Myrmecodesmus digitatus (Loomis)

Shelley, R. M., 2004, The milliped family Pyrgodesmidae in the continental USA, with the first record of Poratia digitata (Porat) from the Bahamas (Diplopoda: Polydesmida), Journal of Natural History 38, pp. 1159-1181 : 1173

Myrmecodesmus digitatus (Loomis)

(figures 15, 16)

Ilyma digitata Loomis, 1959: 160–161 , figures 6, 7; Causey, 1963: 77.

Myrmecodesmus digitatus: Hoffman, 1999: 493 ; Shelley and Golovatch, 2001: 60; Shelley, 2001: 247.

Diagnosis. Same as for M. formicarius except crests on caudal segments widely and deeply segregated, usually diverging slightly caudad, overhanging epiproct, tip of latter visible in dorsal view between crests (figures 15, 16).

Variation. Contrary to what Shelley and Golovatch (2001) said, the difference in the lengths of the caudal crests and the degree to which they extend beyond the epiprocts in M. formicarius and digitatus (figures 14, 16) is too insignificant to base determinations on it. The only distinguishing somatic feature involves the degree of segregation of the caudalmost crests and the fact that the epiproct is always visible between them in M. digitatus and never so in M. formicarius (figures 13, 15). The caudal crests typically diverge slightly in M. digitatus but occasionally extend linearly in a subparallel arrangement.

Ecology. The types were collected from beneath logs; the sample from Hancock County, Mississippi (Shelley and Golovatch, 2001) was found ‘lakeshore along railroad’. Habitat information on vial labels examined during this study include ‘in sugarcane’, ‘under palm logs’ and ‘ 1 in. deep in soil of fungus garden of Atta texana ’.

Overall distribution. The eastern panhandle of Florida to north-central Alabama and western and northern Louisiana (figures 1, 2); the type locality is along US highway 190 between Kinder and LeBlanc, Allen Parish, Louisiana. Myrmecodesmus digitatus has never been reported outside this area and is thus both indigenous and endemic to the Gulf Coastal Plain .

Occurrence in the USA. Same as the overall distribution.

Published records. Florida: Calhoun Co. (Hoffman, 1999) . Mississippi: Hancock Co. (Shelley and Golovatch, 2001) . Louisiana: Allen Par. (Loomis, 1959; Causey, 1963; Shelley and Golovatch, 2001).

New records. Florida: Calhoun Co., Scotts Ferry near Chipola R., X, 6 September 1959, L. Hubricht ( VMNH). This is the record by Hoffman (1999), which was not provided in detail and was erroneously assigned to M. formicarius by Shelley and Golovatch (2001) .

Alabama: Baldwin Co., W of Loxley, jct. US hwys 90 and 98, X, 2 July 1960 , collector unknown ( FSCA). Jefferson Co., Homewood, X, 25 April 1960 , H. R.