Description

Description. Male / female approximate measurements: length 16 / 16 mm, ring 12 paranota width 1.7 / 1.7 mm. Freshly preserved specimens finely mottled or reticulated reddish-brown (Fig. 1 E); head reddish above, antennae dark brown, legs pale, reddish distally; prozonite with paired paramedian yellowish patches contrasting with adjoining dark brown patches; metatergites sometimes with paired paramedian, yellowish patches near anterior edge; rings laterally (Fig. 1 I) finely mottled reddishbrown with small, pale patch under paranotal margin. In alcohol, pale reddish or decoloured. Male as for T. armatum in most non-gonopod details, but overall widths 6> 5> (4, head)> (3,2, collum), antennomere 3 longest, ring 12 paranota 1.4 × as wide as prozonite, leg 6 tarsus 1.4 × as long as femur. Anterior margin of metatergite smoothly curving into lateral edge of paranota (shoulder less distinct than in T. armatum); metatergite almost completely covered with three transverse rows of 10 – 12 large, low tubercles, each with small seta near posterior edge. Ring 6 sternite (Fig. 5 D) with no Figure | 9. Tasmaniosoma hickmanorum sp. n. A Posterolateral view of gonopods in situ, voucher male ex QVM 23: 46055 B anterior view of tip of left gonopod telopodite, paratype male ex QVM 23: 46065 C anterior view of left gonopod telopodite, paratype male ex QVM 23: 46057. Setation not shown in C dashed line marks course of prostatic groove. Scale bars: A, C = 0.2 mm, B = 0.1 mm. leg 6 tab; leg 7 tab long, thickened, with brush of stout setae; anterior margin without setae but with medial notch, about 1 / 3 width of margin. Gonopod telopodite (Fig. 19) straight, in cross-section with posterior, anterolateral and anteromedial longitudinal ridges, divided at ca 3 / 4 telopodite height into tight cluster of four processes: (a) small, slender, acute, medial solenomere, directed distally but curving laterally; (b) large, anteroposteriorly flattened laminate process divided by notches into three acute portions, their lengths decreasing from anteromedial to posterolateral; (c) large, blade-like, acute lateral process curving laterally; (d) blade-like, acute process arising near medial edge of anterior surface, directed distolaterally and closely pressed to anterior surface of laminate process. Sparse group of fine setae near base posterolaterally; ca 20 fine setae laterally from ca 2 / 3 to ca 3 / 4 telopodite height; two dense, adjoining clusters of stout, rod-like setae on posterior surface ridge at ca 2 / 3 telopodite height, the basal cluster of 10 – 15 setae directed mainly posterobasally, the distal cluster of ca 30 setae directed distally with a few outlying setae in line extending towards base of lateral process. Prostatic groove running along medial surface more or less directly to solenomere base. Female with sternites as wide as long, legs 2 usually missing (Mesibov, in preparation).

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Diplopoda

Order: Polydesmida

Family: Dalodesmidae

Genus: Tasmaniosoma

Species: Tasmaniosoma hickmanorum Mesibov, 2010