Amblyiulus aphroditae ( Attems, 1902 )

Vagalinski, Boyan, Golovatch, Sergei, Simaiakis, Stylianos Michail, Enghoff, Henrik & Stoev, Pavel, 2014, Millipedes of Cyprus (Myriapoda: Diplopoda), Zootaxa 3835 (4), pp. 528-548 : 532

5. Amblyiulus aphroditae ( Attems, 1902)

Records from Cyprus. Cyprus [unspecified locality] ( Attems, 1902).—Olympos Mt., Troodos Distr., 1900 m, under bark of a fallen Pinus ( Strasser, 1967) .

New material. NHMC: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, FC0003, Paphos, Pano Panagia village, next to a wine factory, patches with Eucalyptus , 800 m, hand collection, 08.XI.2011, SS leg., BV det.—many, FC0040, Limassol, Gerasa to Louvaras, on crossroads, next to stream with Platanus and pines, 550 m, 22.II.2012, hands, SS & CM leg., BV det.— 1 ♂, 3 ♀, FC0016, Lemesos [Limassol], Mesa Potamos, close to Saitas village, patches with Quercus , 880 m, hand collection, 4.12.2011, CM leg., BV det.— 1 ♂, 2 ♀; FC0001, Limassol, Akrotiri, Alyki, grasslands and dunes, next to ponds, 1 m, hand collection, 05.XI.2011, SS & CM leg., BV det.—many ♂ & ♀, FC0072, Nicosia, Leivadi site, Cedar Valley, stream with Platanus , cedars and Quercus, 1160 m , 4.IV.2012, SS leg., BV det.; NMNHS: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same place, date and collector.

Distribution. The species is only known from Cyprus ( Attems, 1902; Strasser, 1967; present study).

Taxonomic remarks. A. aphroditae is conspicuously similar to A. creticus ( Verhoeff, 1901) , the two species being virtually indistinguishable in size, colouration and gonopod conformation. The only character in support of their independent status is the slightly different shape of the male mandibular stipites: regularly rounded, with a distinct, subrectangular anteroventral corner in aphroditae , vs. the same with a truncate, strongly obtuse anteroventral corner in creticus ( Figs 3 and 4 ). However, it remains controversial whether such a rather minor detail can be enough as evidence for the separation of two species, or is a mere variation between two isolated island populations. Taking into account the notably uniform morphology (especially of the gonopods) within several genera or species groups in the tribe Pachyiulini (as shown, e.g., by Frederiksen et al., 2012), with Amblyiulus being among the most problematic genera, we prefer to refrain from synonymizing A. aphroditae with A. creticus until more solid proofs are available.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 4. Heads of Amblyiulus aphroditae (3) and A. creticus (4) males; arrows indicating the different shapes of the mandibular stipites.