Research Article |
Corresponding author: Somsak Panha ( somsak.pan@chula.ac.th ) Academic editor: Robert Mesibov
© 2019 Natdanai Likhitrakarn, Sergei I. Golovatch, Irina Semenyuk, Somsak Panha.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Likhitrakarn N, Golovatch SI, Semenyuk I, Panha S (2019) A new species and a new record of the Southeast Asian millipede genus Antheromorpha Jeekel, 1968 (Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae) from Vietnam. ZooKeys 832: 77-89. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.832.32596
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Antheromorpha nguyeni sp. n. is described and illustrated from Kon Ka Kinh National Park, southern Vietnam. The new species is distinguished by a peculiar colour pattern showing a uniformly black-brown body contrasting with yellow-brown paraterga and epiproct, as well as in the pointed gonopodal process being unusually short, only approximately half as long as the solenophore. In addition, an identification key to all 13 presently known species, all mapped, is given. A new record of A. festiva is provided from southern Vietnam.
Antheromorpha, millipede, new species, Orthomorphini, taxonomy, Vietnam
The Southeast Asian millipede genus Antheromorpha Jeekel, 1968 was established to replace Brachytropis Silvestri, 1896 which had been preoccupied by Brachytropis Fieber, 1858, a genus of Hemiptera (
It was
The present paper adds to the record another new species of this genus from Vietnam, the fifth to be found in that country. This brings the diversity of Antheromorpha to a total of 13 recognised species that occur only in mainland Southeast Asia: Myanmar (6 species: A. bistriata (Pocock, 1895), A. comotti (Pocock, 1895), A. mediovirgata (Carl, 1941), A. minlana (Pocock, 1895), A. miranda (Pocock, 1895), A. pardalis (Pocock, 1895)), Vietnam (5 species: A. festiva (Brölemann, 1896), A. harpaga (Attems, 1937), A. nguyeni sp. n., A. paviei (Brölemann, 1896), A. pumatensis Nguyen, Nguyen & Le, 2018), and Thailand (3 species: A. rosea Golovatch, 2013, A. festiva (Brölemann, 1896), A. uncinata (Attems, 1931)). Southern China (A. rosea Golovatch, 2013), Laos (A. paviei (Brölemann, 1896)), and Western Malaysia (A. festiva (Brölemann, 1896)) currently support only a single species each (Fig.
Antheromorpha bistriata (Pocock, 1895)
Antheromorpha comotti (Pocock, 1895)
Antheromorpha festiva (Brölemann, 1896)
Antheromorpha harpaga (Attems, 1937)
Antheromorpha mediovirgata (Carl, 1941)
Antheromorpha minlana (Pocock, 1895)
Antheromorpha miranda (Pocock, 1895)
Antheromorpha nguyeni sp. n.
Antheromorpha pardalis (Pocock, 1895)
Antheromorpha paviei (Brölemann, 1896)
Antheromorpha pumatensis Nguyen, Nguyen & Le, 2018
Antheromorpha rosea Golovatch, 2013
Antheromorpha uncinata (Attems, 1931)
The material documented below was collected by one of us (Irina Semenyuk abbreviated IS), according to Agreements 432/TCLN-BTTN and 142/SNgV-VP between the Kon Ka Kinh National Park and the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center, as part of IS’s research project on the diversity, biology, and ecology of millipedes in Vietnam.
Live animals were photographed in their habitats using a Canon 70D digital camera with a Canon PowerShot A4000IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera. Specimens were preserved in 75% ethanol, and morphological investigations were carried out in the laboratory using an Olympus stereo microscope. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of gold-coated gonopods were taken using a JEOL, JSM–5410 LV microscope. Specimens were also photographed and the images stacked in the laboratory using the “CellD” automontage software of the Olympus Soft Imaging Solution package, while the gonopods of a paratype were dissected and illustrated under Euromex iScope microscopes. Almost all material is housed in the Zoological Museum, State University of Moscow (ZMUM), Russia, with one paratype donated to the collection of Chulalongkorn University’s Museum of Zoology (CUMZ), Bangkok, Thailand.
In the synonomy section given below, D stands for a description or descriptive notes, R for a new record or records, while M for a mere mention. Other abbreviations are:
d gonopod process d, a distinct lobe on middle part of lamina lateralis, seen in mesal view
m gonopod process m, a small lower lobe on distal part of gonopod, clearly seen in mesal view
s lateral sulcus, a distinct sulcus distally on femur, visible on femur in lateral view
sl solenomere, a usually long, flagellum-like appendage, originating on base of solenophore
sph solenophore (= tibiotarsus), apical part of telopodite, consisting of lamina lateralis and lamina medialis
v gonopod process v, a small upper lobe on distal part of gonopod, clearly seen in mesal view
CUMZ Chulalongkorn University Museum of Zoology, Bangkok, Thailand
ZMUM Zoological Museum, University of Moscow, Russia
a.s.l. above sea level
ca. approximately, around (circa)
The Animal Care and Use Protocol Review No. 1723018 was applied.
