Lohmander, 1936 : 12 Attems, 1940 : 104 Brachydesmus Lang, 1959 : 1790 Kobakhidze, 1965 : 390 Lokšina and Golovatch, 1979 : 384 Zuev, 2014 : 349 The millipede family Polydesmidae in the Caucasus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) Golovatch, Sergei Evsyukov, Aleksandr Reip, Hans Zootaxa 2016 2016-03-01 4085 1 1 51 MVW3 Lohmander, 1936 Lohmander 1936 [151,758,1686,1712] Diplopoda Polydesmidae Brachydesmus GBIF Animalia Polydesmida 10 11 Arthropoda species assimilis     Brachydesmus( Brachydesmus) assimilis—  Lohmander, 1936: 12(D).    Brachydesmus( Brachydesmus) assimilis—  Attems, 1940: 104(D).     Brachydesmusassimilis—  Lang, 1959: 1790(M);  Kobakhidze, 1965: 390(M);  Lokšina and Golovatch, 1979: 384(M);  Zuev, 2014: 349(R, D).   Material examined.1 female, 1 juv. (ZMUM), RUSSIA, Adygea, Sakhrai near Novoprokhladnoye, S of Maikop, 700 ma.s.l.,  Fagusand  Alnusforest, litter, 7.VII.1986; 4 males, 2 females (ZMUM), Stavropol Prov., E of Novopavlovsk,  Quercus, Salix, Alnusetc. forest along stream, 28.V.1982; 8 juv. (ZMUM), Kabardino-Balkaria, Baxan Valley, Bedyk between Tyrnyauz and Zhankhoteko, 900 ma.s.l., Corylus, Fagusand  Carpinusscrub, litter and under stones, 20.VII.1986; 6 males, 2 females, 1 juv. (ZMUM), Ingushetia, Barsuki near Nazran,  Crataegus, Fraxinus, Rosaetc. bush along road, litter and under stones, 6.VI.1982; 1 female, 2 juv. (ZMUM), Ingushetia, Assa Valley, ca 9 kmSSW of Muzhichi, 800 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Alnus, Carpinusetc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 15.VII.1986; 1 male, 1 female, 5 juv. (ZMUM), Chechnya, Argun Valley, 5 kmN of Sovetskoye, 750 ma.s.l., Corylus, Fagus, Carpinusetc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 18.VII.1986; 3 females (ZMUM), Chechnya, 14 kmWSW of Gudermes,  Quercusforest, litter, 6.VI.1982; 4 juv. (ZMUM), Chechnya, Karachoy SE of Vedeno, 950 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Carpinusetc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 17.VI.1986; 2 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Botlikh Distr., Pass Kharami, 2150 ma.s.l., subalpine meadow, 22.IV.1989; 6 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, N of Kurush, ca 35 kmNNW of Usukhchay, 2500 –2800 ma.s.l., alpine meadow, 7 –13.VII.1989; 1 male, 1 female, 1 fragment (ZMUM), Dagestan, Sergokala Distr., near Degva,  Quercusforest on slope, litter, 9.VI.1982; 26 males, 46 females, 26 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Upper Gunib, 1700 ma.s.l.,  Betulaand  Pinusforest, litter, under bark and stones, 8 –9.VI.1982; 4 males, 4 females, 3 juv. (ZMUM), same locality, 1500 –1600 ma.s.l.,  Betulaand  Pinusforest, 25.VI.1989; 6 males, 6 females (ZMUM), Dagestan, Chiragchay Valley, Khiv, 900 –950 ma.s.l.,  Carpinus, Fagus, Corylus, Rhododendronetc. forest, litter and under stones, 24.X.1987; 25 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Akhty Distr., above Mirakh, ca 16 kmSSW of Usukhchay, 1800 ma.s.l.,  Betulaforest with  Salixand  Alnus, at timberline, 10.VII.1989; 9 males, 6 females (ZMUM), North Ossetia, 10 kmNW of Mozdok,  Robiniastand along field, litter, 28.V.1982, all leg. S. Golovatch.  