen. nov. (type species: Y. geminispina gen. et sp. nov.), and Utiliverpa gen. nov. (type species: U. decapsulatrix gen. et sp. nov.). Similarities and differences between the new genera and other genera are discussed.

Keyword. Eastern Arc, taxonomy, new genera, new species.


Class Diplopoda Blainville-Gervais, 1844
Order Spirostreptida Brandt, 1833

Family Odontopygidae Attems, 1909
Subfamily Archepyginae Manfredi, 1939
Tribe Prionopetalini Hoffman, 1991


• Casuariverpa gen. nov
 Etymology: From Latin Casuaria, “cassowary”, and “verpa”, penis. Refers to the shape of the solenomere tip which is somewhat reminiscent of the head profile of the Australian cassowary (Casuarius casuarius (Linnaeus, 1758)). Gender feminine.
Casuariverpa scarpa gen. et sp. nov. 
Etymology: The name is a noun in apposition and refers to the Udzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve.


• Yia gen. nov. 
Etymology: The name is an artificial word and refers to the row of Y- and I-shaped spikes on the gonopod telomere (Fig. 6F). To be treated as feminine.
Yia geminispina gen. et sp. nov.
Etymology: The name is a composite Latin noun in apposition meaning “twin spine” and refers to the pair of long spines on the telomere.


• Utiliverpa gen. nov. 
Etymology: From Latin utilis: useful, and verpa: penis. Refers to the shape of the solenomere which resembles a very useful instrument: a bottle-opener. Gender feminine.
Utiliverpa decapsulatrix gen. et sp. nov.  
Etymology: The name is a Latin noun meaning “remover of capsules”, cf. etymology of genus.

Henrik Enghoff. 2016. A Mountain of Millipedes V: Three New Genera of Odontopygidae from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Odontopygidae). European Journal of Taxonomy. 221: 1–17. DOI:  10.5852/ejt.2016.221