Redescription of the giant Southeast Asian millipede Spirobolus macrurus Pocock, 1893 and its assignment to the new genus Macrurobolus gen. nov. (Diplopoda, Spirobolida, Pachybolidae)

By

Pimvichai, Piyatida
Enghoff, Henrik
Backeljau, Thierry

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-2-22

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1087

Pages

1--18

Subjects

Aphyly , Myanmar , taxonomy , Thailand

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1087.71280

 

Abstract

A new genus of the millipede family Pachybolidae from Southeast Asia is described: Macrurobolusgen. nov., with Spirobolus macrurus Pocock, 1893 as type species. This latter species is DNA barcoded (COI) and redescribed based on male morphological characters, which hitherto were unknown. The new genus differs from other pachybolid genera by having (1) the preanal ring process long and protruding beyond the anal valves and (2) the anterior gonopod telopodite distally abruptly narrowed, forming an extremely long, slender, elevated process curved caudad. Given that Macrurobolusgen. nov. is a monotypic genus, it is aphyletic and thus requires further taxonomic revision.