Byzantorhopalum (Byzantorhopalum) rossicum (Timotheew, 1897)

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

Byzantorhopalum (Byzantorhopalum) rossicum (Timotheew, 1897)

Fig. 1

Iulus rossicus Timotheew, 1897: 284-291, figs 21-31.

Chromatoiulus (Donbrachyiulus) rossicus : Lohmander 1936: 109-112.

Chromatoiulus (Donbrachyiulus) rossicus rossicus : Lokšina and Golovatch 1979: 385. Megaphyllum rossicum rossicum : Golovatch 1984: 103-105, 111, 125-127, 130, fig. 5. Megaphyllum procerum : Golovatch 1990b: 364.

Megaphyllum rossicum : Golovatch 1990b: 362, 364; Loginova 1993: 151-153; Golovatch and Matyukhin 2011: 116; Zuev 2014: 352, map 4.

Byzantorhopalum (Byzantorhopalum) rossicum : Vagalinski and Lazányi 2018: 27-28, figs 11, 12, 17, 26.

Material examined.

Azerbaijan: 1 ♂ (SMNG), İsmayıllı District, S of Zərgəran, 40.7310°N, 48.3680°E, 880 m a.s.l., slope with Corylus , Clematis and some Prunus trees, stone heaps overgrown by moss, mainly in thick litter and under stones, 30.III.2015, D. Antić and H. Reip leg. ; 1 ♀ (SMNG), İsmayıllı District, near Qurbanəfəndi, 1.3 road km towards Xanəgah, 40.8614°N, 48.1132°E, 640 m a.s.l., slope with Fagus and a single Populus tree, in litter, same date and collectors ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 2 juv. (ZMUM), Altiagac National Park , 1050-1100 m, mixed broadleaved forest, litter, 20 and 26.IV.1987, SIG and K. Eskov leg. ; many ♂♂, ♀♀, juv. (ZMUM), SW of Quba, 750 m, Fagus , Quercus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter and under bark, 23.IV.1987, SIG and K. Eskov leg. ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Shemakha District, Pirkuli , 1700 m, Quercus , Taxus , 22.XI.1962, T. Perel leg. Georgia: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (SMNG), Mtskheta-Mtianeti, valley of Andaki River, 2.2 km upstream of its confluence with Argun River , 42.5006°N, 45.2156°E, 1430 m a.s.l., 08.VIII.2014, F. Walther leg. ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (SMNG), Mtskheta-Mtianeti, 1 km downstream of Mutso , 42.5006°N, 45.2156°E, 1530 m a.s.l., 9.VIII.2014, F. Walther leg. ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (SMNG), NW of Stepantsminda , 42°40'1"N, 44°36'49"E, 2093 m a.s.l., Juniperus , 02.VII.2019, K. Voigtländer leg. ; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Stepantsminda , 8.VI.1974, M. Kokhia leg. Russia: 1 ♂ (SMNG 33575), Republic of Adygea, Novoprokhladnoye , 20.V.2004, K. Voigtländer leg. ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Stavropol Province, Kursavka, Acacia and Rosa hedge alongside a road, sifted litter, 30.V.1982, SIG leg .; 2 ♀♀ (SMNG), Stavropol, Tamanskaya Dacha Forest, near Komsomolskiy Reservoir , 45.0481°N, 41.9567°E, 530 m a.s.l., deciduous forest ( Quercus , Carpinus , Acer ), 22.VIII.2012, F. Walther leg. ; many ♂♂, ♀♀ (ZMUM), Stavropol Province, Novoaleksandrovsk , east end, X.2013, B. Korotyaev leg. ; 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Chegemsky District, upper course of Chegem River , meadow, under stones, 1500 m, 12.VII.1986, SIG leg .; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (SMNG), Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Alagirsky District, Borzikau , near Fiagdon River , 1200 m a.s.l., 42°50'37"N, 44°18'44"E, under stones, 11.V.2016, A.S. Sazhiev leg. ; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, North Ossetian State Nature Reserve, Tsey Valley , 23.VII.1984, S. Alekseev leg. ; many ♂♂, ♀♀, juv. (ZMUM), Chechen Republic, Kharachoy , SE of Vedeno, 950 m, Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, in litter, under bark and stones, 17.VII.1986, SIG leg.; many ♂♂, ♀♀, juv. (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 .; 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀ (ZMUM), 8 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Republic of Dagestan, Kazbekovskiy District, Dylym , Fagus and Carpinus forest, 13.VII.1985, K. Khajialiyev leg. ; 8 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Republic of Dagestan, Almak , Carpinus forest, 15.VII.1985, K. Khajialiyev leg. ; 6 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Republic of Dagestan, Sergokalinskiy District, Murguk , Quercus forest, western slope, 4.III.1985, K. Khajialiyev leg. ; 10 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, Republic of Dagestan, Kayakentskiy District , Quercus forest, 27.VII.1985, K. Khajialiyev leg. ; 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, Republic of Dagestan, Botlikh Distrikt, Kharami Pass , 2150 m, subalpine meadow, under stones, 16.VII.1986, SIG leg .; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (HNHM), Republic of Dagestan, Kurush , 3000 m a.s.l., 8.VII.1989, Z. Korsós leg.

Descriptive notes.

Gonopods: Promere (Fig. 1C and p in Fig. 1A, B ) somewhat shorter than solenomere, with a well-developed median ridge and a deep and narrow median groove; flagellum of usual thickness; opisthomere (Fig. 1A, B, D ) with a large lateral process with serrated mesal margin, and a basoposterior process with an apical outgrowth turned laterad; solenomere long (significantly exceeding promere), tubular, with a frontoapical acumination and a groove behind it; neither set- nor spiniform filaments at flagellum channel. Vulva (Fig. 1E ) densely setose throughout, with operculum subequal to bursa.

Previous records from the Caucasus.

Russia: Environs of Kislovodsk ( Timotheew 1897), many places across the northern Caucasus ( Lohmander 1936), Stavropol Province ( Zuev 2014).

General distribution.

Also known from eastern Ukraine, Crimea, and the Kursk, Orel, Voronezh, Belgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Volgograd, and Saratov regions in central and southern European Russia ( Lokšina 1969; Prisnyi 2001).

The subspecies B. r. strandschanum (Verhoeff, 1937) occurs in southeastern Bulgaria and northeastern Greece ( Lazányi et al. 2012; Kime and Enghoff 2017). Despite its markedly disjunct distribution in relation to that of the nominate subspecies, until now, no reliable morphological characters to distinguish between the two taxa have been proposed (see also Vagalinski and Lazányi 2018). It thus seems that the usage of molecular data is the only way to define the nomenclatural faith of B. r. strandschanum .

Remarks.

The species is new to the faunas of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Figures

Figure 1. Byzantorhopalum rossicum (Timotheew, 1897), ♂ from S of Zərgəran (A-D) and ♀ from near Qurbanəfəndi (E), both in Azerbaijan (SMNG) A left gonopods, mesal view B same, caudal view C right promere, caudal view D right opisthomere, latero-oral view E right vulva, latero-caudal, somewhat apical view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B, D), 0.1 mm (C, E). Abbreviations: bpp basoposterior process, f flagellum, fc flagellum channel, lp lateral process, mg median groove, mr median ridge, op operculum, p: promere, s solenomere. Pictures by courtesy of Karin Voigtlaender, Hans Reip and Dragan Antic.