Pacidesmus trifidus Golovatch & Geoffroy, 2014

Liu, Weixin & Wynne, J. Judson, 2019, Cave millipede diversity with the description of six new species from Guangxi, China, Subterranean Biology 30, pp. 57-94 : 76-77

Pacidesmus trifidus Golovatch & Geoffroy, 2014 Fig. 4B

Material examined.

6 males, 3 females (SCAU), China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yangshuo County, Guanshan No. 4 Cave [24°56'58.34"N, 110°20'53.52"E], 186 m el., deep zone, direct intuitive search, 16 November 2016, J.J. Wynne leg. 1 male, 1 juv. (SCAU), China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xiufeng District, Maomaotou Cave [25°18'46.12"N, 110°16'12.64"E], 225 m el., deep zone, direct intuitive search, 15 November 2016, J. J. Wynne leg. 2 males, 1 female, 4 juv. (SCAU), China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yangshou County, Shangshuiyan Cave [24°57'43.6"N, 110°20'37.21"E], 191 m el., deep zone, direct intuitive search, 17 November 2016, J. J. Wynne leg.

Notes.

This troglobiont was first found in Skeleton Cave [25°17'13"N, 110°13'26"E], el. 186 m ( Golovatch and Geoffroy 2014). We later confirmed P. trifidus within three caves with the furthest cave (Guanshan # 4) approximately ~13 km to the south of type locality. The three caves where we detected P. trifidus are separated by a distance of ~41 km. The northernmost cave, Maomaotou Cave occurs 39.6 km north from Guangshan No. 4 Cave and Shangshuiyan Cave, which are co-located occurring within 1 km of each other. As it is currently morphologically described as one species, it now has a regional distribution.

Habitat.

This species was collected from the estimated deep zones of the three caves. For Maomaotou cave, we collected it within bamboo detritus at mid-cave. In Shangshuiyan Cave, specimens were collected within decomposing detritus and along muddy cave sediment deposits within a sinuous passageway. For Guangshan No. 4 Cave, refer to habitat descriptions of H. xuxiakei sp. nov.

Figures

Figure 4. A Trichopeltis liangfengdong sp. nov. from Liangfeng Cave B Pacidesmus trifidus Golovatch & Geoffroy, 2014 from Maomaotou Cave C Glyphiulus maocun sp. nov. from Liangfeng Cave.