Review of the millipede genus Cylindrodesmus Pocock, 1889 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Haplodesmidae)

Abstract

The genus Cylindrodesmus seems to actually comprise only two unquestioned species, (1) C. hirsutus POCOCK, 1889 (the type species), a pantropical anthropochore with bisexual populations, usually referred to as C. hirsutus, living in various places in the tropics, and parthenogenetic populations, normally referred to as C. laniger SCHUBART, 1944, occurring in numerous places in the tropics as well as in a few European hothouses, and (2) C. villosus POCOCK, 1898, from Rotuma Island, Pacific Ocean. Lectotypes of C. hirsutus, C. villosusas well as of C. palmyrae CHAMBERLIN, 1954, the latter a long-established junior synonym of C. laniger, have been select-ed, illustrated and discussed. As there are obviously no characters that would allow to distinguish C. laniger from C. hirsutus other than those apparently related to parthenogenesis, e.g. generally smaller body size, nor-mally a bit more strongly falcate/sigmoid gonopods in the residual males, and the vulvae devoid of well-developed receptacula seminis, the following new synonym is proposed: C. hirsutus POCOCK, 1889 = C. laniger SCHUBART, 1944, syn.n. Revision of the types of Inodesmus peduncularis LOOMIS, 1934, from Surinam, also results in its formal synonymy under C. hirsutus, syn.n. It is certainly because of the numerous C. hirsutus populations being thelytokous, more or less devoid of males, that this species, and genus, has a pretty long list of synony-mies. In addition, Elatosus CHAMBERLIN, 1945, monobasic, with E. pygmaeus CHAMBERLIN, 1945, from Java, is herewith formally synonymized with Cylindrodesmus, and E. pygmaeus with C. hirsutus, both syn.n.