Rhysodesmus consobrinus (Saussure, 1859)

John Hollier, Edmund Schiller & Nesrine Akkari, 2017, An annotated list of the Diplopoda described by Aloïs Humbert alone and with Henri de Saussure, and the Diplopoda from Saussure’s Mexico expedition, Revue suisse de Zoologie 124 (2), pp. 203-224 : 208

consobrinus Saussure, 1859a: 322 [ Polydesmus (Fontaria) ].

Plateau du Mexique. Unspecified series.

Saussure (1860) gave a more detailed description of both sexes, but he implied that the original description was based on the ♂ only. He stated that he frequently took both sexes together under stones, “dans toutes les terres froides du Mexique, dans l’Anahuac, au pic d’Orizaba etc.” Although Hoffman (1999) stated that the whereabouts of the type specimens was unknown and that he had not seen them in the MHNG, the collection has three card-mounted specimens under the name Fontaria consobrinus . There is also a vial containing a damaged pair of gonopods secured by a pin through the cork stopper. The two ♂ and one ♀ each have only “Mexique” on the label and all are in poor condition, but there is no reason not to think that the ♂ at least are syntypes.

Rhysodesmus consobrinus (Saussure, 1859)