Nepalozonium trimaculatum, n. gen., n. sp. (Diplopoda: Polyzoniida: Hirudisomatidae): first record of the order and family from central Asia

4 Pages·1996·2.4 MB·

by  Rowland M Shelley

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
98(4), 1996, pp. 677-680
NEPALOZONIUM TRIMACULATUM, N. GEN., N. SP. (DIPLOPODA:
POLY ZONIIDA: HIRUDISOMATIDAE): FIRST RECORD OF THE ORDER
AND FAMILY FROM CENTRAL ASIA
ROWLAND M. SHELLEY
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, PO. Box 29555, Raleigh, NC 27626-
055530U.S.A.
Abstract.(cid:8212)Nepalozonium trimaculatum, n. gen., n. sp., the first record of the diplopod
order Polyzoniida and the family Hirudisomatidae from central Asia, is described from
Yangri Ridge (4700(cid:8212)4800 m (15,416(cid:8212)15,744 ft)), in the Himalaya Mountains ca. 40 km
(25 mi) NNE Kathmandu, Nepal. Additional species of Nepalozonium may occur at high
elevations in montane regions of Nepal and neighboring countries.
Key Words: Polyzoniida, Hirudisomatidae, Nepalozonium, Himalayas, Nepal
The Holarctic milliped family Hirudi- tion of the caudal metatergal margins
somatidae (order Polyzoniida) is currently above the succeeding tergites and the cau-
represented by Hirudisoma Fanzago in doventral location of the penes on the 2nd
Europe (Portugal, the Pyrenees of France, male coxae (Figs. 5(cid:8212)6) (Shelley 1995). In
Italy, Slovenia, Greece, and Turkey), Oc- contrast to species of Hirudisoma and Oc-
toglena Wood in North America (the east- toglena (Enghoff and Golovatch 1995,
ern and western United States and British Shelley 1995), the penes of these individ-
Columbia, Canada), Mexiconium Shelley uals are (cid:8220)(cid:8216)bottle shaped(cid:8221)(cid:8217) rather than sub-
in Mexico, and Orsiboe Attems and Kiu- conical, but they are located at the typical
siozonium Verhoeff in Japan (Mauriés position for the family. I thank R. Footit
1964, Hoffman 1980, Shelley 1996), al- and L. LeSage, for loans of the sample;
though Orsiboe may represent another A. Smetana, the collector, for information
family (Hoffman, pers. comm.). I report on the locality; and R. G. Kuhler, for pre-
here the first representative of the order paring figures 1-5.
and family from Central Asia, the Hima-
laya Mountains, and Nepal based on a Nepalozonium Shelley, new genus
sample with two males housed in the Ca- Type species.(cid:8212)Nepalozonium trimacu-
nadian National Collection (CNC), Agri- latum, new species.
culture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; to the Diagnosis.(cid:8212)Dorsum smooth, polished;
best of my knowledge, the closest ordinal caudal metatergal margins detached from
record to Nepal is that of Siphonocryptus and elevated above succeeding tergites;
latior Enghoff and Golovatch (family Si- body broad (W/L ratio 37(cid:8212)47%) and (cid:8220)(cid:8216)bell
phonocryptidae) from Malaya. The spec- shaped,(cid:8221) sides extending strongly laterad;
imens lack the middorsal suture of the Si- collum broad, overhanging epicranium and
phonocryptidae (Enghoff and Golovatch at least one pair of ocelli; caudolateral cor-
1995) and demonstrate diagnostic features ners of midbody and caudal segments ex-
of the Hirudisomatidae including eleva- tending slightly caudad; telson relatively
678 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Figs. 1-5. Nepalozonium trimaculatum holotype, somatic features. 1-3, Dorsal views of (1) anterior, (2)
midbody, and (3) caudal segments. 4, Head, antennae, and collum, anterior view. 5, Midbody segments, lateral
view of left side. Scale line for figs. 1-3 = 0.5 mm for each; line for figs. 4(cid:8212)5 = 0.5 mm for each.
narrow, comprising around half of caudal 2nd to 4th podomeres slightly extended on
width; head subtriangular, with three ocelli caudal side; coxa with anteromedial side
on each side arranged linearly in angular slightly longer but without lobe; posterior
rows beginning at levels of antennal sock- gonopod with ultimate podomere simple