Coordinates and elevation were recorded by Garmin GPSMAP 60 CSx and Garmin eTrex 30 using the WGS84 datum and subsequently double-checked with Google Earth.
Orthomorpha festiva Brölemann, 1896: 1 (D).
Orthomorpha festiva:
Orthomorpha (Orthomorpha) festiva:
“Orthomorpha” festiva Jeekel, 1963: 269 (M).
Antheromorpha festiva
Jeekel, 1968: 57 (M); 1980: 85 (M);
3 ♂ (ZMUM), Vietnam, Dong Nai Province, Cat Tien National Park, 11°25'37"N, 107°25'39"E, 140 m a.s.l., secondary monsoon lowland forest with dominating Lagerstroemia calyculata, on forest floor, 10.V.2015; 1 ♂ (ZMUM), same locality, on ground road in grasslands, 11°24'20"N, 107°24'17"E, 120 m a.s.l., 14.XI.2014, all leg. I Semenyuk.
The new specimens fully agree with the detailed and beautifully illustrated redescriptions of the species as given by
Holotype. ♂ (ZMUM), Vietnam, Gia Lai Province, Kon Ka Kinh National Park, 14°13'08"N, 108°19'31"E, 1200 m a.s.l., tropical forest with Lithocarpus spp. abundant on hill slopes, on forest floor, daytime, 24.V.2017, leg. I Semenyuk.
Paratypes. 1 ♂ (ZMUM), same locality, together with holotype; 1 ♂ (ZMUM), same locality as holotype, but on top of a hill with cloud forest, 14°13'12"N, 108°19'54"E, 1500 m a.s.l., on log, daytime, 26.V.2017; 1 ♂ (CUMZ), same locality as holotype, broadleaved tropical forest in river valley, on log, 800 m a.s.l., 14°12'46"N, 108°18'55"E, night time 22.V.2017, all leg. I Semenyuk.
To honour Nguyen Duc Anh, the leading Vietnamese myriapologist.
Differs from congeners mainly in the colour pattern (a uniformly black-brown body with contrasting yellow-brown paraterga and epiproct), as well as in gonopod process d being unusually short, approximately half as long as the solenophore.
Length of holotype 41.5 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazonae 3.2 and 4.7 mm, respectively. Paratypes 39.5–42.5 mm long, 2.9–3.8 and 4.5–5.1 mm wide on midbody pro- and metazonae, respectively (♂).
Colouration of live animals blackish (Fig.
Antheromorpha nguyeni sp. n., ♂ holotype. A habitus, live coloration; B, C anterior part of body, dorsal and lateral views, respectively D, E segments 10 and 11, dorsal and lateral views, respectively F, G, H posterior part of body, dorsal, ventral and lateral views, respectively I, J sternal cones between coxae 4, subcaudal and sublateral views, respectively.
Clypeolabral region sparsely setose; epicranial suture distinct. Antennae long (Fig.
Tegument generally smooth and poorly shining, prozonae finely shagreened, metaterga leathery and rugulose (Fig.
Sterna sparsely setose, shining, cross-impressions shallow, without modifications; but with two rounded, low, fully separated, setose cones between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig.
Gonopods (Figs
Adults of the new species were found in May during a short expedition to a small area within Kon Ka Kinh National Park near its headquarters. A prospected forest with a similar forest structure within the same park near the village of Krong (N14°17', E108°26', 700–1000 m a.s.l.), ca. 14 km NE of the type locality, failed to reveal this species. It co-exists at the type locality together with Orthomorpha scabra Jeekel, 1967 and three other Orthomorpha species, all apparently undescribed. According to IS’ observations, the five species share the same microhabitats. Given the conspicuously large and similar sizes of the adults of Antheromorpha and Orthomorpha, an ecological study of this syntopy in Kon Ka Kinh National Park would be worthwhile.
