Antichiropus nicholasi Car, n. sp.

(Figs 23 A–F, 25)

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 829D9F49-CCAB-48C2-A1D1-4E93EF206D25

Type material examined. Australia: Western Australia: holotype male, 33.5 km SW. of Marble Bar, site MBE03, 21°25’35.00”S, 119°33’11”E, 12 October 2005 – 4 May 2006, ethylene glycol pitfall, CALM Pilbara Survey (WAM T144599). Paratypes: 1 female (badly damaged), collected with holotype (WAM T124594); 3 males (badly damaged), 3 females, collected with holotype (WAM T146718).

Diagnosis. Gonopod: Antichiropus nicholasi Car, n. sp. is unmistakeable: it has a short squat femorite, carrying three distinctively shaped femoral processes. It also lacks a prolongation of the femorite. The undulating horizontally-held solenomere carries two processes. Antichiropus apricus Car, n. sp. (Fig 6) occurs in the same area, but it cannot be mistaken for A. nicholasi as A. apricus. has a broad femorite with a well-developed prolongation and a relatively broad solenomere. This species may be considered superficially similar to A. verutus Car, n. sp. (Fig 39) but the former is readily separated from the latter by its distinctive femoral processes and femorite shape.

Description. Male holotype: Body ca. 15 mm long; midbody ring ca. 1 mm wide, with distinct, smooth waist, prozonite and metazonite of similar width. Slight striations on dorsal and lateral body surfaces.

Colour (in alcohol) generally very dark brown overall (holotype is paler–either bleached or newly moulted) paler ventrally (Fig 23A.); leg colour as for body. No paranota on posterior rings (Fig 23B). Sternal cones on ring 5, sternal lamella broad, square, setose on free edge. Leg coxal processes absent. Anterior spiracles at midbody small, flat.

Head smooth, without noticeable sculpturing; frons smooth, with few setae; face narrow, maximum width ca. 3x the distance between antennal sockets; sockets separated by ca. 2x width of socket.

Antennae short, reaching to collum, clavate, antennomeres of similar width.

Collum 1x length of head (in lateral view) (Fig 23A).

Gonopod of medium length, reaching ring 5; coxa (C) much more robust and of similar length to the femorite; prefemur (PF) slightly shorter than femorite and setose, pronounced lip; femorite (F) ca. 1/3 of acropodite length in situ, squat and curved; main femoral process (MFP) short (to ca. 1/4 solenomere length), pointed and held at right angles to the femorite; prolongation of femorite absent; second femoral process (fp1) distinctive, ca. 1/2 femorite length, pointed tip made trapezoid due to translucent membrane attached to it, tip facing downwards towards coxa; third femoral process (fp2) broad, triangular, curved, pointed; solenomere (S) relatively short, forming L–shape, much narrower than femorite, ribbon-like, narrowing along length to the narrow, rounded tip; solenomere process 1 (sp1) and second solenomere process (sp2) (not shown in Fig); two slender, pointed processes, halfway along solenomere length, held in parallel with solenomere (Figs 23 C–F).

Female: Much stouter than the male with more slender, shorter legs (WAM T124594).

Distribution. This species has been found only in the vicinity of the town of Marble Bar in the Pilbara (Fig 25).

Etymology. This species is named for the senior author’s son, Nicholas Car.