taxonID	type	description	language	source
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	description	Figs 1 – 4, 6 A, D	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. ♂ holotype (NMNHS) (in 2 pieces, anterior gonopods dissected), Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad District, ca 1.5 km W of v. Kulata, 41.383 ° N, 23.3461 ° E, 70 m a. s. l., on and next to a soil levee between agricultural land and the left bank of Struma River, grassy, densely overgrown with Clematis, Rubus s. str., Prunus spinosa, sparse Salix, Populus, Ulmus, and young Quercus, pitfall trap, 16. I – 03. III. 2023, M. Naumova, G. Hristov, T. Trifonov, S. - T. Trendafilova leg.; 1 ♂ paratype (NMNHS) (in 2 pieces; antenna, right pregonopodal legs cut-off; head, anterior gonopods, and half posterior gonopods used for SEM), same collecting data as for holotype; 1 ♂ paratype (NMNHS) (in 3 pieces, anterior and posterior paragonopods, and anterior and posterior gonopods dissected; left antenna, leg-pair 2 & mid-body leg cut-off), same collecting locality and method as for holotype but 03. III – 03. IV. 2023, M. Naumova, G. Hristov, B. Vagalinski leg.; 1 ♂ paratype (IBER) (in 3 pieces, anterior and posterior gonopods, and posterior paragonopods dissected), same collecting data as previous; 3 ♀ paratypes (NMNHS) (unbroken, one with dissected right legs 1 & 2), same collecting data as previous; 1 ♀ paratype (NMNHS) (unbroken), same collecting data as previous; 1 ♀ paratype (IBER) (unbroken), same collecting data as for holotype.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A species of Melogona with 28 body segments, like M. albanica, M. broelemanni, M. scutellaris and M. transsylvanica. Differs from M. scutellaris most noticeably by the higher number of ommatidia (on each side 14 – 16 in M. sintica sp. nov., vs. 7 – 12 in M. scutellaris) and the shape of the syncolpocoxite of the anterior gonopods (with a narrow apex in M. sintica sp. nov. vs. a broadly rounded apical margin in M. scutellaris). The new species is very similar to M. albanica, M. broelemanni and M. transsylvanica in both external and gonopodal characters. Differs from these species mainly by details of the anterior gonopods, viz., syncolpocoxite roughly leaf shaped in anterior view (i. e. oblong, with convex side margins, gradually tapering in a narrow apical part), vs. same being broader distally, forming distinct, pointed, disto-lateral corners and a massive apicomedian process in M. broelemanni or a small apicomedian hump in M. albanica, angiocoxites with an axe-like apex, vs. same being apically scoop / visor-like in M. broelemanni and M. albanica, and lateral lobes of syncolpocoxite nearly as high as wide, vs. same being markedly oblong in vertical direction in M. broelemanni; syncolpocoxite rather slender, 2.5 – 3 times as high as wide, with a narrow apical part forming a short, blunt tip turned anteriad, vs. same being stouter, 1.5 – 2 times as high as wide and with a broadly rounded to flattened apex in M. transsylvanica, angiocoxites apically axe-like vs. same being scoop / visor-like in M. transsylvanica, and lateral lobes of syncolpocoxite nearly as broad as the syncolpocoxite itself, vs. same being narrower in M. transsylvanica.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Honours the Sintians – an ancient Thracian tribe that lived around the middle current of Struma River in present-day northern Greece and southwestern Bulgaria. Also referring to the currently excavated ancient city of Heraclea Sintica by the village of Rupite, Bulgaria, ca 10 km in a straight line from the type locality. Adjective.