Sellanucheza variata (Attems, 1953)
Figs 2, 3
Nedyopus variatus Attems 1953: 170 (D).
Szechuanella variata – Hoffman 1963: 586 (D, K); Jeekel 1968: 62 (M); Golovatch 1983: 182 (M).
Sellanucheza variata – Enghoff et al. 2004: 39 (L); Golovatch 2013 a: 22 (M); 2013 b: 330 (M, K); Nguyen and Sierwald 2013: 1296 (L).
Type material examined.
• Syntypes 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (NHMW -3536), Vietnam, Laocai Province, Cha Pa (= Sapa), 1938–1939, leg. C. Dawydoff.
Diagnosis.
Among all known congeners, Sellanucheza variata appears to be most similar to S. typica Golovatch, 2013, but can be distinguished by the following combination of characters. Somatically, it differs from S. typica by the presence of pleurosternal carinae until ring 5 (vs absent in S. typica) and male tarsal brushes extending until ring 16 (vs ring 12 in S. typica). Regarding the gonopods, the femorite is notably stout (vs slender and elongate in S. typica). The solenophore is clearly curved and subequal in length to the femorite. Process pa is prominent, long, slender, and acute, while process pb is short, spiniform, and curved upwards.
Redescription.
Length ca 37 (♂) or 46 mm (♀), width of midbody pro- and metazona 2.8 and 3.3 mm (♂) or 4.6 and 5 mm (♀), respectively.
Coloration of alcohol material after 87 years of preservation, faded to reddish brown or black-brown (Fig. 2 A – F), posterior halves of metaterga, collum, paraterga and epiproct pale light brown to yellowish (Fig. 2 A – F), head and antennae yellow-brown, tip of antenna dark brown (Fig. 2 A), venter and legs pale brown to yellowish (Fig. 2 B – I).
Clypeolabral region and vertex sparsely setose, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae moderately long (Fig. 2 A, B), reaching body ring 3 (♂, ♀) when stretched dorsally. In width, head <ring 3 = 4 <2 <collum <ring 5 <6–17 (♂); thereafter body gently and gradually tapering.
Collum semi-lunar, with an untraceable pattern of setation, surface rugulose, middle slightly flattened; paraterga rounded subtriangular, declined ventrad, devoid of lateral incisions; posterior corner very narrowly rounded, not extending past tergal margin (Fig. 2 A, B).
Tegument smooth and shining, prozona finely shagreened, metaterga finely leathery and faintly rugulose; surface below paraterga finely microgranulate (Fig. 2 A – F). Postcollum metaterga with two transverse rows of setae traceable at least as insertion points when setae broken off: 3 + 3 in anterior (pre-sulcus) and 4 + 4 in posterior (post-sulcus) row, the latter being barely traceable as insertion points (Fig. 2 A – F). Axial line visible both on pro- and metazona.
Paraterga well developed (Fig. 2 A, C, F), lying low (at 1 / 2 of body), slightly upturned, but lying below dorsum; anterior edge broadly rounded and narrowly bordered, fused to callus; lateral edge without incisions; posterior corner very narrowly rounded, not produced past rear tergal margin except for ring 2; posterior edge nearly straight. Paraterga 2 broad, anterior edge angular and rounded, lateral edge without incisions (Fig. 2 A, B). Calluses on paraterga narrow, demarcated by a sulcus only dorsally. Ozopore evident, lateral, lying in an ovoid groove at ca 1 / 3 metaterga in front of posterior corner (Fig. 2 B, D, E).
Transverse sulcus distinct (Fig. 2 A, C, F), slightly incomplete on metaterga 4, complete on metaterga 5–18, narrow, line-shaped, shallow, reaching the bases of paraterga, faintly beaded at bottom. Stricture between pro- and metazona narrow, beaded at bottom down to base of paraterga (Fig. 2 B – F).
Pleurosternal carinae complete high crests with a sharp posterior tooth on each of rings 2 and 3, thereafter remaining visible only as a bulge anteriorly until ring 5 (Fig. 2 B, D, E).
Epiproct (Fig. 2 E, F) conical, rounded dorsoventrally, with two small apical papillae; tip subtrapeziform; pre-apical papillae evident, lying close to tip. Hypoproct nearly semi-circular (Fig. 2 G), posterior tip broadly rounded, setiferous knobs at posterior edge very small and moderately well separated.
Sterna sparsely setose, without modifications (Fig. 2 G); an entire, large, rounded, linguiform, setose, sternal lobe between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 2 H, I). A paramedian pair of small, but evident tubercles in front of gonopod aperture. Legs moderately long and slender, midbody legs ca 1.2–1.4 (♂) or 1.1–1.3 × (♀) as long as body height, ♂ prefemora without modifications, tarsal brushes present until ♂ legs 16.
Gonopods (Fig. 3) simple. Coxite long, slender, cylindrical, slightly curved posteriorly, densely setose distodorsally. Prefemorite (pfe) densely setose, as usual, ovoid, elongate, ca 1 / 3–1 / 4 length of acropodite (Fig. 3 A – C). Femorite (fe) relatively stout, expanded basally, narrowed distad, evidently curved (Fig. 3 A – C), showing a distinct mesal groove; process pb short, spiniform, slightly curved upwards, located apicoventrally (Fig. 3 A, C). Solenophore (sph) large, broad, lamellar, strongly coiled, briefly bifid at tip, consisting of a straight, acute tooth and a rounded lobe with a faintly serrate margin (Fig. 3 C); base of solenophore with a most prominent, long, slender, curved and acute process pa projecting mesad (Fig. 3 A – C). Solenomere (sl) long, flagelliform, originating from femorite, almost fully sheathed by solenophore, with only its tip slightly exposed (Fig. 3 B, C).
Remarks.
Although Attems (1953) and Hoffman (1963) provided descriptions of this species, Sellanucheza variata has hitherto remained poorly defined, mainly due to the lack of detailed gonopod illustrations. The present study provides new and detailed drawings of the right gonopod (Fig. 3 A, B) based on the re-examination of the type material, complemented by a modified illustration of the left gonopod (Fig. 3 C) from Hoffman (1963) to provide a complete diagnostic overview. The present redescription, based on the syntypes, serves to complete the documentation and stabilize the diagnostic features of the species. In accordance with Hoffman (1963), the type locality is confirmed as being restricted to Chapa (= Sa Pa), Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam.
Publication Date: 2026-06-23