1 female( NHMG),   GEORGIA, Tbilisi, 10.VI.1957, leg. H. Lohmander; 13 males, 14 females( ZMUM), Mariamdjvari Nature Reserve, ENE of Sagaredjo, 1150 –1250 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Carpinus, Acer, Pinusetc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 13 –14.V.1987; 2 females( ZMUM), Batsaro Nature Reserve, ca 20 kmN of Akhmeta, 800 –850 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Castanea, Aceretc. forest, litter, 5 –6.V.1987; 1 male, 2 females( ZMUM), Pass Magalakhari between Akhmeta and Tianeti, 1200 ma.s.l.,  Fagusand  Carpinusforest, litter and under bark, 6.V.1987; 1 male, 3 females( ZMUM), N of Kvareli, 700 –750 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Carpinus, Quercusetc. forest, litter and under bark, 4.V.1987, all leg. S. Golovatch and K. Eskov; 3 males, 3 juv.( ZMUM), Kazbegi Distr., S of Gudauri near Pass Krestovyi, 1800 ma.s.l.,  Rhododendronbush, litter, 4.VI.1982; 12 males, 10 females, 2 juv.( ZMUM), Lagodekhi Nature Reserve,  Fagus, Fraxinus, Aceretc. forest, 600–700 ma.s.l., litter, under bark and stones, 5–6.V.1983, all leg. S. Golovatch; 1 male, 2 females(HR), Samzhe-Djavachetia, Abastumani Oberservatorium on Mt Kanobili, 1580 ma.s.l., N41.7544, E42.8203, 28.X.2009, leg. F. Walther; 12 males, 10 females, “ Polydesmus maculicornisBrandt” nomen nudum( ZISP), Tiflis(= Tbilisi), date and collector unknown.   4 males, 8 females( ZMUM),  ARMENIA, Gegasarca  5 kmW of Spitak, Pambak Valley,  Salixforest along stream,  1650 ma.s.l.,  13.XI.1985, leg.  S. Golovatch; 2 juv.( ZMUM), Gandakar Sof Idjevan,  1000 ma.s.l.,  Quercusand  Corylusscrub,  28.V.1987;  1 juv.( ZMUM), Pass Khamza between Idjevan and Berd,  1900 ma.s.l., subalpine meadow,  26.V.1987, all leg. S. Golovatchand K. Eskov. 1 male, 5 females (ZMUM), AZERBAIJAN, Perzivan SE of Zakataly, 600 ma.s.l.,  Quercus, Fagusetc. forest along stream, litter, 3.V.1987, leg. S. Golovatch and K. Eskov; 1 male, 3 females (ZMUM), Djar near Zakataly, 20.X.1987; 6 males, 9 females, 1 juv. (ZMUM), Perzivan SE of Zakataly, 600 ma.s.l., forest, 19.IV.1987, all leg. N. Loginova; 1 male (ZMUM), Belakany W of Zakataly, 600 ma.s.l., garden, 24.V.1981; 1 male, 2 females (ZMUM), Zakataly Nature Reserve, Katekhchay Valley, 700 ma.s.l., 23.V.1981; 1 female, 8 juv. (ZMUM), Zakataly Nature Reserve, Agkemal, 1800 –2100 ma.s.l., forest, 24 –27.V.1981; 1 male, 1 female, 1 fragment (ZMUM), same locality, Katekh-Chay Valley, 23.V.1981, all leg. S. Golovatch and J. Martens; 16 males, 6 females (ZMUM), above Ajikent, S of Kirovabad (now Ganja), 1400 ma.s.l., meadow, under stones, 3.V.1983, leg. S. Golovatch; 9 males, 17 females (ZMUM), NW above Bash-Layski ca 20 kmNNW of Sheki, 1250 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Carpinus, Aceretc. forest, litter, 3.V.1987; 7 males, 8 females, 4 juv. (ZMUM), ca 5 kmN of Kutkashen, 1150 –1200 ma.s.l.,  Fagusand  Carpinusforest, litter and rotten wood, 2.V.1987; 2 males, 1 female (ZMUM), SW of Kuba, 750 ma.s.l.,  Fagus, Quercus, Carpinusetc. forest, litter and under bark, 23.IV.1987; 4 females (ZMUM), Nabran ca 30 kmNW of Khachmas, sea-level,  Quercus, Carpinus, Aceretc. forest, litter and under bark, 21 –22.IV.1987, all leg. S. Golovatch and K. Eskov; 8 males, 4 females (ZMUM), Laza near Kussary, 10.VIII.1985, leg. H. Aliev.  