Although our new species is superficially very similar to Orthomorpha species such as O. elevata Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha, 2011, from Perak State, Malaysia, it is clearly different in the shape of the sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 and in gonopodal structure (
1 | Colour pattern of metaterga: yellowish paramedian spots in front of transverse sulcus, the latter visible starting with segment 2 | A. pardalis |
– | Colour pattern of metaterga otherwise. Transverse sulcus present starting with segment 4 or 5 | 2 |
2 | Colour pattern of metaterga: yellowish or brownish paramedian stripes | 3 |
– | Colour pattern of metaterga otherwise | 9 |
3 | Gonopod femorite relatively short | 4 |
– | Gonopod femorite long (Figs |
6 |
4 | Midbody metazonae ca. 2.0 mm wide. Pleurosternal carinae poorly-developed, in ♂ slightly projecting caudad behind rear tergal margin only until segment 5 | A. mediovirgata |
– | Midbody metazonae ≥ 2.9 mm wide. Pleurosternal carinae well-developed, in ♂ slightly projecting caudad behind rear tergal margin at least until segment 10 | 5 |
5 | Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 with a paramedian pair of evident, high, nearly pointed, fully separated, setose cones. Gonopod process d very long | A. festiva |
– | Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 with only a single small cone. Gonopod process d shorter | A. bistriata |
6 | Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 with a paramedian pair of separated lobes | 7 |
– | Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 a simple, rounded, conical knob | 8 |
7 | Paraterga narrow. Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 a large, cordiform, ventrally evidently concave lobe. Gonopod solenophore clearly curved | A. comotti |
– | Paraterga broad. Sternal lamina between ♂ coxae 4 a median pair of rather small and rounded lobes. Gonopod solenophore suberect and nearly straight | A. pumatensis |
8 | Metazonae ca. 2.6 mm (♂) or ca. 3.0 mm wide (♀). Gonopod femorite nearly straight, process d longer than solenophore | A. minlana |
– | Metazonae 3.2–3.7 mm (♂) or 3.6–4.6 mm wide (♀). Gonopod femorite strongly curved caudad, process d shorter than solenophore | A. miranda |
9 | Sternum between ♂ coxae 4 with a single lamina or cone | 10 |
– | Sternum between ♂ coxae 4 with a paramedian pair of separated cones | 11 |
10 | Colour pattern: a light axial stripe flanked on each side by a dark stripe on collum to epiproct. Epiproct simple, not particularly large, with two small, but evident apical papillae. Tip of gonopod split rather deeply, but process d shorter | A. uncinata |
– | Colour pattern indistinct, with a pale yellowish median stripe against a uniformly brown background. Epiproct particularly large, with two apical papillae curved remarkably ventrad, claw-shaped. Tip of gonopod split deeper, process d very long | A. harpaga |
11 | Colour pattern: uniform with contrasting yellow or yellow-brown paraterga and epiproct (Fig. |
12 |
– | Colour pattern: a dark band present only on pinkish or pale yellowish posterior halves of proterga and posterior halves of metaterga. Gonopod process d clavate apically, rounded and significantly longer than process m | A. rosea |
12 | Sternum between ♂ coxae 4 with a pair of evident, high, separated cones. ♂ tarsal brushes present until legs of segment 8. Gonopod process d simple, as long as solenophore | A. paviei |
– | Sternum between ♂ coxae 4 with a pair of small, low, separated cones. ♂ tarsal brushes present until segment 18. Gonopod process d very short, approx. half as long as solenophore | A. nguyeni sp. n. |
The genus Antheromorpha belongs to the tribe Orthomorphini which currently contains 25 genera (
Distribution of Antheromorpha species (13) Key: Black triangle A. rosea Golovatch, 2013 Crossed circle A. bistriata (Pocock, 1895) Open square A. comotti (Pocock, 1895) and A. mediovirgata (Carl, 1941) Black diamond A. miranda (Pocock, 1895) Crossed square A. comotti (Pocock, 1895), A. miranda (Pocock, 1895) and A. minlana (Pocock, 1895) Inverted open triangle A. pardalis (Pocock, 1895) Red circle A. uncinata (Attems, 1931) Blue circle A. pumatensis Nguyen, Nguyen & Le, 2018 Green circle A. paviei (Brölemann, 1896) Black circle A nguyeni sp. n. Black square A. harpaga (Attems, 1938) Pink diamond A. festiva (Brölemann, 1896).
This project was partly funded through grants received from the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (RDPB), while most of the financial support was obtained from TRF Strategic Basic Research BDG 6080011 (2017–2019) to CS and NL, and TRF Senior Research Scholar RTA 5880002 (2015–2018) and BDC-PG2-160012 to SP. We thank the members of the Animal Systematics Research Unit for their technical assistance in the laboratory. IS is much obliged to the administrations of Kon Ka Kinh and Cat Tien national parks for the logistic help rendered on-the-spot to promote her research. We are also most grateful to all reviewers who have provided constructive criticism and thus considerably improved our paper.