Pyrgodesmus permutatus ( Attems, 1936 ) Golovatch, 2021

Golovatch, Sergei I., 2021, Identity of the millipede genus Pyrgodesmus Pocock, 1892, the type genus of the family Pyrgodesmidae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida), Zootaxa 5068 (4), pp. 572-578 : 575-576

Pyrgodesmus permutatus ( Attems, 1936) , comb. nov.

Figs 9–30

Pyrgodesmus obscurus — Silvestri, 1920: 120, figs 1–3 (D), non Pyrgodesmus obscurus Pocock, 1892: 155 .

Klimakodesmus permutatus Attems, 1936: 246 , nom. nov. pro Pyrgodesmus obscurus in the sense of Silvestri, 1920: 118 (D).

Klimakodesmus permutatus — Attems, 1940: 271, figs 384–386 (D, R); De Zoysa et al., 2016: 477 (R, M); Aswathy et al., 2021: 374 (D, R).

Remark. As noted above, the original description and illustrations of this species were most detailed ( Silvestri 1920), albeit misidentified as belonging to Pyrgodesmus obscurus . Silvestri’s iconography is reproduced in full ( Figs 9–30 ).

Brief redescription. Body length ca 11.5 mm. Coloration mostly black-brown, regardless of tegument being heavily coated with an earth crust ( Figs 9–12 ) or clean ( Figs 13–18 ).

All main characters as in P. obscurus , except as follows.

Paramedian tubercles/crests (PM) slightly less strongly developed, high, largely fully separated and not fused medially even at base (except for PM 19), inclined anteriad on collum and on rings 2 and 3 ( Figs 9–18 ). Surface below PM regularly microgranulate, with neither DL nor i, nor Am, nor Cm discernible beneath an earth crust ( Figs 9–12 ), but readily visible in a clean animal ( Figs 13–18 ). Tip of epiproct invisible from above between basally fused PM 19 ( Fig. 26 ).

Gonopods ( Figs 29 & 30 ) much as in P. obscurus , but gonocoel slightly less deep, coxites apparently neither conspicuously microsetose nor micropapillate, telopodites/solenomeres more clearly exposed, but stout, their tips being somewhat curved dorsad.

Distribution. Paradenyia, Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURES 9–18. Pyrgodesmus permutatus (Attems, 1936), comb. nov., habituses of two male syntypes, one coated with earth (10–12) and the other clean (13–18). All after Silvestri (1920), drawn not to scale.

FIGURES 19–30. Pyrgodesmus permutatus (Attems, 1936), comb. nov., male syntype. 19. Head, dorsal view. 20. Anterior part of body, ventral view. 21. Antenna, lateral view. 22. Gnathochilarium, ventral view. 23. Anteromedial part of gnathochilarium, ventral view. 24. Right paraterga 11 and 12, dorsal view. 25. Cross-section of body ring 8, posterior view. 26. Posterior part of body, ventral view. 27. Fine structure of limbus, dorsal view. 28. Leg of body ring 8. 29. Left gonopod, mesal view. 30. Telopodite of right gonopod, mesal view. All after Silvestri (1920), drawn not to scale.