Critical evaluation of the specimens of Lithobius validus Meinert - species group (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae) from the "Z. Matic" and "Şt. Negrea" collections (Romania)

Abstract

Critical evaluation of the specimens of Lithobius validus Meinert - species group (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae) from the "Z. Matic" and "Şt. Negrea" collections (Romania) Z. Matic's collection, preserved at the Zoological Museum of the "Babeş-Bolyai" University of Cluj-Napoca, and Şt. Negrea's collection, preserved at the "Emil Racovitza" Speleological Institute of Bucharest (the only chilopod collections existing in Romania) are containing three species of the Lithobius validus Meinert group: L. (L.) validus Meinert, 1872 (sensu Eason, 1974 a), L. (L.) moldavicus Prunesco, 1966 (sensu Negrea, in the present paper) and L. (L.) matici Prunesco, 1966. New synonymies are proposed: Lithobius punctulatus moldavicus Prunesco, 1966 = Lithobius moldavicus Negrea in this work = Lithobius validus Zapparoli, 1994 nov. syn.; Lithobius matici Prunesco, 1966 = Lithobius matici biharicus Prunesco, 1966 nov. syn. The subspecies Lithobius punctulatus moldavicus Prunesco, 1966 is elevated to the taxonomical rank of species, Lithobius moldavicus Prunesco, establishing its geographical area as it is currently known. The following species are redescribed: Lithobius validus Meinert, 1872, based on the Romanian Carpathians populations; Lithobius moldavicus Prunesco, 1966 based on the specimens of the Eastern Carpathians - including the type series, establishing a lectotypus and an allolectotypus; Lithobius matici Prunesco, 1966 based on populations from the Eastern Carpathians and the Western Carpathians.