Paradoxosomatidae Daday, 1889

Vohland, Katrin & Hamer, Michelle, 2013, A review of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of Namibia, with identification keys and descriptions of two new genera and five new species, African Invertebrates 54 (1), pp. 251-251 : 256

Family Paradoxosomatidae Daday, 1889

Diagnosis: Features of the family Paradoxosomatidae include position of the paraterga of the 2 nd segment which lie below the collum ( Fig. 32), the medially constricted gonopod aperture, the unconnected gonopod coxae, a distinct postfemoral cingulum (constriction or girdle) in the gonopods ( Fig. 8, ci) and paired setae on the paraprocts lying parallel to the midline ( Fig. 10).

Remarks: The paradoxosomatid tribe Cnemodesmini Jeekel, 1968 includes the only polydesmidans occurring natively in Namibia. Two genera ( Cnemodesmus Cook, 1896 , and Podochresimus Attems, 1926 ) were previously known, and an additional two ( Praeterpediculus Vohland , gen. n. and Umbridesmus Vohland , gen. n.) are described here. In addition, the pandemic Oxidus gracilis (C.L. Koch, 1847) of the tribe Sulicferini occurs in the coastal region. The tribe Cnemodesmini is defined by the gonopod having one or more femoral processes near the base of the solenomere ( Jeekel 1968). All Namibian paradoxosomatid millipedes have very similar somatic features; they are small in size, with narrowly rounded paraterga, and microsensilla on antennomere 5 and 6, and only differ in male secondary sexual characters, namely the gonopods, the conus on sternite 5 and peculiarities of the pregonopodial legs. Therefore, the key is based almost entirely on these features.

The distribution pattern of the genera is mainly extrapolated from single records, except for Cnemodesmus riparius Shelley & Crawford, 1996 , which is apparently found along an ephemeral river ( Fig. 1).