Nyssodesmus python ( Peters, 1865 )

Golovatch, Sergei I., Korotayeva, Alyona M. & Martínez-Torres, Daniela, 2024, Three species of the millipede family Platyrhacidae from Costa Rica: a new Barydesmus Cook, 1896 and two oldest Nyssodesmus Cook, 1896 (Diplopoda Polydesmida), Zootaxa 5538 (5), pp. 424-438 : 431-432

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5538.5.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6AF05486-CCAC-4FB3-9D72-7A5D4FDB66D8
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14269368
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03CB3B55-6A0F-6C01-FF46-6A96A2104A00
treatment provided by	Plazi (2024-11-28 21:36:11, last updated 2024-12-03 17:40:55)
scientific name	Nyssodesmus python ( Peters, 1865 )
status

Treatment

Nyssodesmus python ( Peters, 1865) View in CoL

Figs 6–14 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 View FIGURE 11 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14

Polydesmus python Peters, 1865: 543 (original description).

Platyrrhacus bivirgatus Carl, 1902: 652 View in CoL , pl. 11 fig. 65 (original description), formally synonymized by Hoffman (1999: 379).

Platyrrhacus bivirgatus View in CoL — Brölemann, 1905: 342 (descriptive notes, taxonomic comments); Pocock, 1909: 142 (description; new localities; suggested probable synonymy with Platyrrhacus python ).

Nyssodesmus nigricaudus Chamberlin, 1922: 37 View in CoL , pl. 15, figs 4–8 (original description), synonymized by Hoffman (1999: 379).

Nyssodesmus bivirgatus View in CoL — Chamberlin, 1922: 40 (new combination).

Platyrhacus python — Attems, 1938: 287.

Nyssodesmus python View in CoL — Jeekel, 1963: 89 (tentative assignment to Nyssodesmus View in CoL ); Moritz & Fischer, 1978: 127 (type material and type locality information); Adolph & Geber, 1995: 56 (sizes, biology and behaviour); Hoffman, 1999: 379 (synonymic, taxonomic and distributional comments, erroneously referred to a male holotype); Recuero & Sánchez-Viales, 2018: 264 (synonymic, taxonomic and distributional comments, again erroneously referred to a male holotype).

Type material. Holotype female ( Moritz & Fischer 1978: ZMB 8, dry and pinned, Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ).

Additional material examined. 1 male (holotype of N. nigricaudus ) ( USNM 843 About USNM , DMT 27 ), Costa Rica, without further information, R.V. Chamberlin det., 1922; 1 male, 2 females ( USNM, DMT 19 ), Costa Rica, without further information, R.M. Shelley det., 1991; 2 males, 1 female ( NCMNH A3654 , DMT 63 ), Costa Rica, Heredia Province, La Virgen GoogleMaps , 10.383333°N, - 84.133333°W, primary rain forest, 190 m a.s.l., 6.II.1976, A. Young leg., R.M. Shelley det., 1976.; 2 males, 1 female ( VMNH, DMT 93 ), Costa Rica, Heredia Province, Finca La Selva, near Puerto Viejo GoogleMaps , 10.416667°N, - 84.000000°W, 100 m a.s.l., 20.II.1976, Prassede Calabi leg.; 3 males, 3 females ( ZISP MYR_DIP_0000203 and 8-2023), Costa Rica, Heredia Province, La Selva Biological Station GoogleMaps , 10.433028°N, - 84.006778°W, 19–26.VI.2023, D.V. Logunov leg.; 1 male ( VMNH, DMT 94 ), Costa Rica, Limón Province, Cairo GoogleMaps , 10.122306°N, - 83.536500°W, 102 m a.s.l., 3.III.1937, H.F. Loomis leg.; 2 males, 1 female ( USNM 33460 About USNM ?, DMT 1 ), Limón Province, Suretka GoogleMaps , 9.533333°N, - 82.933333°W, 70 m a.s.l., 31.V.24, J.C. Brandy leg.; 4 males, 5 females ( USNM, DMT 20 ), Costa Rica, Puntarenas Province, Monteverde area GoogleMaps , above town, nr. Alajuela, Guannacaste-Puntarenas border, 10.300000°N, - 84.816667°W, 1400 m a.s.l., 12–23.III.73, D.R. Whitehead leg.; 1 male ( AMNH, DMT 28 ), Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, Rockwell Farm GoogleMaps , 10.300000°N, - 84.816667°W, 1320 m a.s.l., unbaited pitfall traps, in woods, 3.VII.1983, D. Linderian leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2015; 1 male ( AMNH, DMT 29 ), Puntarenas Province, Monteverde GoogleMaps , 10.300000°N, - 84.816667°W, 1400 m a.s.l., 1959, Chas. W. Palmer leg., R.L. Hoffman det.; 1 female ( VMNH, DMT 92 ), Puntarenas Province, Monteverde GoogleMaps , 10.300000°N, - 84.816667°W, 1400 m a.s.l., 13.II.1963, C.W. & M.E. Rettenmeyer leg.; 2 males ( VMNH, DMT 95 ), Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, 40 km N of Puntarenas City GoogleMaps , in forest, 10.300000°N, - 84.816667°W, 1400 m a.s.l., 12.VIII.1976, Prassede Calabi leg.

