Abstract
Recent samplings in cavities of the Iberian Peninsula led to the discovery of a new millipede species of the order Callipodida in one cave in the region of El Bierzo (León, Spain): Lusitanipus xanin sp. nov. In additional samplings (near that cave), more specimens of this new species were discovered in surface habitats. The species has various distinctive characteristics, such as its green colour, but the morphology of the gonopod has several similarities with that of Lusitanipus alternans (Verhoeff, 1893), indicating a close relationship between them. The diagnosis of the genus Lusitanipus Mauriès, 1978 has to be changed to accommodate the new species. The presence of crests in two different sizes is no longer a diagnostic character of the genus Lusitanipus, but of the species L. alternans. Lusitanipus xanin sp. nov. is the fourth species of the order Callipodida for the Iberian Peninsula, and the second species for the genus. Lusitanipus xanin sp. nov. seems to be an epigean but troglophile species.
Highlights
Diplopoda is a highly diverse class of detritivore arthropods that play an important role in soil formation and the cycle of nitrogen by consuming decaying plant material, including leaf litter (Golovatch & Kime 2009, Cárcamo et al 2000, David 2015)
One of the main “gaps” in millipede knowledge is the Iberian Peninsula. This has been highlighted by authors such as Spelda (2015), who stated that this peninsula is “terra incognita” regarding its millipede fauna
In the last decade, the interest in the millipede fauna of the Iberian Peninsula has increased, and several descriptions of new species have been made from specimens captured in caves (e.g. Enghoff & Reboleira 2013; Reboleira & Enghoff 2014; Mauriès 2013, 2014; Djursvoll 2019), shallow subterranean habitats (Gilgado et al 2015a, 2015b, 2017; Akkari et al 2018), and on the surface (e.g. Akkari & Enghoff 2012, 2017; Mauriès 2018; Recuero & Rodríguez-Flores 2020)
Summary
Diplopoda (millipedes) is a highly diverse class of detritivore arthropods that play an important role in soil formation and the cycle of nitrogen by consuming decaying plant material, including leaf litter (Golovatch & Kime 2009, Cárcamo et al 2000, David 2015). In two volumes of the Atlas of European Millipedes by Kime & Enghoff (2011, 2017), dealing in total with eight millipede orders, the authors compile in each volume a map of Europe marking 50 × 50 km squares with at least one millipede record. In those maps, one can see that there are large areas in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula that are lacking any record, whereas in Central Europe there are only a few “blank” areas. Further initiatives, such as a series of samplings in caves of northern Spain by one of the authors of the manuscript (C.E.P.), have resulted in the discovery of a new millipede of the order Callipodida, subject of the present work
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