Kronopolites contrastus Nguyen, Vu, Phung, Tran & Le, 2025, sp. nov.

Kronopolites contrastus sp. nov. Figs 5, 6, 7, 8 Material examined. Holotype: Vietnam • 1 male; Tuyen Quang Province, Cham Chu Nature Reserve; 22.20248°N, 105.11154°E; limestone forest; July 2018; Dai D. Nguyen leg.; IEBR-Myr 718. Diagnosis. The species differs from its congeners in colouration pattern (tergites mostly dark while other parts of body whitish yellow), gonopod conformation (lamina l present laterally, subrectangular; processes a and b both leaf-shaped, but pointed; a shorter than b in length; process a subhelicoid. Solenophore clearly curved, long, expanded distomesally, bipartite. Solenomere longer than solenophore, ribbon-shaped, coiled). Description. Size: Length 48.38 mm, width of midbody pro- and metazona 3.41 and 4.87 mm, respectively. Colouration: tergites mostly dark; head blackish brown; prozonae, pleurites, sternites, antennae, telson, and legs whitish yellow (Figs 5, 6). Head: Clypeolabral region and vertex densely setose, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae moderately long (Fig. 5 A, B), extending behind body segment 3 when stretched laterally; antennomere 2 = 3 = 4> 6> 5> 7 = 1, antennomere 7 with four conical sensories. Collum: traces of setae hardly seen; lateral incisions absent; caudal corner of paraterga very broadly rounded, declined ventrad, produced behind rear tergal margin (Fig. 5 A, B). Body rings: In width, segment 4 <3 <head <5 <collum <body ring 2 <6–17, thereafter body gently and gradually tapering. Tegument smooth and shining, prozonae finely shagreened, metaterga finely rugulose (Figs 5 A – D, 6 A, B); surface below paraterga finely microgranulate (Fig. 5 C, F). Tergal setae all broken, traces hardly visible. Axial line distinct on anterior halves of metazonae (Figs 5 D, 6 A). Transverse sulcus usually distinct (Fig. 5 D), slightly incomplete on body rings 4 and 19, complete on metaterga 5–18, narrow, line-shaped, shallow, reaching bases of paraterga. Stricture between pro – and metazonae evident, broad and deep, ribbed at bottom down to base of paraterga (Figs 5 D, 6 A). Pleurosternal carinae complete crests with a sharp caudal tooth on body rings 2–7 (Fig. 5 C, F), thereafter increasingly strongly reduced until body ring 17. Paraterga strongly developed, lying rather high (at upper 1 / 3 of body), slightly upturned, but lying below dorsum; anterior edge broadly rounded and narrowly bordered, fused to callus; caudal corner very narrowly rounded, starting from segment 15 extending increasingly well beyond rear tergal margin (Figs 5 C, D, F, 6 A, B); lateral edge without incisions; posterior edge nearly straight. Calluses on paraterga narrow, delimited by a sulcus both dorsally and ventrally. Ozopores evident, lateral, lying in an ovoid groove at ~ 1 / 4 in front of posterior edge of metaterga (Figs 5 C, D, 6 A). Telson: Epiproct (Figs 5 F, 6 A – C) conical, flattened dorsoventrally, with two small apical papillae; tip subtruncate; pre – apical papillae small, lying close to tip. Hypoproct sub – semicircular, setiferous knobs at caudal edge small and well – separated (Fig. 6 C). Sterna: densely setose, without modifications except sternum 5 th with a bifid tongued – shaped, setose cone between male coxae 4 (Fig. 6 D). Legs (Fig. 6 C, F): rather long and slender, midbody ones ~ 1.2–1.3 times as long as body height; prefemora without modifications, tarsal brushes present on pregonopodal legs. Gonopods (Figs 7, 8) typical Kronopolites species; coxite (co) long, subcylindrical, a little curved caudad, sparsely setose distoventrally. Prefemur (pref) densely setose, ~ 1 / 3 as long as femorite + postfemoral part. Femorite (fe) long, cylindrical, slightly constricted medially, simple without any modifications; mesal side strongly grooved; lateral side with a distinct transverse sulcus demarcating the postfemoral region. Postfemoral part well developed; lamina l present laterally, subrectangular; processes a and b both leaf-shaped, but pointed; a shorter than b in length; process a subhelicoid. Solenophore clearly curved, long, expanded distomesally, bipartite. Solenomere longer than solenophore, ribbon-shaped, coiled. Etymology. Contrastus, an adjective epithet is used to emphasise the contrast colouration of body. Remarks. The new species is similar to K. fuscocingulatus from northern Thailand by having a sternal lobe between male coxae 4, and processes a and b of gonopod being nearly independent, subequal in length. However, two species are distinguished by shape of sternal lobe (bifid tongue-shaped vs roundly subquadrate), and shape of process a and b (spiniform, blunt, short, and stout vs ribbon-shaped, blunt, slender and long).