Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus)

C. A. W. Jeekel, 1967, On two Italian Lithobius species described by Silvestri, with taxonomic notes on the genus Eupolybothrus Verhoeff (Chilopoda, Lithobiida), BEAUFORTIA SERIES OF MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS 14, No. 175, pp. 165-175 : 174-175

Subgenus Allopolybothrus Verhoeff, 1907

The type-species, Lithobius koenigi Verhoeff, 1891 , is probably the same as Lithobius elongatus Newport, 1849 , and Lithobius impressus C. L. Koch, 1841 , all of which were described from North Africa. For some reason most authors have used the name elongatus in recent literature, although probably impressus or even nudicornis Gervais, 1837 , will eventually prove to be the valid name.

As subspecies and varieties of elongatus have been described E. elongatus var. oraniensis (Verhoeff, 1901) , E. e. ssp. corsicus ( Leger & Duboscq, 1903) , E. e. ssp. alpinus ( Broelemann, 1930) , E. e. ssp. calabrus (Manfredi, 1933) , E. e. ssp. aprutianus (Manfredi, 1950) , E. e. ssp. levis (Verhoeff, 1943) , E. e. ssp. imperanus (Verhoeff, 1937) , and E. e. ssp. sardus (Manfredi, 1956) .

Allopolybothrus is characterized by the absence of a VCm spine and the presence of a VCa spine on the 15th leg, which has a single claw. Projections present in the 9th, 11th and 13th tergites, often reduced in the 9th. Ventral spinulation of the 15th leg: 0, 1, 3-4, 1-2, 0-1, (1). Male gonopods short, single-segmented.

Besides North Africa, the range of the subgenus includes Spain, southeastern France, Italy, and the larger western Mediterranean islands. Probably only one species is involved in which a number of subspecies may be recognized, but the majority of published descriptions are based on a far too scanty material.