Lissodesmus perporosus Jeekel, 1984

Mesibov, Robert, 2005, The millipede genus Lissodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania and Victoria, with descriptions of a new genus and 24 new species, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62 (2), pp. 103-146 : 122

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.24199/j.mmv.2005.62.4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8066881
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BDAA31-F553-FFB7-87EC-F2994AD88BD3
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Lissodesmus perporosus Jeekel, 1984
status

Treatment

Lissodesmus perporosus Jeekel, 1984 View in CoL

Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 10 View Figure 10 , 62 View Figure 62 , 63 View Figure 63 , 69 View Figure 69 per, 70per, 71per, 72 (map)

Lissodesmus perporosus Jeekel, 1984: 98 View in CoL .

Material examined. Holotype (not seen). Male, Australia, Tasmania. Hellyer Gorge , 32 km SSW of Somerset, 25.xi.1980, C.A.W. Jeekel and A. Jeekel-Rijvers. The type is said to be deposited in TM ( Jeekel, 1984: 86), but has not yet been received there.

Paratypes. 6 males, 13 females, 3 stadium 7 males, 2 stadium 7 females, details as for holotype; male, 12 km SW of Derwent Bridge , 26.xi.1980, C.A.W. Jeekel and A. Jeekel-Rijvers ; 2 males, 4 females, Lake St Clair National Park , near Cynthia Bay, 5 km WNW of Derwent Bridge, 26.xi.1980, C.A.W. Jeekel and A. Jeekel-Rijvers. These specimens are listed as paratypes by Jeekel (1984: 98) but their present locations are unknown and they have not been examined .

Other material. 550 males, 616 females and 328 juveniles from 333 localities (see “ Lissodesmus supplement” for details).

Description. Male c. 18 mm long, H = 1.7 mm. In alcohol, under low magnification with near-white body colour and three transverse bands dorsally: reddish purple posteriorly on prozonites, red speckling anteriorly and light brown (mainly medially) posteriorly on metatergites. Antenna fairly short, stout ( Fig. 69 View Figure 69 per). Paranota fairly wide, R = 1.5 ( Figs 10D View Figure 10 , 70 View Figure 70 per), posterior corners not turned up ( Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). Pore formula 5, 7, 9–19 in males and females. Legs robust, tarsus about as long as femur, tibia with slight ventral distal swelling ( Fig. 71 View Figure 71 per). Telopodite ( Figs 62 View Figure 62 , 63 View Figure 63 ) reaching leg 5 when retracted. Solenomere arising at about one-third the telopodite height, directed posterodistally at a small angle (c. 30°) to telopodite axis, curving slightly laterally, terminating with toothed subapical collar at about one-third the prefemoral process height. Tibiotarsus somewhat larger than solenomere, directed at larger angle to telopodite axis, straight with tip bent anterodistally at a right angle. Femoral process arising just proximal to solenomere origin, blade-like, forked at about one-third its length; anterior branch directed distally, pointed, pressed close to prefemoral process, terminating at just over half the prefemoral process height (distal to solenomere tip); posterior branch about one-quarter as long as anterior branch and much narrower, directed posteriorly and curving slightly distally. Prefemoral process at origin about half the width of telopodite base, curving gradually posteriorly from about half the process height, the mesal edge distally with a few low, tooth-like projections. Small paired unci arising at about half the prefemoral process height (distal to solenomere tip) from middle of posterior surface and from mesal edge.

Distribution and habitat. In cool temperate rainforest, wet eucalypt forest, blackwood/tea-tree swamp forest and subalpine woodland over at least 20 000 km 2 in north-west Tasmania ( Fig. 72 View Figure 72 ), from sea level to at least 1150 m. The L. perporosus range extends from the west coast near Pieman Head to the eastern edge of the Central Plateau and to Notley Gorge in the West Tamar region, and from the Bass Strait coast near the Black River mouth to Tarraleah in the upper Derwent Valley. L. perporosus is the most abundant dalodesmid over most of its range. It occurs in Pinus radiata plantations ( Bonham et al., 2002; Mesibov, 2005) as well as native vegetation and has been found in caves at Bubs Hill and Mole Creek.

Remarks. Size and coloration vary little in this species, and females and juveniles are easily recognised by the unusual pore formula. A single male L. perporosus from Trackham Creek near Waratah ( QVM 23:17460) has a normal pore formula. Another 114 specimens from the same locality, including 28 males, have the perporosus formula, indicating that this Trackham Creek male is unique and not representative of a pore-formula “race” within the species. Gonopod structure also varies very little in L. perporosus , the gonopods of males from sites 200 km apart at Rebecca Creek and Dee Lagoon differing only slightly in size, number and position of teeth on the prefemoral process. The greatest deviation from the typical perporosus gonopod structure is found in the vicinity of Maggs Mountain in the upper Mersey River catchment. Males in this small area have additional tooth-like projections on the prefemoral process, and the tip of the process is thickened and bent over ( Fig. 63 View Figure 63 ).