Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 59(2): 531–540 (2002) REDESCRIPTIONS OF ASPHALIDESMUS LEAE SILVESTRI, 1910 AND A. PARVUS (CHAMBERLIN, 1920) COMB. NOV. FROM TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA (DIPLOPODA: POLYDESMIDA: HAPLODESMIDAE) ROBERT MESIBOV Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract Mesibov, R., 2002. Redescriptions of Asphalidesmus leae Silvestri, 1910 and A. parvus (Chamberlin, 1920) comb. nov. from Tasmania, Australia (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Haplodesmidae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 59(2): 531–540. Atopodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 is synonymised with Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910. Asphalidesmus leae Silvestri, 1910 and A. parvus (Chamberlin, 1920) comb. nov. are redescribed from abundant, recently collected material. The two millipede species appear to be endemic to Tasmania but have widely separated ranges. Introduction family position. He placed Asphalidesmus in Dalodesmidae Cook, 1896, noting that the genus Early last century, Filippo Silvestri and Ralph ‘certainly appears to be a senior synonym of Tas- Chamberlin independently described small maniosoma [a Tasmanian dalodesmid], but the Tasmanian polydesmoid millipedes with dense probability should be confirmed by the study of metatergal tuberculation and laterally expanded actual material, to include type material of paranota on the second tergites. Each man Atopodesmus and Lissodesmus [another Tasma- established a monotypic genus for the material nian dalodesmid], of which the gonopod structure he examined: Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910 for is still unknown’ (Hoffman, 1980: 150). a male specimen and Atopodesmus Chamberlin, Jeekel (1984) argued that neither 1920 for two females. Neither Silvestri Asphalidesmus nor Atopodesmus were likely to nor Chamberlin assigned his genus to a family be dalodesmids. Silvestri’s description of an and the correct taxonomic placement of Asphalidesmus male lacked mention of the Asphalidesmus and Atopodesmus has long been a sphaerotrichomes characteristic of Dalodesmi- myriapodological puzzle. dae, and Atopodesmus seemed to be very similar Attems (1926) and Verhoeff (1932) placed to Asphalidesmus in nonsexual characters. Both Asphalidesmus in Fontariidae Attems, 1926, but genera seemed to Jeekel to resemble the South Attems (1940) later regarded Asphalidesmus as a African Phygoxerotes Verhoeff, 1939 and Vaalo- genus of uncertain status within Vanhoeffeniidae gonopus Verhoeff, 1940, suggesting that the Attems, 1914. Tasmanian genera might be referable to Vaalo- Verhoeff (1932) ignored Atopodesmus entirely gonopodidae Verhoeff, 1940. After further dis- because it had been described in a work (Cham- cussion of similar polydesmoids, including the berlin, 1920) which lacked illustrations and was monotypic Atopogonus Carl, 1926 from New therefore unscientific: ‘…diese Arbeit [kann] Caledonia, Jeekel (1984) reduced Vaalogonopo- weder berücksichtigt werden noch überhaupt als didae to Vaalogonopodinae and Atopogonidae wissenschaftlich gelten’ (Verhoeff, 1932: 1981). Verhoeff, 1941 to Atopogoninae. He placed the Attems (1926) at first placed Atopodesmus in two new subfamilies in Haplodesmidae Cook, Cryptodesmidae Karsch, 1879, but later consid- 1895, where they joined Haplodesminae, ered it an uncertain genus within Oniscodesmidae Helodesminae and Prosopodesminae, which had de Saussure, 1860 (Attems, 1940). been established by Hoffman (1980) from Hap- Hoffman (1980) included Atopodesmus in his lodesmidae, Helodesmus Cook, 1896 and list of Polydesmidea of uncertain status and Prosopodesmus Silvestri, 1910, respectively. 531 532 R. MESIBOV Jeekel (1984) concluded by accepting the two Haplodesmids are widespread in Australia and Tasmanian genera as haplodesmids, but without probably species-diverse (Black, 1997). At least subfamily placement. one other Tasmanian species is in the Queen The following year, Jeekel (1985) published a Victoria Museum collection, known from two key to families and non-paradoxosomatid genera female specimens from King Island; this elusive of eastern Australian Polydesmida. According to species will be described when mature males are the key, the non-sexual characters reported for collected. Asphalidesmus and Atopodesmus would place Specimens listed under Material examined these genera in Haplodesmidae. However, the were killed and preserved in 75–80% ethanol. only eastern Australian genus referred to this fam- Preliminary drawings on graph paper were made ily in Jeekel’s key is Agathodesmus Silvestri, using material cleared in 60% lactic acid and 1910, based on Agathodesmus steeli Silvestri, viewed at 100 or 200 x magnification through an 1910 from New South Wales. Agathodesmus had eyepiece graticule. A Philips Electroscan ESEM