Trichopolydesmoidea Verhoeff, 1910

Golovatch, Sergei I., 2013, A reclassification of the millipede superfamily Trichopolydesmoidea, with descriptions of two new species from the Aegean region (Diplopoda, Polydesmida), ZooKeys 340, pp. 63-78 : 71

Superfamily Trichopolydesmoidea Verhoeff, 1910

Diagnosis.

Body largely polydesmoid, only 2-16 mm long, exceptionally up to 30 mm, usually ≤ 10 mm long, with 18-20 segments. Antennomeres 2-6 usually subequal in length, but 6th normally highest; 5th often, 6th only exceptionally, devoid of an apicodorsal field of sensilla. ♂ head sometimes with vertigial modifications (humps, fossae etc.). Paraterga at most with only thin calluses, often devoid of these, lateral margin entire, only exceptionally lobulate ( Trilobodesmus Golovatch & Mauriès, 2007), typically at least faintly incised and setigerous; metaterga devoid of a cerategument, more often with 3-4, more or less regular, transverse rows of low, polygonal or rounded, setigerous bosses, but rather usually these latter either obliterated or pronounced and more numerous. Ozopores flush, opening on dorsal surface of paraterga to be located at their lateral margin, pore formula normal. Sphaerotrichomes rather often present, usually affecting both tibiae and tarsi.

Gonopod aperture large, transversely ovoid, not extending onto prozonite, but sometimes spreading caudad between coxae 9; gonocoxae subglobose, sometimes with a distolateral projection; prefemoral parts usually lying transversely to main body axis and, together with coxae, taking up most of ventral extent of ♂ ring 7, quite often with an obvious gonocoel formed by enlarged coxae; cannula and seminal groove nearly always present, both absent only exceptionally; entire telopodites or, more usually, acropodites distal to prefemoral parts usually complex, parallel to main body axis and directed forward, but often either crossing each other or, more rarely, directed more or less laterad, dorsolaterad or, exceptionally, even caudad, also exceptionally perforating lateral walls of coxites. A solenomere, an exomere and/or an endomere often present, sometimes these being prominent. An accessory seminal chamber and/or a hairy pulvillus at its orifice only seldom developed, mostly tend to be absent.

Distribution.

All continents except Australia, mostly a Northern Hemisphere group only marginally represented in the Southern Hemisphere (Indonesia + New Guinea and Melanesia, Afrotropical realm north of Malawi and Madagascar, Neotropical realm north of Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil), apparently fully allopatric with the superfamily Dalodesmoidea .