2\\>lcs on Mt/riipoda. 255 



29. Cylindroiulus latistriatus (Curtis). 



In 1844 J(ilin Curtis, F.fj.S^., coiitril)ute(l a paper (3) to 

 the 'Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society/ in which he 

 gave a Inief description of several I'inglish Diplopoda. One 

 of these he calls ''Julus Londincnsis of LcacA," and gives 

 two excellent figures, which show conclusively that even at 

 that early date the typical "«/«/««" londinensis. Leach, was 

 confused with the animal often known since (especially on 

 the continent) under that natne, for Curtis's figures are 

 ooviously of Cylindroiulus londinensis teutouicus (L*ocoek), 

 whi^h is tailless, whereas the true Cylindroiulus londinensis 

 (Leach), which Curtis thought he was figuring, has a cluhhed 

 tail and is a much larger aniiiial. AVhat Curtis meant l»y 

 " Juhis L")ndinensis of Leach" is important when wo come 

 to his di'scription of " Julus" latistriatus. 



Curtis {loc. ci'.) tells us that his specimens of latistriatus 

 were sent to him from Namptwicb (Nantwich), Cheshire, 

 where they constituted a pest in garden and greenhouses. In 

 London we saw the specimens Curtis presented to the 

 liiitish Museum (5), and we must regard them as his types. 

 Externally they agree with Cylindroiulus hritannicus (Ver- 

 hoeff), and when we rememlier that this species is well 

 established in the north of Lii gland (it is a pest in a green- 

 house at Daruen, Lancashire), we can have little doubt about: 

 the synonymy of the two. For these reasons we strongly 

 advocate the restoration of the specific designation used by 

 Curtis and the rejection of that of Verhoeff which was 

 established in 181,>1. 



Curtis's paper (3) was overlooked by Latzel when he 

 compiled the bibliography for his monumental work (4), and 

 it is probably unknown to many myriapodologists. We 

 therefore append the original description of tbe species 

 with which we are now especially concerned : — 



"Julus latistriatus, Curtis, the broad-lined Snake-millipede, 

 is 5 or G lines long, of a dull ochreous lilac with a purple 

 tint, cylindrical, veiy shining, sparingly striated, the linos 

 not apj)roximating ; down each side is a row of dots, and the 

 penu timate segment is not niueronated, but slightly angu- 

 lated and rounded, as in Julus Londinensis ; the antennjc are 

 stout and rather slmrt, pilose and capitate, second joint the 

 longest, the apex very pubescent." 



Curtis adds that he at first took this " /<//«« " for the 

 young of " londinensis,*' but that the striae were twice as far 

 apart as in any other species he had examined. 