not been placed in a family by Attems (1940) and 2020 operated in high-vacuum mode was used to had been assigned to Dalodesmidae by Hoffman examine preserved material which had been air- (1980). dried before sputter-coating with gold. SEM In a later paper, Jeekel (1986) referred to his images were acquired digitally. earlier discussions of Australian Haplodesmidae Note on spatial data. Universal Transverse and noted that ‘In the meantime, Dr P. M. Johns, Mercator (UTM) grid references are the spatial Christchurch, New Zealand (pers. comm.) locators used by most field workers to define col- assured me that in his opinion Asphalidesmus lecting localities in Tasmania. Collecting sites for Silvestri is a member of the family Dalodesmidae all but a few of the specimens listed under Mate- rather than a haplodesmid. This leaves only rial examined (online at www.museum.vic.gov. Atopodesmus Chamberlin and Agathodesmus au/memoirs/index.html) were estimated in the Silvestri as potential Australian Haplodesmidae. field to be within particular 100 m UTM grid Unfortunately, the male characters of these two squares on 1:25000 scale maps published by the genera are unknown, so that as yet no certainty State of Tasmania. The maximum horizontal error can be obtained’ (Jeekel, 1986: 46). Jeekel (1986: in these estimates is likely to be less than 100 m. 35) went on to describe a new haplodesmid Latitude/longitude equivalents given were cal- species from Queensland, Atopogonus bucculen- culated using GeoCalc 4.20 (GeoComp Systems, tus, characterising its collection in 1981 as ‘the Blackburn, Victoria) and are not as precise as the first unquestionable record of the group from UTM grid references. Australia.’ Abbreviations. MCZ, Museum of Comparative In this paper I redescribe Asphalidesmus leae Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Silvestri, 1910 and Atopodesmus parvus Cham- Massachusetts, USA; QVM, Queen Victoria berlin, 1920. The two species have widely Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, Tasmania, separated ranges in Tasmania but are locally Australia. abundant, and my descriptions are based on examination of more than 500 specimens Order Polydesmida Leach, 1815 deposited in the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston, Australia. I do not consider that there Suborder Polydesmidea Leach, 1815 are sufficient differences in gonopod structure Haplodesmidae Cook, 1895 and non-sexual details to maintain separate genera for these Tasmanian forms, and I therefore Asphalidesmus Silvestri reduce Atopodesmus to a synonym of the older Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910: 362.—Attems, 1926: Asphalidesmus, which I redefine below. 153.—Verhoeff, 1932: 1587.—Verhoeff, 1936: 2.— Haplodesmidae seem to have become a ‘tem- Attems, 1940: 205.—Jeekel, 1971: 313.—Hoffman, porary storage area’ for genera of small poly- 1980: 150, 184.—Jeekel, 1984: 85. desmoids with dense metatergal tuberculation and Atopodesmus Chamberlin, 1920: 153.—Attems, lateral expansion of the collum or the paranota of 1926: 134.—Attems, 1940: 356.—Jeekel, 1971: 313.— the second tergite. Until more information Hoffman, 1980: 150, 186.—Jeekel, 1984: 85 (type becomes available about species in this group, it species: Atopodesmus parvus Chamberlin, 1920 by seems wisest to accept Jeekel’s 1984 placement original designation). (syn. nov.). of Asphalidesmus in Haplodesmidae without Type species. Asphalidesmus leae Silvestri, 1910, assignment to a subfamily. by original designation. REDESCRIPTIONS OF TWO MILLIPEDES FROM TASMANIA (DIPLOPODA) 533 Included species. A. leae, A. parvus (Chamberlin, Ozopores on segments 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 1920) comb. nov. 15–17, above and distal to centre of base of para- notum (figs 6, 8), each ozopore opening within Description. General appearance. Head plus 19 short, column-like structure with well-defined, somites (fig. 1) in both sexes. Mature males 5–6 circular, upper rim (fig. 5). mm long, 0.7–0.9 mm in overall midbody width; Legs short (fig. 2), the tarsus being longest mature females very slightly larger. Immature and podomere. Setation normal (no sphaerotri- some mature individuals completely unpig- chomes). Male leg podomeres somewhat inflated mented, appearing white to naked eye. Most relative to those on female legs, male postfemur mature (stadium VII) individuals pale yellow- and tibia proportionally longer than those of brown on collum, metatergites and preanal ring, female. deepening to brown towards waist and bases of Telson with preanal ring completely covering paranota, remainder of body very pale yellow, anal valves as viewed from above, valves opening whole animal appearing yellow-brown to naked ventrally. Few macrosetae at apex of epiproct, eye. Most mature individuals, but no immatures, 2+2 macrosetae on anal valves, 2 long macrosetae encrusted