Messicobolus tepanacus (Saussure, 1859)

John Hollier, Edmund Schiller & Nesrine Akkari, 2017, An annotated list of the Diplopoda described by Aloïs Humbert alone and with Henri de Saussure, and the Diplopoda from Saussure’s Mexico expedition, Revue suisse de Zoologie 124 (2), pp. 203-224 : 219

tepanecus Saussure, 1859b: 332 [ Julus ].

Cordova au Mexique. Unspecified series.

Saussure (1860) gave a more detailed redescription of the ♀ without mentioning the ♂ and without indicating the number of specimens. The MHNG collection contains one card-mounted ♀ specimen under the name Spirobolus tepanacus and two ♀ in alcohol in separate jars under the name Messicobolus tepanaca . The card-mounted specimens is labelled “Mexique, Vge de Saussure” and fits the rough measurements given in the description.

One jar contains the label “ Spirobolus tepanacus Sauss. type ♀, Santa Cruz, Sumichrast” and has been labelled as holotype. The other has only the locality “Mexique” on the old identification labels in the jar, but according to a label dated 2000, H. v. d. Merwe determined that the specimen is not in the same genus. The card-mounted specimen and that labelled as holotype are both syntypes.

Messicobolus tepanacus (Saussure, 1859)