Odontostreptus Attems, 1914

Enghoff, Henrik & Reboleira, Ana Sofia, 2020, The first blind spirostreptid millipede, found in a cave in Morocco; with notes on the genus Odontostreptus Attems, 1914 (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 668 (668), pp. 1-11 : 2

Genus Odontostreptus Attems, 1914

Diagnosis (based on Krabbe 1982)

Differs from other genera of Spirostreptidae by having a gonopod telopodite with an antetorsal process and a terminal, large, ladle-like lamella protecting an unbranched solenomere, in combination with having a simple gonopod coxal metaplica without terminal lamellae, moderately developed prefemoral processes on the first pair of male legs, a dorsally smooth preanal ring, and body rings without longitudinal keels.

Of the 13 included species ( Krabbe 1982), two are restricted to Morocco, viz., O. maroccanus ( Attems, 1914) and O. lepineyi (Verhoeff, 1938) . The latter is very poorly known; it was described from a female and according to Schubart (1960) may be a synonym of O. maroccanus tidsiaccola . In contrast, O. maroccanus has been collected frequently. In its present concept it is quite a variable species; the following forms have been described:

- O. maroccanus tidsiaccola ( Brolemann, 1928)

- O. maroccanus ahmedensis ( Brolemann, 1928)

- a form of ahmedensis with particularly many body rings ( Schubart 1960)

- a form of ahmedensis (“Rif-Form”) with ozopores on body ring 5 ( Schubart 1960)

Schubart (1952, 1960) considered the possibility that ahmedensis could be a separate species. We here present some notes and illustrations of O. maroccanus s. lat., but a clarification must await a study of a much more comprehensive material. On the other hand, we are confident in describing the new eyeless Odontostreptus as a separate species.