ets; penes broad basally, narrowing abruptly and acicular, apically acuminate.
distad, located slightly caudoventrad on 2nd Distribution.(cid:8212)Known only from central
male coxae; sternum of anterior gonopods Nepal.
with widely separated, subconical, apically Species.(cid:8212)One is known; others may ex-
hirsute lobes; anterior gonopods curving ist in remote pockets at high elevations in
strongly anteriad distad, ultimate podomere Nepal, Bhutan, India, Tibet/China, Paki-
prolonged and moderately hirsute, apically stan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyz-
blunt, directed subanteromediad; corners of stan.
VOLUME 98, NUMBER 4 679
9 7
Figs. 6-9. Nepalozonium trimaculatum holotype, sexual features. 6, Penes, 2nd coxae, and right 2nd leg,
caudal view. 7, Anterior gonopods and sternum, anterior view. 8, Left anterior gonopod, caudal view. 9, Distal
podomeres of left posterior gonopod, caudal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm for each fig.
Nepalozonium trimaculatum Shelley, Ganja La (5846 m (19,174 ft)) and Ponggen
new species Dopku (5930 m (19,450 ft)) (see Smetana
(Figs. 1-9) 1988, map 2).
Diagnosis.(cid:8212)With the characters of the
Type specimens.(cid:8212)d holotype and <4 genus (Figs. 4-9).
paratype (CNC) collected by A. Smetana, Color.(cid:8212)The base color is light yellow,
22 April 1981, along Yangri Ridge, ca. 40 and there are three dark spots on each pro-
km (25 mi) NNE Kathmandu, Nepal. Yan- and metatergite that coalesce with those on
gri Ridge lies east of the Malemchi River adjacent tergites and form longitudinal
and extends northward from Yangri Moun- stripes, the darkest one in the midline and
tain to the east-west ridge connecting Mts. lighter, mottled spots along the lateral mar-
680 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
gins (Figs. 1-3). The spots are considerably (1988) the staphylinid beetles, Quedius
lighter on the caudal three tergites, and the (Microsaurus) franzi Smetana and Q. (M.)
ultimate one is translucent, revealing the angnimai Smetana, were collected on Yan-
dark pigmentation of the telson beneath it. gri Ridge on 21(cid:8212)22 April 1981 by sifting
This pigmentation pattern may be diagnos- moss, debris, and fallen leaves under low
tic of the genus or this species, and Nepa- bushes and dead vegetation/grass along the
lozonium may be similar to Octoglena bases of large rocks in a pasture above the
Wood, which includes four unpigmented tree line. The specimens of WN. trimaculatum
species and one with three dorsal stripes were encountered during this sifting.
(Shelley 1995). Distribution.(cid:8212)Known only from the
Variation.(cid:8212)The gonopods of the holo- type locality.
type and paratype are virtually identical.
LITERATURE CITED
Excluding the telson, the holotype has 27
segments and measures 4.3 mm in length Enghoff, H. and S. I. Golovatch. 1995. A revision of
the Siphonocryptidae (Diplopoda, Polyzoniida).
and 2.0 mm in width (W/L ratio 46.5%);
Zoologica Scripta 24: 29-41.
the paratype has 22 segments and measures Hoffman, R. L. 1980 (1979). Classification of the Di-
3.7 mm in length and 1.4 mm in width plopoda. Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Genéve,
(W/L ratio 37.8%). Switzerland, 237 pp.
Mauriés, J.-P. 1964. Sur quelques diplopodes de la
Ecology.(cid:8212)The specimens were encoun-
péninsule Ibérique. Bulletin de la Société d(cid:8217)His-
tered at an elevation of 4700(cid:8212)4800 m
toire Naturelle de Toulouse 99: 157-170.
(15,416-15,744 ft). The habitat is not in- Shelley, R. M. 1996. The milliped family Hirudiso-
dicated on the vial label, but this elevation matidae in the New World (Polyzoniida) Brimley-
is in the subalpine/alpine tundra zone, ana 23: 103-143.
Smetana, A. 1988. Revision of the tribes Quediini and
which is characterized by moss and dwarf
Atanygnathini. Part II. The Himalayan region
azalea bushes (Rhododendron sp.) (Smeta- (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Quaestiones Ento-
na, pers. comm.). According to Smetana mologicae 24: 163-464.