The Chemistry of Some Dalodesmidean Millipedes from Tasmania (Diplopoda, Polydesmida).

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are well known for their toxic or repellent defensive secretions. As part of a larger investigation, we describe the chemical constituents of 14 species of Tasmanian millipedes in seven genera. Six species in the genus Gasterogramma were found to produce acyclic ketones, including the pungent unsaturated ketones 1, 2, and 6, and the novel (rel-3R,5S,7S)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,8-decanedione (7b), for which the stereoconfiguration was established by stereoselective syntheses of pairs of isomers. These compounds have not been detected before in millipede defensive secretions. This report is the first on species of the suborder Dalodesmidea (Polydesmida), a dominant component of the soil and litter fauna of the temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Lineagona, a new millipede genus (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae) from Texas, USA, and Nuevo Len, Mxico.

Lineagona n. gen., is established for two species from either side of the Rio Grande River in Texas and Mxico. Lineagona culmenicola n. sp., is from the vicinity of Monterrey, Nueva Leon, Mxico, and L. chisosi (Loomis, 1963) n. comb. ex Cleidogona Cook, in Cook & Collins 1895 is from Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA. A key to the genera of Cleidogonidae is provided and gonopod terminology in Cleidogonidae is updated.

A new miniature species of the milliped genus Cleidogona from Costa Rica (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), with a review of Central American Cleidogonidae.

Cleidogona huebnerae, n. sp., is described from La Gamba Tropical Research Station, Costa Rica. A total of sixteen species in three genera of Cleidogonidae are known from Central America (Guatemala south to Panama), and they are reviewed here.

Cave millipedes of the United States. XIII. A new, troglobiotic species of Austrotyla from Colorado (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Conotylidae).

Austrotyla stephensoni n. sp., from Colorado, is described as the first troglobiotic species of its genus, and compared to sympatric Austrotyla coloradensis (Chamberlin 1910). A key to all Austrotyla species is provided. 

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VIII. Three new genera and four new species of minute millipedes from Oregon and Washington, USA(Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

We describe three new genera and four new species of small, litter-dwelling millipedes from the states of Oregon and Washington, USA: Miniaria ramifera, n. gen., n. sp., Miniaria richarti, n. gen., n. sp., Tigraria oregonensis, n. gen., n. sp., and Kingaria prattensis, n. gen., n. sp. Some of the unusual characters of these species are discussed, including a new type of sensory array on the third tarsus of males and a newly observed mandibular gland.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. IV. Amplaria oedipus, n. sp., with a secondary sexual modification of males unique among millipedes (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

A new species, Amplaria oedipus, is described from Oregon, USA. Males of the new species have greatly inflated pyriform tarsi on the 5th and 6th legpairs, which is a secondary sexual modification previously not known from any other millipede.

The milliped family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. V. Stegostriaria dulcidormus, n. gen., n. sp., Kentrostriaria ohara, n. gen., n. sp., and the convergent evolution of exaggerated metazonital crests (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

Two new genera and species, Stegostriaria dulcidormus (Trisariinae) and Kentrostriaria ohara (Striariinae), are described from Oregon and Idaho, respectively. The new species are distinct from any other striariids, and indeed from any other chordeumatidan millipedes, in having the second dorsal crests greatly enlarged, giving them a fanciful resemblance to stegosaurid dinosaurs. In spite of this similarity, the two species are so distinct they cannot be accommodated in the same genus or the same subfamily. The exaggerated metazonital crests are therefore attributed to convergent evolution. We present a key to the genera of the family Striariidae.

Myriapods.

Paul Marek and William Shear introduce the arthropod sub-phylum myriapoda, which includes centipedes, millipedes and other multi-legged animals.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VI. Six new genera and thirteen new species from western North America (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

The following new genera and species of Striariidae are described from the states of California, Oregon and Washington: Nototrisaria ornata n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia napa n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia chico n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia schusteri n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia curryensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia bentonensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia pratensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia millicoma n. gen., n. sp., Rampalia cheathamensis n. gen., n. sp., Plaramia arcata n. gen., n. sp., Plaramia johnsonae n. gen., n. sp., Ralampia complexa n. gen., n. sp., and Ralampia filamentosa n. gen., n. sp.. The new species are all very small millipedes, 5.5 mm or less in length and with two or three ommatidia on each side of the head or blind. The majority have the sixth metazonital crest larger than the other crests and extended horizontally, so that the animals have the general appearance of having paranota. A new key to striariid genera is presented.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VII. Petra sierwaldae, n. gen., n. sp., a minute millipede from Idaho, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striariidae).

