Zoosphaerium voahangy Wesener & Sagorny 2021, sp. nov

Zoosphaerium voahangy sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 11B9C806-A111-48FC-AC36-035385125232 Figs 2E, 3, 5E, 9 Diagnosis The position of the locking carinae close to the last pleurite identifies Z. voahangy sp. nov. as a member of the Z. platylabum species-group. The uniquely slender and elongated posterior telopods in combination with the presence of a single stridulation rib on the male harp and more than 35 apical cones on the antennae, are characters only shared with Z. broelemanni Wesener, 2009. Zoosphaerium voahangy sp. nov. differs from Z. broelemanni in the differently shaped anterior telopods, spination and teeth number of the movable finger of the posterior telopod (see key), as well as in characters of the endotergum, which has two dense rows of long marginal bristles in the former, but a single row of short bristles in the latter. Etymology ‘Voahangy’, noun in apposition, to honor the great collector and Malagasy scientist Voahangy Soarimalala. Material examined Holotype MADAGASCAR – Mahajanga • ♂; Analalava, 5.5 km NNE of Ambinda Village; 14°18.6′ S, 47°54.9′ E; alt. 120 m; dry deciduous forest; 8 Dec. 2004; V. Soarimalala leg.; coll. no. VS-508; FMNH- INS 3119921. Paratype MADAGASCAR – Mahajanga • ♂; same collection data as for holotype; FMNH-INS 3119919. Description BODY LENGTH. Male (holotype): length 26.3 mm, width of thoracic shield 16.1 mm, of tergite 7 16.7 mm (widest), height of thoracic shield 8.9 mm, of tergite 7 9.3 mm (highest). COLORATION. Head, collum, thoracic shield and tergites light brown with dark posterior margins. Anal shield entirely light brown (Fig. 2E). Antennae dark green, legs basally light brown, apically green. HEAD. Eyes with more than 65 ommatidia. Antennae short, protruding back to leg 5. Length of antennomeres 1=2 =3=4 =5Male sexual characters GONOPORE. Covered with a single undivided, apically rounded, membranous, basally sclerotized plate covering ¼ of surface of coxa. Gonopore located basally on joint (Fig. 9B). ANTERIOR TELOPODS. Harp with single stridulation rib located mesally, long and well developed (Fig. 9D). First podomere 1.1 times as wide as long. Second podomere process lobe-like and slightly curved with rounded edges, protruding up to half of third podomere height, apically with sclerotized spots (Fig. 9F). Third podomere long, almost as long as first; cavity mesally with numerous sclerotized spots and three thin, sclerotized spines located apically (Fig. 9E–F); one sclerotized spot located close to tip, laterally with a row of ca 11 crenulated teeth (Fig. 9E). Podomeres 1–3 covered on both sides with numerous long, isolated hairs. POSTERIOR TELOPODS. Movable finger slender and long, with a well-rounded tip, not tapering towards tip; hollowed-out inner margin with 3 or 4 sclerotized spines located apically, posterior aspect with ca 25 small sclerotized teeth (Fig. 9G). Movable finger 4 times as long as wide, slightly longer than fixed finger. Fixed finger straight, only apically curved towards movable finger, not tapering, more slender than third podomere. Fixed finger at margin with numerous sclerotized spots (Fig. 9H). First podomere in posterior view almost glabrous, podomeres 2 and 3 covered on both sides with numerous long, isolated hairs. Female Unknown. Distribution and ecology The only known habitat of Z. voahangy sp. nov., the forest of Analalava (Fig. 3), is a small (2 km south to north, 750 m east to west) fragment of disturbed and partly degraded lowland rainforest, isolated by 30 km from Betampona, the only other remaining lowland rainforest fragment in a 100 km radius.
Published as part of Wesener, Thomas & Sagorny, Christina, 2021, Seven new giant pill-millipede species and numerous new records of the genus Zoosphaerium from Madagascar (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Arthrosphaeridae), pp. 1-48 in European Journal of Taxonomy 758 (1) on pages 28-30, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.758.1423, http://zenodo.org/record/5075824