Description

Description. The following description is based on nine males and 10 females from the type locality (in QVM 23: 46547, 23: 46548 and 23: 46567). Male / female approximate measurements: length 14 / 14 mm, ring 12 paranota width 1.7 / 1.7 mm. Body, head and antennae uniformly dark reddish-brown in life (Fig. 1 A), legs pinkish-red basally and darker distally; head and leg colour fades in alcohol, but body colour persists for many years. Male with head moderately setose anteriorly, vertex sparsely setose; sockets slightly impressed, separated by ca 2 × socket diameter; antennal groove deep laterally. Antenna slender, slightly clavate, when manipulated reaching back to ring 3; antennomere 6 widest, relative antennomere lengths (2,3)> 6> (4,5). Collum from above reniform, convex anteriorly; corners rounded. Tergites 2 – 4 distinctly narrower than more posterior metatergites; overall widths tergite 6> 5> 4> (3, head)> 2> collum; rings 6 – 15 about the same width. In lateral view, margin of ring 2 tergite slightly lower than margins of collum and ring 3 tergite. Ring 2 ventrally on either side with fairly shallow pit (Fig. 4 B), rim well defined anterolaterally but not medially or posteriorly. Ring suture and waist distinct on diplosegments, no longitudinal striations on waist; prozonites smooth; transverse furrow indistinct, metatergite smooth, not sculptured, with three transverse rows of ca 12 small setae: two rows anterior to transverse furrow, one close to posterior margin of metatergite; posterior metatergal margin slightly emarginate medially. Limbus composed of flat tabs, irregularly notched distally. Midbody paranota ca 1.5 × as wide as prozonite, slightly inflated, marginal groove distinct, anterior corner smoothly convex, posterior corner smoothly convex without projecting posteriorly on any rings, but with 2 – 3 very small tooth-like irregularities, each bearing small seta; lateral margin very slightly convex, in lateral view slightly oblique (anterior lower) at ca 2 / 3 ring height. Midbody metatergites ca 2.2 × as wide as long. Pore formula 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 – 18; ozopore small, round, opening dorsolaterally close to margin near posterior corner of paranotum. Spiracle small, round, opening on short, crater-like elevation; on diplosegments anterior spiracle just above and anterior to first leg, posterior spiracle about midway between leg bases (Fig. 2 E). Sternites moderately setose, as wide as long, transverse impression deep, longitudinal impression indistinct. Anterior legs with prefemur greatly swollen dorsally, femur less so (Figs 6 A, 6 B); swellings begin leg 3, gradually decrease to leg 15; tarsus long, slightly curved, ca 1.6 × as long as femur on anterior legs, but proportionally shorter posteriorly; relative podomere lengths tarsus> (prefemur, femur)> (postfemur, tibia). Sphaerotrichomes on 3 – 4 most distal podomeres, shafts tapered (Fig. 2 C). Brush setae on distal end of coxa / trochanter, prefemur, base of femur; brush setae unbranched, tapering (Fig. 2 D). Gonopore on distomedial bulge of leg 2 coxa, pro- tected by thin cowl (Figs 2 A, 2 B). Short brushes of fine setae on sternite between legpairs 3, 4 and 5. Leg 6 and 7 bases (Fig. 5 A) well- and equally separated; no leg 6 sternal tab; leg 7 tab short, thin, with brush of fine setae; anterior edge of sternite medially with paired, conjoined brushes of fine setae on low protuberance. Pre-anal ring moderately setose; hypoproct subtrapezoidal; epiproct from above tapering smoothly to rounded tip, extending slightly past anal valves. Spinnerets (Fig. 2 F) in square array; setae with tightly-fitting basal sheaths; dorsal setae unprotected, ventral setae in shallow depression. Gonopod aperture ovoid, ca 1 / 2 as wide as ring 7 prozonite, posterolateral margins raised. Telopodites straight, parallel but slightly divergent apically; extending nearly to leg 5 bases when retracted. Gonocoxa short (ca 1 / 3 length of telopodite), more or less truncated-conical with anterior side longer than posterior; lateral surface projected distally as rounded lobe pressed to telopodite base, medial surface slightly projected distally; with sparse long setae distally on posterolateral surface. Gonocoxae weakly joined distomedially. Cannula prominent, inserting basomedially in depression on te- lopodite. Telopodite (Fig. 7 A) a distally tapering cylinder with setose base protruding posteriorly as rounded lobe; with small, discrete, setose bump on anteromedial side of base; and with buttress-like ridge on anterolateral surface from articulation with gono- coxa to ca 1 / 3 telopodite height. Numerous minute setae near cannula insertion; fine, tapering setae on telopodite base, on posterolateral surface and in longitudinal row of three long setae on lateral surface at about half telopodite height. Telopodite also with narrow, discrete zone of 30 – 40 stout, rod-like setae on posteromedial surface from ca 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 telopodite height; these setae often broken or broken away, but sockets always visible. Apex of telopodite with cluster of six major processes, labelled here and in Fig. 7 A from lateral to medial: (1) broad Y-shaped process flattened anteroposteriorly, divided at 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 the process height, the two tips acute [‘ ta 1 ’ of Verhoeff (1936)]; (2) similar, slightly smaller, less deeply divided process [‘ ta 2 ’]; (L) laminate process resembling bird’s head in profile, flattened mediolaterally, broadly curved distally with posterior, hook-like extension [‘ ti’]; (S) short, thorn-like solenomere curving posteromedially [‘ sl’]; (3) short process possibly continuous with solenomere, divided into posterolaterally directed tab with rounded tip, and posteromedially directed rod with several apical teeth [‘ n’]; (4) thin, rod-like process arising posteromedially below the telopodite apex and bending very slightly posteriorly, with a flattened tip [‘ psl’]. In addition, very short finger-like process arising just lateral to process 3 and directed posterolaterally. Prostatic groove curving first anteriorly, then posteriorly from base and running more or less directly to solenomere, passing posterior to base of process 4. Female as large as male or slightly smaller, legs more slender and prefemora and femora not swollen, sternites ca 1.2 × as wide as long. Epigynum ca 1 / 3 width of ring 2, posterior margin produced medially as small, rounded triangle (Fig. 3 C). Cyphopods not examined.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Diplopoda

Order: Polydesmida

Family: Dalodesmidae

Genus: Tasmaniosoma

Species: Tasmaniosoma armatum Verhoeff, 1936