Packardesmus, Shear & Shelley, 2019

Shear, William A. & Shelley, Rowland M., 2019, Solved after 140 years: the identity of the millipede Polydesmus cavicola Packard, 1877, and proposal of Packardesmus n. gen. (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Macrosternodesmidae), Zootaxa 4559 (2), pp. 384-390 : 386

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4559.2.11

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A2F6F333-A5F9-40EE-A4FF-60C2647CF07F

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5943959

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E187C5-0F74-FFC8-FF78-93D2FDF250D4

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Packardesmus
status

gen. nov.

Packardesmus , new genus

Type species: Polydesmus cavicola Packard, 1877 .

Diagnosis. At this time, Packardesmus is the only known North American polydesmidan genus in which the males have 18 trunk rings (females have 19 rings); a few polydesmidan species with 18-ringed males are found in Mexico, the West Indies and elsewhere. In addition, the gonopods have a unique, hand-like appearance (with only four fingers; Figs. 4–7 View FIGURES 1–7 ) due to the elongated femoral region of the gonopod and the basal fusion of the branches; only the solenomere branch (s, Fig. 6 View FIGURES 1–7 ) can be confidently homologized with the branches of the gonopod in other macrosternodesmid genera due to this fusion. Other characters as described for the lectotype and newly collected material.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality of the single included species, but possibly more widely distributed.

Etymology. Named for pioneering speleobiologist A. S. Packard, with the combining stem – desmus, used frequently for polydesmidan millipedes.

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