Sergei I. Golovatch

Cave Diplopoda of southern China with reference to millipede diversity in Southeast Asia.

Abstract The diversity of Diplopoda in caves of southern China is remarkably high, often 5–6 species per cave, consisting mostly of local endemics and presumed troglobionts. These are evidently biased to just a few lineages, mainly members of the orders Chordeumatida and Callipodida, the families Cambalopsidae (Spirostreptida) and Haplodesmidae (Polydesmida) or the genera Pacidesmus, Epanerchodus and Glenniea (all Polydesmida, Polydesmidae), Trichopeltis (Polydesmida, Cryptodesmidae), Dexmoxytes (Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae) and Hyleoglomeris (Glomerida, Glomeridae). All these taxa, especially the Paradoxosomatidae and Cambalopsidae (usually amounting to about 60% and 10% of the total species diversity in the Oriental fauna, respectively), are moderately to highly speciose across Southeast Asia, being largely epigean. However, the epigean Diplopoda of southern China are yet badly understudied, since much of the collecting and taxonomic exploration efforts still focus on cavernicoles. The Oriental Region is the only biogeographic realm globally that harbours all 16 orders of Diplopoda, of which 14 have already been encountered in China and/or the immediately adjacent parts of Indochina. Thus, China may actually prove to support no less than 1,000 millipede species of various origins, mainly Oriental and Palaearctic.

Identification plate for the millipede orders populating the neotropical region south of Central Mexico (Myriapoda, Diplopoda)

A pictorial key in English and Portuguese is given to 11 orders of the class Diplopoda currently known to populate the neotropical region, viz. Central America south of central Mexico, the Caribbean, and entire South America.

Convergent Evolution of Unique Morphological Adaptations to a Subterranean Environment in Cave Millipedes (Diplopoda)

Animal life in caves has fascinated researchers and the public alike because of the unusual and sometimes bizarre morphological adaptations observed in numerous troglobitic species. Despite their worldwide diversity, the adaptations of cave millipedes (Diplopoda) to a troglobitic lifestyle have rarely been examined. In this study, morphological characters were analyzed in species belonging to four different orders (Glomerida, Polydesmida, Chordeumatida, and Spirostreptida) and six different families (Glomeridae, Paradoxosomatidae, Polydesmidae, Haplodesmidae, Megalotylidae, and Cambalopsidae) that represent the taxonomic diversity of class Diplopoda. We focused on the recently discovered millipede fauna of caves in southern China. Thirty different characters were used to compare cave troglobites and epigean species within the same genera. A character matrix was created to analyze convergent evolution of cave adaptations. Males and females were analyzed independently to examine sex differences in cave adaptations. While 10 characters only occurred in a few phylogenetic groups, 20 characters were scored for in all families. Of these, four characters were discovered to have evolved convergently in all troglobitic millipedes. The characters that represented potential morphological cave adaptations in troglobitic species were: (1) a longer body; (2) a lighter body color; (3) elongation of the femora; and (4) elongation of the tarsi of walking legs. Surprisingly, female, but not male, antennae were more elongated in troglobites than in epigean species. Our study clearly shows that morphological adaptations have evolved convergently in different, unrelated millipede orders and families, most likely as a direct adaptation to cave life.

Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae).

Abstract The large Southeast Asian genus Desmoxytes is slightly rediagnosed. A number of troglomorphic, most likely troglobitic, species occur in southern China. A key is provided to all 10 Desmoxytes spp. currently known from China, including three new presumed troglobites: Desmoxytes eupterygota sp. n. from Hunan Province, as well as Desmoxytes spinissima sp. n. and Desmoxytes lui sp. n. from Guangxi Province. “Desmoxytes” philippina Nguyen Duc & Sierwald, 2010, from the Philippines, is formally removed from Desmoxytes, but not assigned to another genus. It probably belongs in a new genus in the subfamily Australiosomatinae, tribe Antichiropodini, close to the Bornean Euphyodesmus Attems, 1931 and Borneochiropus Golovatch, 1996.

Morphological adaptations of the semiaquatic millipede Aporodesminus wallacei Silvestri 1904 with notes on the taxonomy, distribution, habitats and ecology of this and a related species (Pyrgodesmidae Polydesmida Diplopoda).

