Balkanodesminus bulgaricus (Strasser, 1962) gen. nov., comb. nov. ex Bacillidesmus

Antic, Dragan, Vagalinski, Boyan, Stoev, Pavel & Akkari, Nesrine, 2022, A review of the cavernicolous Trichopolydesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from the Carpathian-Balkan arch and the Rhodope Mountains, with descriptions of two new genera and three new species, ZooKeys 1097, pp. 1-46 : 1

Balkanodesminus bulgaricus (Strasser, 1962) gen. nov., comb. nov. ex Bacillidesmus

Figs 6 , 17I , 18

Bacillidesmus bulgaricus Bacillidesmus ? Bacillidesmus bulgaricus Strasser, 1962: 443, figs 7-10.

Bacillidesmus bulgaricus bulgaricus - Strasser 1966a: 341, figs 13-15; Strasser 1973: 419; Stoev 2004: 149; Stoev 2007: 384; Beron 2015: 80, 410; Bachvarova et al. 2017: 521.

Bacillidesmus bulgaricus - Ceuca 1992, 416; Kime and Enghoff 2011: 71, 262.

Diagnosis.

Differs from Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et sp. nov. and B. dentatus gen. nov., comb. nov., stat. nov. by the presence of longer (vs. shorter) metatergal setae and their smaller (vs. greater) number of rows, as well as by the presence of more simplified gonopods, with uniramous (vs. biramous) distal solenomeral process, and smaller and smooth (vs. larger and denticulated) lamella of solenophore. From B. serbicus gen. nov. et sp. nov., with which it shares similar habitus and similar gonopods, it differs by the presence of larger (vs. smaller) lamella of solenophore, slender, almost straight (vs. more robust and sigmoid) distal projection of solenophore, distal projection without (vs. with) basal lobe and slenderer (vs. stouter) solenomere and distal solenomeral process, where the solenomere exceeds the distal solenomeral process by ½ (vs. ¼) of its length.

Material examined.

2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ (NMNHS-10813), Bulgaria, Vratsa District, Chiren, Ponora Cave , clay, 27.I.1998, leg. B. Petrov & T. Ivanova.

Distribution.

This species shows a somewhat scattered distribution (see Fig. 18 ). It is present in caves starting from Vidin Municipality, through Chuprene and Chiprovtsi municipalities all the way to Vratsa municipality. These are Varkan Cave, Vidin Municipality ( Strasser 1973), Desni suhi pech Cave, Chuprene Municipality ( Strasser 1973), Mishin kamik Cave (type locality) and Vreloto v seloto Cave, both Chiprovtsi Municipality ( Strasser 1962, 1966a), as well as Mladenovata peshtera Cave and Ponora Cave, Vratsa Municipality ( Strasser 1966a; Stoev 2004).

Remarks.

Strasser (1962) described this species based on a poorly preserved female that he placed with uncertainty in the genus Bacillidesmus . He emphasized a very important difference in sensilla basiconica on 6th antennomere being partially exposed in Bacillidesmus bulgaricus , while they are completely enclosed in their pit in Brachydesmus filiformis .

Four years later, when males became available, Strasser (1966a) confirmed that Bacillidesmus bulgaricus belonged to the genus Bacillidesmus , based on some similarities in gonopod structures, and identified two subspecies, viz., B. bulgaricus bulgaricus and B. bulgaricus dentatus . Subsequently, both subspecies were recognized as such by Stoev (2004, 2007), Beron (2015) and Bachvarova et al. (2017). On the other hand, Ceuca (1992), and Kime and Enghoff (2011) considered Bacillidesmus dentatus as a separate species, B. dentatus . Here, we treat both taxa as separate species (see below).

Based on the distribution of the genus Balkanodesminus gen. nov., and the scattered distribution of B. bulgaricus gen. nov., comb. nov., we are not excluding the possibility that not all records of Bacillidesmus bulgaricus are in fact of that species. Illustrations of gonopods are known only from the two easternmost populations, from the Mladenovata peshtera Cave ( Strasser 1966a) and Ponora Cave (present study).

Figures

Figure 6. Balkanodesminus bulgaricus (Strasser, 1962) gen. nov., comb. nov., ♂ from Ponora Cave, Bulgaria, left gonopod (NMNHS- 10813) A, B mesal views C antero-distal view D distal view E lateral view F anterior view. Abbreviations: a acropodite, ca cannula, cx coxa, dp distal projection of solenophore, dsp distal solenomeral process, ll lamella of solenophore, pf prefemorite, s solenomere, sb solenomeral branch, sf seminal fossa, sg seminal groove, sph solenophore. Scale bars: 0.02 mm.

Figure 17. Gonopods of cavernicolous Trichopolydesmidae from the Carpathian-Balkan arch and Rhodopes A-C Bacillidesmus filiformis (Latzel, 1884) lectotype ♂ (NHWM MY 3754) A after Attems (1898) B? left gonopod,? mesal view, after Attems (1940) C? left gonopod,? mesal view, present study D Banatodesmus jeanneli (Tabacaru, 1980) syntype ♂, right gonopod, mesal view, after Tabacaru (1980) E, F Napocodesmus florentzae Tabacaru, 1975 holotype ♂, right gonopod, mesal and anterior views, respectively, after Tabacaru (1975) G, H Trichopolydesmus eremitis Verhoeff, 1898 ♂ from Closani cave, right gonopod, antero-mesal and mesal views, respectively, after Ceuca (1958) I Balkanodesminus bulgaricus (Strasser, 1962) gen. nov., comb. nov. ♂ from Ponora Cave (NMNHS- 10813), left gonopod, mesal view J Balkanodesminus serbicus gen. nov. et sp. nov. paratype ♂ (NHMW MY 10263), left gonopod, mesal view K Rhodopodesmus niveus gen. nov. et sp. nov. holotype ♂ (NMNHS- 10823), left gonopod, mesal view L Balkanodesminus dentatus (Strasser, 1966 a) gen. nov., comb. nov., stat. nov. syntype ♂, right gonopod, mesal view, after Strasser (1966 a) M Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et sp. nov. paratype ♂ (NHMW MY 10258), right gonopod, mesal view N Balkanodesminus dentatoides gen. nov. et sp. nov. ♂ from Sopotska Cave (NHMW MY 10267), left gonopod, mesal view. Scale bars: 0.05 mm.

Figure 18. Distribution of cavernicolous Trichopolydesmidae from the Carpathian-Balkan arch and the Rhodope Mountains.