Daphnedesmus Marek, Means, Hennen, 2021

Means, Jackson C., Hennen, Derek A., Tanabe, Tsutomu & Marek, Paul E., 2021, Phylogenetic Systematics of the Millipede Family Xystodesmidae, Insect Systematics and Diversity 5 (2), No. 1, pp. 1-26 : 14-15

Genus Daphnedesmus Marek, Means, Hennen , New Genus

Vernacular name: ‘The Gold Crowned Millipedes’

Type species: Deltotaria coronata Hoffman, 1949 .

Taxa included:

Daphnedesmus coronata (Hoffman, 1949) (= Deltotaria coronata );

Daphnedesmus dactylifera (Hoffman,1956) (= Dixioria dactylifera );

Daphnedesmus fowleri (Hoffman, 1956) (= Dixioria pela fowleri ). Diagnosis: Adult males of Daphnedesmus are distinct from other apheloriine genera based on the following combination of characters: Color. Tergites with 2 yellow paranotal spots. Collum with yellow stripe on anterior margin. (The color and pattern is constant within the genus.) Gonopods. Acropodite with a medial margin tooth—apex appearing forked. Prefemoral process long and stout, not longer than one-half the length of the acropodite as in the Rhysodesmini . Gonopodal acropodite D-shaped—not circular as in Apheloria or oval as in Rudiloria species ( Fig. 10 ). Acropodite never with a cingulum, as in Brachoria and Appalachioria . Tergites. Caudolateral corners of paranota rounded throughout midbody segments. Nucleotide site substitutions. 16S: A (1192, 1497).

Distribution: Daphnedesmus species are known from the mountainous borderlands between North Carolina, Tennesee, and Virginia with Burkes Garden, Virginia as the northern limit and Ashe County, North Carolina as the southern limit.

Etymology: This genus is named after the yellow stripe on the collum that appears as if the millipede is wearing a gold crown, and that mountain laurels ( Kalmia latifolia L.) are commonly encountered with members of the genus. The name is a combination of the Greek, daphne, ‘laurel’ (bay laurel, Laurus nobilis L.) and desma ‘band’. The ending ‘- desmus ’ is commonly used for genus names in the order.

Figures

Fig. 10. Brachoria cryocybe n. sp. holotype ♂ left gonopod (VTEC MPE02644). (A) Anterior view; (B) Medial view; (C) Posterior view. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.