Archispirostreptus Silvestri 1895

Mwabvu, Tarombera, Hamer, Michelle, Slotow, Rob & Barraclough, David, 2010, A revision of the taxonomy and distribution of Archispirostreptus Silvestri 1895 (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae), and description of a new spirostreptid genus with three new species, Zootaxa 2567, pp. 1-49 : 4

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.197288
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6207839
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/080E878B-1C63-771C-FF14-4C4C2B947E83
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Archispirostreptus Silvestri 1895
status

Treatment

Genus Archispirostreptus Silvestri 1895 View in CoL

Archispirostreptus Silvestri 1895 View in CoL , p. 776.

Graphidostreptus: Attems 1909 View in CoL , p. 414; 1914

Archispirostreptus: Attems 1926 View in CoL a, 1928; Schubart 1951; Hoffman 1965, 1971, 1979, 1996, 2008; Krabbe & Enghoff 1978; Krabbe 1979, 1982; Hamer 1998, 1999; Golovatch & Hoffman 2000; Mwabvu 2005, 2006; Mwabvu et al. 2007

Type species: Spirostreptus gigas Peters 1855 , p. 75–79

Diagnosis: Proplicae tongue-shaped; lateral metaplical process tapering distally; apical metaplical process long, finger-like and apically rounded or acute; antetorsal processes with laciniate edges distally.

Description: Large spirostreptid millipedes; body length 130–270 mm; antenna length 10–12 mm; maximum body width 7–19 mm.

Body rings 54–71.

Body black or brown; legs and antennae of same colour.

Prebasilar plate of gnathochilarium not reduced to separate sclerites.

Collum sometimes with anterior lobe, with 2–5 complete striae and 0–6 incomplete striae.

Proplicae tongue-shaped, setose and rounded apically, with central depression flanked by raised edges; proplica about 2/3 of gonopod length; lateral and medial edges of proplicae approximately parallel in most species ( Figs 1a View FIGURE 1 a, b , 2a View FIGURE 2 a, b , 3a View FIGURE 3 a, b , 4a View FIGURE 4 a, b ).

Proximal metaplicae without lobes or projections ( Figs 3b View FIGURE 3 a, b , 4b View FIGURE 4 a, b , 5b View FIGURE 5 a, b , 6b View FIGURE 6 a, b , 7b View FIGURE 7 a, b , 8b View FIGURE 8 a, b , 9b View FIGURE 9 a, b , 10b View FIGURE 10 a, b ).

Lateral metaplical process without abrupt narrowing, proximally broad and tapering distally. Lateral metaplical process horizontal or slanting towards the apical metaplical process or paracoxite ( Figs 1a View FIGURE 1 a, b , 2a View FIGURE 2 a, b , 3a View FIGURE 3 a, b , 4a View FIGURE 4 a, b , 5a View FIGURE 5 a, b , 6a View FIGURE 6 a, b , 7a View FIGURE 7 a, b , 8a View FIGURE 8 a, b , 9a View FIGURE 9 a, b , 10a View FIGURE 10 a, b ).

Apical metaplical process long, finger-like and apically rounded ( Figs 1a View FIGURE 1 a, b , 2a View FIGURE 2 a, b , 4a View FIGURE 4 a, b , 6a View FIGURE 6 a, b , 7a View FIGURE 7 a, b , 8a View FIGURE 8 a, b , 9a View FIGURE 9 a, b ) or acute ( Figs 3a View FIGURE 3 a, b , 10a View FIGURE 10 a, b ).

Telopodite spiralling distal to telopodite knee, antetorsal process with laciniate edges or spikes distally ( Figs 1a View FIGURE 1 a, b , 2a View FIGURE 2 a, b , 3a View FIGURE 3 a, b , 4a View FIGURE 4 a, b , 5a View FIGURE 5 a, b , 6a View FIGURE 6 a, b , 7a View FIGURE 7 a, b , 8a View FIGURE 8 a, b , 9a View FIGURE 9 a, b , 10a View FIGURE 10 a, b ); telopodite with three small lobes at extremity.

Distribution: South, East, Central and West Africa; Middle East.

Remarks: The telopodite, the shape and size of the proplicae, the shapes of the lateral and apical metaplical processes, and the orientation of the lateral and apical metaplical processes of the gonopod distinguish Archispirostreptus from all other genera of Spirostreptini.