Descriptive notes.Adult body with 19 segments (collum plus 16 podous plus one apodous body rings, plus telson). Length ca 10 –13 mm, width of midbody metazonae 1.0 –1.5 (male, female), metazonite to prozonite width ratio <1.8 ( Fig. 6). Live coloration usually uniformly yellowish to brown, about same in alcohol ( Fig. 6). Tegument smooth and moderately shining. Antennae long, reaching behind body segment 3 when stretched dorsally, slightly clavate. In width, collum << head ≤ segment 2 <3 <4 <5=15 or 16, thereafter body gradually to quite rapidly tapering towards telson ( Fig. 6). Collum transversely ovoid. Paraterga well-developed and lying at about upper ¼ of body height, mostly subhorizontal to only faintly declivous, never upturned ( Fig. 6). Caudolateral corner of collum broadly rounded, of midbody and following paraterga increasingly acute and pointed, but especially clearly drawn behind rear tergal margin only in segments (14)15 –17 ( Fig. 6). Fore margins of paraterga largely straight, anterolateral corner angular ( Fig. 6). Central parts of postcollum metaterga with three transverse rows of evident, roundish to polygonal, setigerous bosses or tubercles ( Fig. 6). Tergal setae very small, mostly subclavate, often considerably abraded, usually only a little longer in front row on collum and in caudal row on segment 19. Paraterga with three or four faint setigerous incisions at lateral margin of poreless and pore-bearing segments, repectively. Stricture between pro- and metazonae wide, shallow and nearly smooth, at most faintly rugulose. Limbus microcrenulate-microdentate. Pleurosternal carinae wanting. Epiproct short, conical, subtruncate at tip, pre-apical lateral papillae evident ( Fig. 6). Hypoproct subtrapeziform, paramedian setiferous papillae evident, well-separated and lying near caudal edge.   FIGURE 6.Habitus of  Brachydesmus assimilisLohmander, 1936. A:male from Belakany, Azerbaijan. B–H:male (B), female (C –E) and male (F –H) from Upper Gunib, Dagestan, Russia. C, F:anterior part of body. D, G:right half of segment 10. E, H:caudal part of body. Pictures A and B by K. Makarov, taken not to scale. Line drawings C –H by S. Dashdamirov, scale bar: 1.0 mm.   FIGURE 7.Gonopods of  Brachydesmus assimilisLohmander, 1936. A–B:male from Mariamdjvari Nature Reserve, Georgia, lateral and mesal views, respectively. C:male from near Pass Krestovyi, Georgia. D:male syntype from Tbilisi, Georgia (after Lohmander 1936). Designations: en,endomere; ex,exomere; s,spine on exomere; t,tooth near base of exomere; k,spine at base of endomere; b,tooth at base of femorite. Scale bar: 0.1 mm (A –C), not to scale (D). Legs densely setose, long, in male crassate and longer ( Fig. 6A, 6B), prefemora not bulging laterad; postfemora sometimes, tibiae and tarsi always with sphaerotrichomes ventrally. Gonopods ( Fig. 7) subfalcate, bipartite, exomere ( ex) axe-shaped, suberect, its acuminate apex clearly curved ventrad, with a strong distomesal spine ( s) and a midway ventral tooth ( t); endomere ( en) short and stout, stumpshaped, with only a very short finger-shaped rod placed distal to a well-developed hairy pad; another, ventral spine ( k) located at base of en; still one more, ventral tooth ( b) usually present at base of femorite.   Remark.This species shows some variation not only in body size and in the shape of paraterga, but also in gonopod structure ( Fig. 7). 1701200781 1985-11-13 ZMUM Armenia 1650 Gegasar Pambak Valley 12 13 12 8 4 1701200779 1987-05-28 ZMUM S. Golovatch & Gandakar S Armenia 1000 Idjevan Corylus 12 13 2 1701200783 1987-05-26 ZMUM S. Golovatch Armenia 1900 Pass Khamza 12 13 1