Petra sierwaldae, n. gen., n. sp. is described from males and females collected at four localities in Kootenai County, Idaho, USA. The new genus is defined by its unique gonopod and ninth leg anatomy, a notched collum and single ommatidium on each side of the head, and lacking third coxal flasks as well as having modified fifth coxae.

Fossil evidence for the origin of spider spinnerets, and a proposed arachnid order.

Silk production from opisthosomal glands is a defining characteristic of spiders (Araneae). Silk emerges from spigots (modified setae) borne on spinnerets (modified appendages). Spigots from Attercopus fimbriunguis, from Middle Devonian (386 Ma) strata of Gilboa, New York, were described in 1989 as evidence for the oldest spider and the first use of silk by animals. Slightly younger (374 Ma) material from South Mountain, New York, conspecific with A. fimbriunguis, includes spigots and other evidence that elucidate the evolution of early Araneae and the origin of spider silk. No known Attercopus spigots, including the original specimen, occur on true spinnerets but are arranged along the edges of plates. Spinnerets originated from biramous appendages of opisthosomal somites 4 and 5; although present in Limulus, no other arachnids have opisthosomal appendage homologues on these segments. The spigot arrangement in Attercopus shows a primitive state before the reexpression of the dormant genetic mechanism that gave rise to spinnerets in later spiders. Enigmatic flagellar structures originally described as Arachnida incertae sedis, are shown to be Attercopus anal flagella, as found in Permarachne, also originally described as a spider. An arachnid order, Uraraneida, is erected for a plesion, including these two genera, based on this combination of characters. The inability of Uraraneida precisely to control silk weaving suggests its original use as a wrapping, lining, or homing material.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. II. New records and species of the genus Amplaria Chamberlin, 1941 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

The millipede genus Amplaria Chamberlin, 1941 (senior synonym of Vaferaria Causey, 1958 and Speostriaria Causey, 1960) is endemic to western North America, from Mt. Palomar and San Luis Obispo, California, north to southwestern British Columbia, Canada, and east to northern Idaho. Seven species names are currently assigned to the genus. Below I describe ten additional new species: Amplaria crawfordi, Amplaria fontinalis, Amplaria rykkenae, Amplaria arcata, Amplaria baughi, Amplaria staceyi, Amplaria umatilla, Amplaria cervus, Amplaria mendocino and Amplaria flucticulus, and provide new records of Amplaria nazinta Chamberlin.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893: III. Four new species of Striaria Bollman, 1888 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striariidae) from Idaho, USA.

The millipede genus Striaria Bollman, 1888 heretofore had been thought to be confined to the Appalachian region of eastern North America, is replaced in western North America by species of the genus Amplaria Chamberlin, 1941. Collections from northern Idaho show that this is not the case, and that at least four species of Striaria occur in the west. These species are described herein as Striaria aculeata n. sp., S. bombillus n. sp., S. vagabundus n. sp. and S. orator n. sp.

Additions to the millipede family Caseyidae. II. Martenseya, a new genus of miniature, blind millipedes from California (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striariidea, Striarioidea, Caseyidae).

A new genus, Martenseya, is described for Martenseya minutocaeca n. sp., a tiny, blind species in the family Caseyidae from Marin County, California, USA. A key to the chordeumatidan families of northwestern North America is provided, as well as a key to caseyid genera.

Three new genera and eighteen new species of miniature polydesmid millipedes from the northwestern United States (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Polydesmidae).

Three new genera, Retrorsioides, Rowlandesmus and Benedictesmus, are described and the polydesmid millipede fauna of North America is briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the genera Bidentogon Buckett Gardner, 1968 and Retrorsia Shelley, 2003. Eighteen new species are described: Bidentogon buttensis, Bidentogon norcal, Retrorsia leonardi, Retrorsia benedictae, Retrorsia richarti, Retrorsia gracilis, Retrorsia simplicissima, Retrorsioides castellum, Retrorsioides linnensis, Retrorsioides kittitas, Retrorsioides bammerti, Retrorsioides arboramagna, Rowlandesmus millicoma, Rowlandesmus dentogonopus, Benedictesmus aureua, Benedictesmus ellenae, Benedictesmus yaquina and Benedictesmus timber. Natural history notes and illustrations are provided of putative commensal fungi, nematodes and a mite found on the millipede specimens.

