Pogoro Hoffman, 2005

Olsen, Sissel Anna, Rosenmejer, Trine & Enghoff, Henrik, 2020, A mountain of millipedes IX: Species of the family Gomphodesmidae from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania (Diplopoda, Polydesmida), European Journal of Taxonomy 675, pp. 1-35 : 8

Genus Pogoro Hoffman, 2005

Diagnosis (after Hoffman 2005, modified)

Moderate/small-sized (length 40–55 mm), convex gomphodesmids, pore formula: 5, 7, 9–19. Four apical sensory cones on antennae, fossa present on 5 th and 6 th antennomeres. Collum transversely suboval, lateral ends strongly declivent. Paranota slightly declivent. Stricture poorly defined, with visible edge only in front of anterior spiracle. Pleurosternal carinae present on body rings 1–17. Anterior legs without ventral tubercles, with sparse setation. Setae on dorsal side of tarsi shorter and stouter than the rest. Subonychial pads on legs 1–6. Surface of sides of metazona slightly more uneven than sides of prozona. Postgonopodal sterna without transverse ridges, set with long silky setae. 15 th body ring without paxillus. Caudal edge of gonopod aperture elevated in front of coxae, medially obliterated.

Hoffman (2005) described the sides of the metazona as being “coarsely rugovermiculose”; this character was, however, not observed on any of the type specimens of P. scharffi . Hoffman also stated that there are no paracannular setae in Pogoro scharffi , but some such setae were observed on the holotype and all of the paratypes

Included species

Pogoro scharffi Hoffman, 2005 (type species)

Pogoro alopias Rosenmejer & Enghoff sp. nov.

Pogoro siren Rosenmejer & Enghoff sp. nov.

Distribution

Udzungwa Mts, Tanzania.

As all known species of Pogoro live in the Udzungwa Mts, they can be keyed out using the key to Udzungwa gomphodesmids above.

Remarks

All three species of Pogoro have been collected within a relatively small area in the Udzungwa Scarp FR; the collecting sites are hardly more than 10 km apart (cf. Menegon & Salvidio 2005: fig. 1). Considering that the species are very similar to each other, and that only one male specimen of each is known for two of them, the possibility that they all represent one variable species cannot be excluded. Additional collecting is needed to elucidate this, but for the time being we consider the differences mentioned in the key and description as warranting separate species status.