Polydesmida

Subterranean millipedes Stygiochiropus, from The Telegraph.

Belongs within: Eugnatha.
Contains: Rhachodesmidae, Xystodesmoidea, Platyrhacidae, Catharosoma, Antichiropus, Australiosomatini, Pyrgodesmidae, Macrosternodesmidae, Polydesmoidea.

The Polydesmida, flat-backed millipedes, are a diverse group of millipedes commonly bearing distinct lateral keels on the body segments. These keels are directed nearly ventrally in members of the family Sphaeriodesmidae, which are capable of volvation (rolling into a ball); in members of the remaining, non-volvating families they are directed more horizontally (Hoffman 1990).

Characters (from Hoffman 1990): Body of adults with 18 to 20 segments, the segmental sclerites fused into a single solid ring usually without trace of sutures. Ocelli absent. Gonopores formed from anterior leg-pair of seventh segment.

<==Polydesmida [Merocheta, Proterospermophora]
    |--Chelodesmidea H90
    |    |--Xystodesmoidea H90
    |    |--Platyrhacidae H90
    |    `--Sphaeriodesmidae [Cyclodesmidae, Desmonidae, Sphaeriodesminae, Sphaerodesmoidea] H90
    |         |--Colobodesmus triramus Kraus 1954 K54
    |         |--Desmonus H90
    |         |--Desmoniella H90
    |         `--Sphaeriodesmus K54
    |              |--S. angustatus K54
    |              |--S. bukowinus Chamberlin 1952 K54
    |              |--S. digitatus K54
    |              |--S. longiramus Kraus 1954 K54
    |              `--S. nodulosus Kraus 1954 K54
    |--Paradoxosomatide [Paradoxosomatidea, Strongylosomatidea, Strongylosomidae] H90
    |    |  i. s.: Catharosoma K55
    |    |         Oxidus gracilis (Koch 1847) CWH13
    |    |         Asiomorpha coarctata H90
    |    |         Orthomorpha K55
    |    |           |--O. (Orthomorpha) coarctata (Saussure 1860) [=Polydesmus coarctatus] K54
    |    |           |    |--O. c. coarctata A27
    |    |           |    `--O. c. gigas Attems 1927 A27
    |    |           `--O. (Kalorthomorpha) gracilis (Koch 1847) [=Fontaria gracilis] K55
    |    |         Chondrodesmus Silvestri 1897 K54
    |    |           |--C. acuticollis Attems 1931 K54
    |    |           |--C. alidens K54
    |    |           |--C. montanus (Pocock 1909) [=Dirhabdophallus montanus] K54
    |    |           |--C. orientalis Kraus 1954 K54
    |    |           `--C. panamenus K54
    |    |         Habrodesmus K55
    |    |           |--H. acollae Kraus 1955 K55
    |    |           |--H. (Titschackia) andinus (Verhoeff 1941) [=Titschackia andina] K55
    |    |           |--H. llaguenicus Kraus 1954 K55
    |    |           |    |--H. l. llaguenicus K55
    |    |           |    `--H. l. taulisensis Kraus 1955 K55
    |    |           |--H. semirugosus (Pocock 1888) K54
    |    |           `--H. uncinatus Kraus 1954 K54
    |    |         Solaenodolichopus Verhoeff 1924 [=Solänodolichopus] CH14
    |    |           |--S. pruvoti (BRolemann 1931) CWH13
    |    |           |--S. teres (Verhoeff 1924) [=Antichiropus (Solaenodolichopus) teres] CH14
    |    |           `--S. vittatus (Verhoeff 1924) [=Antichiropus (Solaenodolichopus) vittatus] CH14
    |    |                |--S. v. vittatus CH14
    |    |                `--S. v. dorsalis (Verhoeff 1924) [=Antichiropus (Solaenodolichopus) vittatus dorsalis] CH14
    |    |         Haplochiropus Attems 1944 CH14
    |    |           `--*H. pustulosus (Attems 1944) [=Antichiropus (*Haplochiropus) pustulosus] CH14
    |    |         Akamptogonus novarae (Humbert & de Saussure 1869) CWH13
    |    |         Hylomus LH62
    |    |         Centrodesmus LH62
    |    |         Pratinus LH62
    |    |--Australiosomatinae CH13
    |    |    |  i. s.: Mjoebergodesmus Verhoeff 1924 CH13
    |    |    |         Hoplatessara Verhoeff 1928 CH13
    |    |    |         Dicladosomella Jeekel 1982 CH13
    |    |    |         Oncocladosoma Jeekel 1985 CH13
    |    |    |         Somethus Chamberlin 1920 CH13
    |    |    |--Antichiropodini CH14
    |    |    |    |--Antichiropus CH13
    |    |    |    |--Helicopodosoma Verhoeff 1924 CWH13
    |    |    |    |--Stygiochiropus Humphreys & Shear 1993 CWH13
    |    |    |    |    `--S. communis HH95
    |    |    |    `--Notodesmus Chamberlin 1920 CWH13
    |    |    `--Australiosomatini CWH13
    |    `--Strongylosomini S32
    |         |--Strongylosoma B13
    |         |    |--S. innotatum (Karsch 1881) [=Polydesmus (Strongylosoma) innotatum] B13
    |         |    |--S. novarrae (von Humboldt & Sauss. 1869) [=Polydesmus (Strongylosoma) novarrae] B13
    |         |    |--S. rubripes (Koch 1867) [=Polydesmus (Strongylosoma) rubripes] B13
    |         |    |--S. sagittarium (Karsch 1881) [=Polydesmus (Strongylosoma) sagittarium] B13
    |         |    `--S. semoni Attems 1898 B13
    |         `--Onciurosoma Silvestri 1932 S32
    |              |--*O. neotropicum Silvestri 1932 S32
    |              `--O. acisternum Silvestri 1932 S32
    `--Polydesmidea H90
         |--Pyrgodesmidae H90
         |--Macrosternodesmidae H90
         `--Polydesmoidea H90

