Omobrachyiulus macrourus (Lohmander, 1928)

Vagalinski, Boyan & Golovatch, Sergei I., 2021, The millipede tribe Brachyiulini in the Caucasus (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae), ZooKeys 1058, pp. 1-127 : 1

Omobrachyiulus macrourus (Lohmander, 1928)

Chromatoiulus macrourus Lohmander, 1928: 542-544, figs 15-17.

Chromatoiulus (Omobrachyiulus) macrourus abchasicus Lohmander, 1936: 131-135, figs 111-114.

Chromatoiulus (Omobrachyiulus) macrourus macrourus : Lang 1959: 1791.

Chromatoiulus (Omobrachyiulus) macrourus abchasicus : Lang 1959: 1791.

Chromatoiulus macrourus abchasicus : Kobakhidze 1964: 191; 1965: 393.

Chromatoiulus macrourus macrourus : Kobakhidze 1964: 191; 1965: 393.

Megaphyllum macrourum macrourum : Talikadze 1984: 143.

Megaphyllum macrourum abchasicum : Talikadze 1984: 143.

Omobrachyiulus macrourus : Vagalinski and Lazányi 2018: 98; Kokhia and Golovatch 2018: 41; 2020: 207.

Material examined.

Georgia: 2 ♂♂ (SMNG), Akhaltsikhe to Borjomi, S of Chobiskhevi, at Chobiskhevi River , 42.7651°N, 43.3265°E, mountain Fagus forest, VII.2011, L. Mumladze leg. ; 1 ♂ (SMNG), Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Nikortsminda, Skhartali, near the entrance to Sakishore Cave , 42.4420°N, 43.1590°E, Picea and Abies forest, under dead wood, 15.VI.2019, H. Reip leg. ; 1 ♂, 12 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Kherkhvashi E of Nakra, 1250-1700 m, Quercus , Fagus , Carpinus , Abies etc. forest, in litter and under bark, 21.VIII-21.IX.1986, SIG leg .; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Chokhatauri District near Bakhmaro , 4 km SSE of Nabeglavi, 600 m, Alnus along stream, 8.VI.1981, SIG and J. Martens leg. ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀, 3 juv. (ZMUM), Tbilisi, Tskhneti , 1150-1300 m, Fagus , Carpinus , Acer etc. forest, 16-18.V.1987, SIG and K. Eskov leg. ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Mukhura , ca. 15 km E of Tkibuli, 700-800 m, Castanea , Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, in litter, under bark and stones, 7-9.V.1987, SIG and K. Eskov leg. ; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (ZMUM), environs of Manglisi , Quercus forest, 12.XI.1984, E. Kvavadze leg. ; 3 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀, 4 juv. (ZMUM), Algeti National Park , W of Manglisi, Fagus , Picea , Acer etc., 1400-1450 m, litter and under bark, 16-18.V.1987, SIG and K. Eskov leg. Russia: 5 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Chechen Republic, Argun Valley , 5 km N of Shatoy, Corylus , Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, 750 m, in litter, under stones and bark, 18.VII.1986, SIG leg .; 1 ♂ (NHMD), Karachay-Cherkess Republic , ca. 15 km SW of Teberda, 1500 m a.s.l., Fagus-Picea forest, pitfall traps, 22-28.VIII.2011, A. Solodovnikov and S. Tarasov leg.

Diagnosis.

A species of Omobrachyiulus closely resembling O. divaricatus and O. unugulis sp. nov. by the general shape of both pro- and opisthomere. Differs from these two species mostly by the bulging pillow-shaped, rather than antero-caudally strongly flattened, apical outgrowth of the basoposterior process, as well as by the very large (both long and broad) epiproct.

Previous records from the Caucasus.

Georgia: Tbilisi; Borjomi (original localities); Zeskho near Lentekhi ( Kobakhidze 1965); AR Abkhazia, at the mouth of Kelassuri River [S of Sukhumi], passage cave (type locality of O. m. abchasicus ); Klych River valley ( Kobakhidze 1965).

General distribution.

CAUC.

Remarks.

The species is new to the fauna of Russia.

The subspecies O. m. abchasicus was described by Lohmander (1936) from near Sukhumi, AR Abkhazia. The author emphasised the high similarity between the typical O. macrourus and his newly described subspecies, but failed to present a diagnosis to distinguish between the two forms. The sole diagnostic character than can be inferred from the original description of Omobrachyiulus abchasicus is the presence of a small conical lobe distally at the apical outgrowth of the basoposterior process (z in figs 111, 113), that lobe being absent from the typical form. Considering the slight to moderate shape variations in the apical outgrowth in some of the examined specimens originating from different parts of the species’ distribution range, O. m. abchasicus does not look like a viable taxon. However, in the absence of material from Abkhazia we prefer to refrain from a formal synonymisation with the typical O. macrourus .