Preface.

To process a Festschrift is an honour and a unique opportunity to show respect to someone who made important contributions over many years in a special field of scientific research. In the case of Jochen Martens the contribution is to not only in one field, but in several: harvestmen, birds, high mountains, taxonomy, systematics, evolution etc.

The first true millipede-1306 legs long.

The name "millipede" translates to a thousand feet (from mille "thousand" and pes "foot"). However, no millipede has ever been described with more than 750 legs. We discovered a new record-setting species of millipede with 1,306 legs, Eumillipes persephone, from Western Australia. This diminutive animal (0.95 mm wide, 95.7 mm long) has 330 segments, a cone-shaped head with enormous antennae, and a beak for feeding. A distant relative of the previous record holder, Illacme plenipes from California, it belongs to a different order, the Polyzoniida. Discovered 60 m below ground in a drill hole created for mineral exploration, E. persephone possesses troglomorphic features; it lacks eyes and pigmentation, and it has a greatly elongated body-features that stand in stark contrast to its closest surface-dwelling relatives in Australia and all other members of its order. Using phylogenomics, we found that super-elongation (> 180 segments) evolved repeatedly in the millipede class Diplopoda. The striking morphological similarity between E. persephone and I. plenipes is a result of convergent evolution, probably for locomotion in similar soil habitats. Discovered in the resource-rich Goldfields-Esperance region and threatened by encroaching surface mining, documentation of this species and conservation of its habitat are of critical importance.

The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893: I. Introduction to the family, synonymy of Vaferaria Causey with Amplaria Chamberlin, the new subfamily Trisariinae, the new genus Trisaria, and three new species (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea).

The significant taxonomic characters of the millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1888 are discussed. The monotypic genus Vaferaria Causey, 1958 is synonymized under Amplaria Chamberlin, 1941, giving the new combination Amplaria imberbis (Loomis, 1936). The genera Striaria Bollman, 1888 and Amplaria are assigned to the subfamily Striariinae. A new subfamily, Trisariinae, is established that presently includes only Trisaria new genus, with three new species: Trisaria rex, T. olympia and T. washingtonensis. The new subfamily, genus, and species are endemic to western Washington state, USA.

The millipede family Conotylidae in northwestern North America, with a complete bibliography of the family (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Heterochordeumatidea, Conotyloidea).

The center of diversity for the chordeumatidan millipede family Conotylidae is northwestern North America, where five of six subfamilies and ten of fourteen previously described genera occur; in this paper, seven additional new genera and 33 new species from the region are described. New species in the genus Taiyutyla Chamberlin, 1952 are: Taiyutyla tillamook, Taiyutyla acuphora, and Taiyutyla amicitia; in the genus Bollmanella Chamberlin, 1941: Bollmanella bombus, Bollmanella washingtonensis and Bollmanella leonardi; in the genus Brunsonia Loomis Schmitt, 1971: Brunsonia pulchra, Brunsonia digitata, Brunsonia wenatchee, Brunsonia chelanoparva, Brunsonia chelanomagna, Brunsonia selwayana and Brunsonia benewah. Vancouvereuma n. gen. is described with the type species Taiyutyla shawi Shear 2004. Calityla n. gen. includes the new species Calityla siskiyou, Calityla ubicki, Calityla trinitaria, Calityla essigi, and Calityla humboldtensis. Ovaskella, n. gen. includes the new species Ovaskella ovaskae and Ovaskella sinuosa. Karagama, n. gen. includes the new species Karagama ladybird. Complicatella, n. gen. includes the new species Complicatella pectenifera and Complicatella neili. Bifurcatella n. gen. includes the new species Bifurcatella olympiana, Bifurcatella hoh, Bifurcatella angulata, Bifurcatella pacifica, Bifurcatella germania, Bifurcatella uniclada, Bifurcatella inflata and Bifurcatella hobo. Loomisiella, n. gen. includes the new species Loomisiella evergreen and Loomisiella pylei. New distribution records are provided for numerous previously described species of conotylids. A complete bibliography of the family Conotylidae of the world is also included.