Skip to main content

Bright white flat-backed millipede (Trichopeltis jiyue) like moon emerging from behind dark rain clouds

Bright white flat-backed millipede (Trichopeltis jiyue) like moon emerging from behind dark rain clouds

NEWS - Bright white flat-backed millipede (Trichopeltis jiyue sp. nov.) from Ailaoshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, is the second recorded epigean species of Trichopeltis Pocock 1894 in China. Jiyue (Chinese spelling) refers to the bright white appearance of the animal, like the moon emerging from behind dark rain clouds.

Polydesmida is one of the most diverse orders of Diplopoda (millipedes) with about 5000 species in 30 families and is widely distributed worldwide. All Polydesmida are blind, eyeless and metaterga usually show small to prominent lateral paranota or paraterga.

Cryptodesmidae Karsch 1880 is a family Polydesmida with about 40 genera and 130 species distributed in the Neotropics (Mexico to Argentina), Afrotropics (continental sub-Saharan Africa) and Asia-Australasia (Central Asia and the Himalayas to Japan and Papua New Guinea).

In tropical or subtropical Asia and Australasia, 12 genera and 36 species have been documented in Cryptodesmidae. Trichopeltis Pocock 1894 includes 13 species mostly documented in Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, southern China and the Himalayas.

This genus is well defined and is characterized by tripartite or deeply grooved gonopods, including small middle to caudal solenomeric branches. Six species of this genus have been reported from China, including five cavernolic species and one epigean species.

Trichopeltis is characterized by relatively long and stout setae on the gonopodal coxae, with the posterior portion having two conspicuous wing-like processes (cxp); glabrous and four-branched gonopodal telopodites; and caudolateradically curved acropodites.

T. jiyue has a length of ♂ about 17.2-17.8 mm, paratype ♀ about 17.0-17.4 mm, pro- and metazone widths of the middle part of the body are 2.2-2.4 mm and 5.3-5.4 mm (♂), 2.2-2.5 mm and 5.1-5.4 mm (♀), respectively. The live animal is uniformly bright white.

The tergites are uniformly bright white when alive; yellow after feeding for 1-2 months on local mor and leaves; whitish yellow to yellow, after months of preservation. Antennae are whitish yellow (proximal) to reddish purple (distal).

Among all 14 known Trichopeltis species, T. jiyue is most similar to T. kometis Attems 1938, T. doriae Pocock 1895, T. intricatus Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2017, T. sutchariti Likhitrakarn 2017 and T. muratovi Golovatch & Vanden Spiegel 2017.

The telopodite of the gonopod in T. jiyue has 4 branches (vs. 3 branches in T. doriae). It lacks a conspicuous accessory seminal chamber in the telopodite (vs. has a conspicuous accessory seminal chamber in T. muratovi). The gonopodal surface is relatively smooth, with dense microsetae (vs. abundantly toothed in T. kometis and T. bicolor Pocock 1894).

Adult length over 17 mm, pro- and metazones over 2 and 5 mm respectively (vs. about 10 mm, with midbody pro- and metazones 1.5 and 2.5 mm respectively in T. intricatus). Tuberculates on column have up to 12-13 irregular transverse rows (vs. 8-9 irregular transverse rows in T. sutchariti).

Original research

Wu Z, Zhang S, Qin F, Cong P (2024). A new epigean species of Trichopeltis Pocock, 1894 from southwest China (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Cryptodesmidae). ZooKeys 1216: 17-26, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1216.128080

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....
Read more

Coromandel (Asystasia gangetica)

Coromandel ( Asystasia gangetica ) is a species of plants in Acanthaceae, perennials, vines and branching that are widely found on the edges of roads, shrubs and gardens, resistant to shade, used as fodder, especially cattle, goats and sheep, treatment, conservation of land and ornamental plants. A. gangetica has a height of 88-95 cm, rectangular-shaped stem, brownish green or purplish green, taproot and can emerge from branches. Petiole has a length of 0.5-6 cm. Ellipse-shaped leaves, unifoliate, green or dark green, arranged facing each other and do not have stipules. Leaves have a length of 8.5 cm, width 4.9 cm, area 69.42 cm3, length and width ratio is 1.8:1, heart-shaped base and taper front end, rough surface, flat edge, a main bone and 4 -6 lateral veins on each side. Coromandel produces flowers after 4 weeks to 2 months. Compound flowers, lined up on one side with a length of up to 25 cm. Flower stalks have a length of up to 3 mm. Trumpet type, white with a bottom stran...
Read more

East Indian globe thistle (Sphaeranthus indicus)

Gorakhmundi or gorakh mundi or mundi buti ka phool or mundi booti ka phool or sembung delan or East Indian globe thistle ( Sphaeranthus indicus ) is a species of plant in Asteroideae, a perennial, multi-branched, strong fragrance with erect stems, winged and toothed wings, growing wild in rice fields forming colonies, dense open rugs in the tropics. S. indicus has alternating sitting leaves, oval, narrow at the base, toothed and serrated, 1-3 cm long and green. Leaves 2-7 cm long, 1-3 wide, broad and deep wings, continuing into a large bone in the center of the leaf to a sharp tip and several lateral veins. The flower is round, grows at the tip, has a large and long stalk, is purple in color, 8-15 mm in size, consists of many tiny flowers, green or red or purple and has pale purple stamens. Head ovate-ellipsoid and 12-15 mm long. Phyllaries are white and have purple crest. Female flowers have a corolla tube 2-2.5 mm long. The bisexual flowers are 2.3-3 mm long and the hardened pa...
Read more