Dalodesmus orator Hoffman, 1974

Wesener, Thomas, Akkari, Nesrine & Golovatch, Sergei I., 2025, Revision of the millipede family Dalodesmidae in Madagascar, with descriptions of two new Malagasy species of Dalodesmus Cook, 1896 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida), ZooKeys 1223, pp. 185-220 : 185-220

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1223.139346
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:451749E9-009E-43E9-A6F1-892035BDF1B0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14616987
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4F9FCBD8-F276-5C5B-B032-EDB13FA1CEE1
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft (2025-01-08 15:22:16, last updated 2025-01-08 18:34:45)
scientific name	Dalodesmus orator Hoffman, 1974
status

Treatment

Dalodesmus orator Hoffman, 1974 View in CoL

Fig. 10 View Figure 10

Dalodesmus orator Hoffman, 1974: 225, figs 1–9 (D); Golovatch and Hoffman 1989: 162 (L); Enghoff 2003: 623 (L); Wesener and Enghoff 2022: 926 (L). View in CoL

Remark.

This species was described from a ♂ holotype, two ♂ and two ♀ paratypes, all coming from Ambohimitombo, central Madagascar ( Hoffman 1974), in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London, United Kingdom.

Brief description.

(After Hoffman 1974.) ♂ holotype ~ 26.5 mm long and up to 2.3 and 5.3 mm wide on pro- and metazona, respectively; ♀ up to 4.5 mm wide. Colouration light reddish brown with yellow paratergal apices and legs. Paraterga largely clearly upturned above dorsum and directed more laterad than caudad, at ca 45 °, tips elongate and sharpened caudally; dorsal surface between paraterga mostly vaguely areate (Fig. 10 A View Figure 10 ).

Gonopods (Fig. 10 B – D View Figure 10 ) showing bare femorites (fe), coupled with rather complex acropodites: an unusually short and small solenomere (sl) directed ventrad, lying between the highest, suberect, distally unequally bifid mesal branch (mb) and a much shorter and strongly folded lateral branch (lb) directed ventrad.

References

Enghoff H (2003) Diplopoda, millipedes. In: Goodman SM, Benstead JP (Eds) The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 617–627.

Golovatch SI, Hoffman RL (1989) Identity of Polydesmus hamatus Brandt 1841, a Malagasy milliped (Diplopoda Polydesmida Dalodesmidae). Tropical Zoology 2: 159–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/03946975.1989.10539436

Hoffman RL (1974) Short studies on dalodesmid millipeds from South Africa and Madagascar. Wasmann Journal of Biology 32 (2): 221 - 246.

Hoffman RL (1974) Short studies on dalodesmid millipeds from South Africa and Madagascar. Wasmann Journal of Biology 32 (2): 221–246.

Wesener T, Enghoff H (2022) Diplopoda, millipedes, Menavetraka, Ankodabitra, Ankodiavitry, Marotanana, Sakolavitsy. In: Fisher BL, Goodman SM (Eds) The New Natural History of Madagascar. Princeton University Press USA, 918–933. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2ks6tbb.118

Figures

Figure 10. Dalodesmus orator Hoffman, 1974, ♂ holotype, modified from Hoffman 1974 A midbody tergite, dorsal view B gonopod, posterior view C acropodite, mesal view D gonopod, lateral view. Abbreviations: lb = lateral branch; mb = mesal branch; pfe = postfemorite; sl = solenomere branch. Not to scale.