Brachydesmus (s. str.) assimilis Lohmander, 1936

Golovatch, Sergei, Evsyukov, Aleksandr & Reip, Hans, 2016, The millipede family Polydesmidae in the Caucasus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida), Zootaxa 4085 (1), pp. 1-51 : 11-16

Brachydesmus (s. str.) assimilis Lohmander, 1936

Figs 6 , 7 , Map 3

Brachydesmus (Brachydesmus) assimilis— Lohmander, 1936: 12 (D).

Brachydesmus (Brachydesmus) assimilis— Attems, 1940: 104 (D).

Brachydesmus assimilis— 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 m a.s.l., Fagus and Alnus forest, litter, 7.VII.1986; 4 males, 2 females (ZMUM), Stavropol Prov., E of Novopavlovsk, Quercus , Salix , Alnus etc. forest along stream, 28.V.1982; 8 juv. (ZMUM), Kabardino-Balkaria, Baxan Valley, Bedyk between Tyrnyauz and Zhankhoteko, 900 m a.s.l., Corylus, Fagus and Carpinus scrub, litter and under stones, 20.VII.1986; 6 males, 2 females, 1 juv. (ZMUM), Ingushetia, Barsuki near Nazran, Crataegus , Fraxinus, Rosa etc. bush along road, litter and under stones, 6.VI.1982; 1 female, 2 juv. (ZMUM), Ingushetia, Assa Valley, ca 9 km SSW of Muzhichi, 800 m a.s.l., Fagus , Alnus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 15.VII.1986; 1 male, 1 female, 5 juv. (ZMUM), Chechnya, Argun Valley, 5 km N of Sovetskoye, 750 m a.s.l., Corylus, Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 18.VII.1986; 3 females (ZMUM), Chechnya, 14 km WSW of Gudermes, Quercus forest, litter, 6.VI.1982; 4 juv. (ZMUM), Chechnya, Karachoy SE of Vedeno, 950 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 17.VI.1986; 2 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Botlikh Distr., Pass Kharami, 2150 m a.s.l., subalpine meadow, 22.IV.1989; 6 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, N of Kurush, ca 35 km NNW of Usukhchay, 2500 – 2800 m a.s.l., alpine meadow, 7 – 13.VII.1989; 1 male, 1 female, 1 fragment (ZMUM), Dagestan, Sergokala Distr., near Degva, Quercus forest on slope, litter, 9.VI.1982; 26 males, 46 females, 26 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Upper Gunib, 1700 m a.s.l., Betula and Pinus forest, litter, under bark and stones, 8 – 9.VI.1982; 4 males, 4 females, 3 juv. (ZMUM), same locality, 1500 – 1600 m a.s.l., Betula and Pinus forest, 25.VI.1989; 6 males, 6 females (ZMUM), Dagestan, Chiragchay Valley, Khiv, 900 – 950 m a.s.l., Carpinus , Fagus, Corylus , Rhododendron etc. forest, litter and under stones, 24.X.1987; 25 juv. (ZMUM), Dagestan, Akhty Distr., above Mirakh, ca 16 km SSW of Usukhchay, 1800 m a.s.l., Betula forest with Salix and Alnus , at timberline, 10.VII.1989; 9 males, 6 females (ZMUM), North Ossetia, 10 km NW of Mozdok, Robinia stand 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 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus , Acer , Pinus etc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 13 – 14.V.1987; 2 females ( ZMUM), Batsaro Nature Reserve, ca 20 km N of Akhmeta, 800 – 850 m a.s.l., Fagus , Castanea , Acer etc. forest, litter, 5 – 6.V.1987; 1 male, 2 females ( ZMUM), Pass Magalakhari between Akhmeta and Tianeti, 1200 m a.s.l., Fagus and Carpinus forest, litter and under bark, 6.V.1987; 1 male, 3 females ( ZMUM), N of Kvareli, 700 – 750 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus , Quercus etc. 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 m a.s.l., Rhododendron bush, litter, 4.VI.1982; 12 males, 10 females, 2 juv. ( ZMUM), Lagodekhi Nature Reserve, Fagus , Fraxinus , Acer etc. forest, 600–700 m a.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 m a.s.l., N41.7544, E42.8203, 28.X.2009, leg. F. Walther; 12 males, 10 females, “ Polydesmus maculicornis Brandt” nomen nudum ( ZISP), Tiflis (= Tbilisi), date and collector unknown.

4 males, 8 females ( ZMUM), ARMENIA, Gegasar ca 5 km W of Spitak, Pambak Valley, Salix forest along stream, 1650 m a.s.l., 13.XI.1985, leg . S. Golovatch; 2 juv. ( ZMUM), Gandakar S of Idjevan , 1000 m a.s.l., Quercus and Corylus scrub, 28.V.1987 ; 1 juv. ( ZMUM), Pass Khamza between Idjevan and Berd, 1900 m a.s.l., subalpine meadow, 26.V.1987, all leg. S. Golovatch and K. Eskov.

1 male, 5 females (ZMUM), AZERBAIJAN, Perzivan SE of Zakataly, 600 m a.s.l., Quercus , Fagus etc. 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 m a.s.l., forest, 19.IV.1987, all leg. N. Loginova; 1 male (ZMUM), Belakany W of Zakataly, 600 m a.s.l., garden, 24.V.1981; 1 male, 2 females (ZMUM), Zakataly Nature Reserve, Katekhchay Valley, 700 m a.s.l., 23.V.1981; 1 female, 8 juv. (ZMUM), Zakataly Nature Reserve, Agkemal, 1800 – 2100 m a.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 m a.s.l., meadow, under stones, 3.V.1983, leg. S. Golovatch; 9 males, 17 females (ZMUM), NW above Bash-Layski ca 20 km NNW of Sheki, 1250 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus , Acer etc. forest, litter, 3.V.1987; 7 males, 8 females, 4 juv. (ZMUM), ca 5 km N of Kutkashen, 1150 – 1200 m a.s.l., Fagus and Carpinus forest, litter and rotten wood, 2.V.1987; 2 males, 1 female (ZMUM), SW of Kuba, 750 m a.s.l., Fagus , Quercus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter and under bark, 23.IV.1987; 4 females (ZMUM), Nabran ca 30 km NW of Khachmas, sea-level, Quercus , Carpinus , Acer etc. 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.

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 ).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus of Brachydesmus assimilis Lohmander, 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 assimilis Lohmander, 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).