Polydesmida incertae sedis:
  Desmoxytes RHV04
  Tridontomidae LH62
    |--Tridontomus Loomis & Hoffman 1962 LH62
    |    `--*T. procerus Loomis & Hoffman 1962 LH62
    `--Aenigmopus Loomis & Hoffman 1962 LH62
         `--*A. alatus Loomis & Hoffman 1962 LH62
  Eustrongylosoma Silvestri 1896 B13
    |--*E. fasciatum (Silvestri 1894) [=Strongylosoma fasciatum] B13
    `--E. transversefasciatum Silvestri 1897 B13
  Atopogonus LH62
  Telonychopus LH62
  Rhachodesmidae LH62

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A27] Attems, C. 1927. Myriopoden von Ambon und anderen Inseln der Banda-See. Zoologische Mededeelingen 10: 61–70.

[B13] Brölemann, H. W. 1913. The Myriapoda in the Australian Museum. Part ii. Diplopoda. Records of the Australian Museum 10 (6): 77–158, pls 14–18.

[CH13] Car, C. A., & M. S. Harvey. 2013. A review of the Western Australian keeled millipede genus Boreohesperus (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae). ZooKeys 290: 1–19.

[CH14] Car, C. A., & M. S. Harvey. 2014. The millipede genus Antichiropus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), part 2: species of the Great Western Woodlands region of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 29 (1): 20–77.

[CWH13] Car, C. A., J. M. Wojcieszek & M. S. Harvey. 2013. The millipede genus Antichiropus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), part 1: redefinition of the genus and redescriptions of existing species. Records of the Western Australian Museum 28 (2): 83–118.

[HH95] Harvey, M. S., & W. F. Humphreys. 1995. Notes on the genus Draculoides Harvey (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), with the description of a new troglobitic species. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 52: 183–189.

[H90] Hoffman, R. L. 1990. Diplopoda. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 835–860. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

[K54] Kraus, O. 1954. Myriapoden aus El Salvador. Senckenbergiana Biologica 35 (5–6): 293–349.

[K55] Kraus, O. 1955. Myriapoden aus Peru, III. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (3–4): 173–200.

[LH62] Loomis, H. F., & R. L. Hoffman. 1962. A remarkable new family of spined polydesmoid Diplopoda, including a species lacking gonopods in the male sex. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 75: 145–158.

[RHV04] Racheboeuf, P. R., J. T. Hannibal & J. Vannier. 2004. A new species of the diplopod Amynilyspes (Oniscomorpha) from the Stephanian Lagerstätte of Montceau-les-Mines, France. Journal of Paleontology 78 (1): 221–229.

[S32] Silvestri, F. 1932. Description of a new genus and two new species of South American Diplopoda of the family Polydesmidae. American Museum Novitates 565: 1–4.

Last updated: 25 May 2017.