The poorly known millipede Aporodesminus wallacei Silvestri 1904 appears to be a widespread pantropical species currently reported from St. Helena Island (southern Atlantic Ocean), the Hawaiian Islands, Tahiti (central Polynesia), and the vicinity of Sydney, Australia (Pacific Ocean). Of these records (the latter two are new), the Sydney adults and subadults have been taken underwater in a few creeks of a single small catchment area. This is only the third polydesmoid, and second Pyrgodesmidae, definitely attributable to semiaquatic millipedes. This habit is further proved by indirect evidence coming from the structure of the mouthparts and a cerotegument enabling plastron respiration. As virtually no record can readily be associated with man/human settlements, the hypothesis is put forth that, as is the case for numerous (sub)cosmopolitan water-dwellers, dispersal of this minute species (4.5–6.6 mm) could have been due to zoochory at least not less likely than to hydrochory or anthropochorism, whereas th...

A review of the dragon millipede genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923 in China, with descriptions of four new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae).

Abstract Four new species of Desmoxytes are described from southern China: Desmoxytes lingulata sp. n., Desmoxytes parvula sp. n., and Desmoxytes nodulosa sp. n., from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Desmoxytes getuhensis sp. n. from Guizhou Province. In addition, new records of Desmoxytes scutigeroides Golovatch, Geoffroy & Mauriès, 2010 and Desmoxytes scolopendroides Golovatch, Geoffroy & Mauriès, 2010 are provided, with a modified key to Desmoxytes species currently known to occur in China. Two of the new species, Desmoxytes nodulosa sp. n. and Desmoxytes getuhensis sp. n., seem to be troglobites.

The millipede genus Caucasodesmus Golovatch, 1985, with the description of a new species from the Crimea, Ukraine (Polydesmida, Diplopoda, Trichopolydesmidae)

Abstract The hitherto monotypic genus Caucasodesmus is new to the Ukrainian list due to the discovery of Caucasodesmus tauricus sp. n. in a cave in the Crimea. The new species is easily distinguished from Caucasodesmus inexpectatus Golovatch, 1985, the type, and only other, known species of this genus, in the abundantly setose collum and following metaterga, and more elaborate gonopods. The status of Caucasodesmus, which shows in the superfamily Trichopolydesmoidea where it definitely belongs such evident generic-level apomorphies as the absence of bacilliform sensilla on antennomeres 5 and 7, of a cannula on the gonocoxite, and of a seminal groove on a biramous gononod telopodite (apparently, both latter characters are functionally correlated to each other), is refined by formally reassigning it to the family Trichopolydesmidae.

On three remarkable millipedes (Diplopoda) from the Crimea, Ukraine

An updated review of the diplopod fauna of the Crimea is given. At present the fauna comprises 14 species from 11 genera, seven families and six orders, including Eurygyrus ochraceus C.L. Koch, 1847, an apparent introduction, Trachysphaera costata (Waga, 1857) (= T. rotundata(Lignau, 1911), syn. n.), represented by an obvious troglophilic, bisexual, relict population, and Amblyiulus kovali sp. n., likely a troglobitic endemic. Not only these species, but also their respective genera and, in the two former cases, their families and orders are new to the Crimean list.

The millipede genus Orthomorpha Bollman, 1893 in Laos (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), with descriptions of new species

Abstract The genus Orthomorpha is currently represented in Laos by nine species, including three, O. paviei Brölemann, 1896, O. communis Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha, 2011 and O. cambodjana (Attems, 1953), which are new to the fauna of the country, and further three new to science: O. suberectoides sp. n., O. gladiata sp. n. and O. sutchariti sp. n.

Review of the millipede genus Plusioglyphiulus Silvestri, 1923, with descriptions of new species from southeast Asia (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Cambalopsidae)

Golovatch S. I., Geoffroy J.-J., Mauriès J.-P. & Van den Spiegel D. 2009. — Review of the millipede genus Plusioglyphiulus Silvestri, 1923, with descriptions of new species from southeast Asia (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Cambalopsidae). Zoosystema 31 (1): 71-116. ABSTRACT The small, basically Southeast Asian genus Plusioglyphiulus Silvestri, 1923 is redefined to incorporate, in addition to the five hitherto described species, nine new members: P. ampullifer n. sp. from Vietnam, P. deharvengi n. sp., P. foveatus n. sp. and P. steineri n. sp. from Laos, P. bessoni n. sp. from Thailand, P. bedosae n. sp., P. pallidior n. sp. and P. similis n. sp. from Kalimantan (Borneo, Indonesia), and P. hoffmani n. sp. from Sarawak (Borneo, Malaysia). All of the cavernicolous congeners are presumed to be only troglophiles. A key is provided to all 14 currently known species of the genus.