Diagnosis. Differs from congeners primarily by the pale mid-dorsal parts of metaterga with contrasting light paraterga and either light or dark legs, indistinct metatergal granulations and often a short solenomere vestige ( Figs 7 View FIGURE 7 , 8B, 8C View FIGURE 8 , 9B, 9C View FIGURE 9 , 10B, 10C View FIGURE 10 , 11C, 11D View FIGURE 11 , 12C, 12D View FIGURE 12 ).

Distribution. Described only from the type locality. Originally mistakenly stated as coming from Nicaragua ( Cook 1896), but the provenance subsequently rectified to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica ( Moritz & Fischer 1978).

References

Adolph, S. C. & Geber, M. A. (1995) Mate-guarding, mating success and body size in the tropical millipede ' Nyssodesmus Pythos ' (Peters) (Polydesmida: Platyrhacidae). The Southwestern Naturalist, 40 (1), 56 - 61.

Attems, C. (1938) Myriapoda 3. Polydesmoidea II. Fam. Leptodesmidae, Platyrhachidae, Oxydesmidae, Gomphodesmidae. Das Tierreich, 69, 1 - 487. https: // doi. org / 10.1515 / 9783111430645

Brolemann, H. W. (1905) Myriapodes de Costa-Rica recueillis par M. le Professeur P. Biolley. IIe Memoire. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, 74, 337 - 380. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 21686351.1905.12279346

Carl, J. (1902) Exotische Polydesmiden. Revue suisse de Zoologie, 10, 563 - 679. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 13794

Chamberlin, R. V. (1922) The millipeds of Central America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 60, 1 - 75. https: // doi. org / 10.5479 / si. 00963801.60 - 2403.1

Cook, O. F. (1896) New American Platyrrhacidae. Brandtia, 12, 51 - 54. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00029890.1896.11998753

Hoffman, R. L. (1999) Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication, No. 8, 1 - 584.

Jeekel, C. A. W. (1963) Diplopoda of Guiana (1 - 5). Studies on the fauna of Suriname and other Guyanas, 4, 1 - 157.

Moritz, M. & Fischer, S. - C. (1978) Die Typen der Myriapoden-Sammlung des Zoologischen Museums Berlin. I. Diplopoda. Teil 4: Polydesmida. Teil 5. Erganzungen. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 54, 99 - 160. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnz. 19780540106

Peters, W. (1865) Ubersicht der im Konigl. zoologischen Museum befindlichen Myriopoden aus der Familie der Polydesmi, so wie Beschreibungen einer neuen Gattung, Trachyjulus, der Juli und neuer Arten der Gattung Siphonophora. Monatsberichte der Koniglichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1864, 529 - 551.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865).Female holotype(ZMB 8). A, B. Habitus, dorsal andventral views, respectively. Scale bar: 10 mm. C. Right paratergum 10, dorsal view, photographed not to scale. D. Original labels. Courtesy O. Werb.

FIGURE 7. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). A, B. Right gonopod of holotype of N. nigricaudus Chamberlin, 1922 (USNM 843, DMT 27), mesal and lateral views, respectively. Abbreviations: lb, lateral branch; sl, solenomere.

FIGURE 8. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). From up to down, two males and one female from La Virgen, Heredia Prov. (NCMNH A3654, DMT 63), together with the original labels. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B, C. Left gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Abbreviations: lb, lateral branch; sl, solenomere. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURE 9. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). Two males from Monteverde, Puntarenas Prov. (VMNH, DMT 95), together with the original labels. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B, C. Left gonopod, mesal and lateral views, respectively. Abbreviations: lb, lateral branch; sl, solenomere. Scale bar: 1 mm (B, C).

FIGURE 10. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). Two males and one female from Finca La Selva near Puerto Viejo, Heredia Prov. (VMNH, DMT 93), together with the original labels. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B, C. Left gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Abbreviations: lb, lateral branch; sl, solenomere. Scale bar: 1 mm (B, C).

FIGURE 11. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). Male from La Selva Biological Station, Heredia Prov. (ZISP 8-2023). A, B. Habitus, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. C, D. Right gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURE 12. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). Male from La Selva Biological Station, Heredia Prov. (ZISP MYR_DIP_ 0000203). A, B. Habitus, dorsal and ventral views, respectively. C, D. Right gonopod, lateral and mesal views, respectively. Photographed not to scale.

FIGURE 13. Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865). Live colour patterns in nature.A, B. Individual females. C, D. Paired couples (male on top). Photographed not to scale. Courtesy flickr.com›photos/tags/nyssodesmuspython/

FIGURE 14. Distributions of Barydesmus truncatus sp. nov. (yellow triangle), Nyssodesmus python (Peters, 1865) (black square), N. cf. python (Peters, 1865) (blank square), and N. alboalatus Cook, 1896, type locality (yellow circle) and additional record (orange circle).

Abbreviations

USNM	Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
VMNH	Virginia Museum of Natural History
ZISP	Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
AMNH	American Museum of Natural History