XVI. DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME ORIENTAL 



DIPLOPODA POLYDESMOIDEA OF THE 



SUBFAMILY PYRGODESMINAE. 



By F. SiLVESTRI. 



The subfamily Pyrgodesminae of the Diplopoda Polydesmoidea 

 comprise small species which are peculiar on account of the pro- 

 cesses, tubercles or granules on the dorsum : because the head is 

 concealed, or almost concealed, dorsally by the coUum and the 

 Cauda by the preceding segment ; because the dorsal surface of the 

 trunk is provided with setae or papillae that often become so en- 

 crusted with dirt as to mask the form of the body and to make 

 the apparent colour the same as that of the ground. 



Some species are myrmecophilous or termitophilous. 



The Oriental Region is certainly rich in genera and species of 

 this group, but until to-day we have short descriptions of only two 

 genera : Pyrgodesmus Poc. and Lophodesmus Poc. I should like, by 

 kind permission of Dr. N. Annandale, to call the attention of 

 collectors of Oriental Myriopods to this group and I give here 

 descriptions and figures of Pyrgodesmus and five new genera. 



Gen. Pyrgodesmus Poc. 

 (Figs. I-III). 



Pocock, y^. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. VII, 1892, p. 155, pi. ii, fig. l-ib ; 

 Silvestri, Ann. Mus. Genova (2) XVI (XXXVI), 1896, p. 192. 



Corpus capite, collo, segmento anali et segmentis aliis 19 com- 

 positum, lateribus subparallelis, postica aliquantum attenuatum 

 nee in globum nee in spiram, sed tantum arcuatim aliquantum 

 contractile. 



Caput omnino obtectum antice spatio brevi, lateraliter spatio 

 parum longiore a coUo separatum, fronte ad verticem transverse 

 parum elevata, media usque ad torulorum libellam etiam elevata, 

 lateraliter praesertim a torulis ad marginem valde depressa, clypeo 

 ante incisuram posticam lateralem incrassato elevato, antrorsum 

 aliquantum angustato, margine antico medio tridentato, superficie 

 setis brevioribus numerosis et seriebus duabus anticis setarum 

 parum brevium aucta. 



Antennae articulo quinto quam ceteri longiore et crassiore 

 setis et sensillis vide fig. Ill, 2. 



Mandibulae dente apicali, dente minimo proximali supero 

 aucto, lamina 5-dentata et laminis pectinatis 6 bene evolutis 

 instructae. 