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	description	Description. Measurements. With 28 segments including telson, penultimate segment not bearing legs; holotype male (Fig. 2 A) 6.7 mm long, VD 0.63 mm; paratype males 7.3 – 8.7 mm long, VD 0.63 – 0.77 mm; paratype females 8.9 – 10.2 mm long, VD 0.86 – 1.02 mm, Colouration (after up to one and a half month stay in formaldehyde-propylene glycol solution) (Fig. 2). Yellowish-beige; head and antennae in both sexes and legs in males with darker, brownish tinges. Head. Relatively evenly setose, setae of various lengths. Labrum (Fig. 4 A) with 3 median teeth and 4 + 4 labral setae. Gnathochilarium (Fig. 4 A) with promentum broad, triangular, without setae; lingual plates with 5 + 5 setae arranged in a longitudinal row or with the basal-most seta positioned laterally, perpendicular to the row; stipital palps relatively long, mesal ones almost twice as broad as lateral ones, both bearing several apical sensilla. Antennae ca 2.1 times as long as head; relative lengths of antennomeres (excluding 8 th): 3> 5> 4> 2> 6 ≥ 7> 1. 14 – 16 blackish ommatidia on each side arranged in 6 rows: 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + (3 – 5). Trunk. Collum narrower than head, anterior margin strongly convex, posterior margin very gently concave, lateral edges narrowly rounded, hidden under the mandibles. Segments mostly smooth, metazonae with sparse, short and very fine longitudinal striae. Paraterga completely absent. Macrochaetae rather short (ca 11 % of rings’ VD) and thin, somewhat longer in first and last several segments. CIX = 1.3; MIX = 0.5; MA = 150 ˚. Telson. Epiproct with a pair of paramedian and 2 + 2 marginal setae. Paraprocts with 3 + 3 submarginal setae. Hypoproct with a pair of distal setae. Walking legs (Fig. 3 A – F). Leg-pairs 1 (Fig. 3 A) and 2 (Fig. 3 B) shorter than following legs, with tarsal combs in both sexes; male genital openings placed on small humps meso-ventrally on coxae 2. Next leg-pairs in males (Fig. 3 C – E) slightly incrassate, with a dense row of flattened and pointed papillae ventrally on tarsus, these progressively diminishing in size and number towards posterior end of body. Tarsus of mid-body leg (Fig. 3 F) ca 3.4 times as long as tibia. Anterior paragonopods (leg-pair 7) (Fig. 3 G). Reduced to very small knob-like coxites bearing several setae; telopodital remnants not evident. Anterior gonopods (leg-pair 8) (Figs 4 B – D, 6 A, D, G). Syncolpocoxite (Fig. 6 A, D, sc in Fig. 4 B) relatively elongate, appearing leaf shaped in anterior view, laterally at mid-height with expanded margins bent anteriad, distally gradually narrowing, ending with a short, blunt tip turned anteriad, basally bearing two rounded, lamellar, densely pilose lateral lobes (ll). Angiocoxites (Figs 4 C, D, 6 G, ac in Fig. 4 B) slender, with a deep mesal groove, apically forming an axe blade-like structure turned mesad. Posterior gonopods (leg-pair 9) (Fig. 4 E). With the usual for the genus conformation. Anterior coxal process (ap) massive, spatulate, gradually tapering to a club-like distal part directed somewhat posteriad. Median coxal process (mp) distally bifurcate into a larger blade-like branch (bb) and a smaller spinigerous branch (sb). Posterior coxal process or pseudoflagellum (pf) very long and slender, with a brush-like ending, i. e. a slightly enlarged fimbriate structure. Telopodites (t) massive, rounded, densely setose lobes. Posterior paragonopods (leg-pair 11) (Fig. 4 F). Coxites (c) stout, bent anteriad, somewhat tapering distally, ending with a rounded tip, with a small posterior process (pp) at mid-height. Telopodites (t) much smaller than coxites. Distal parts of both coxites and telopodites setose.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC368259FF5BFA5A0F65615C.taxon	materials_examined	Type locality. Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad District, ca. 1.5 km W of village Kulata, a riverside agricultural land, at a soil levee overgrown with various grasses, shrubs and deciduous trees (Fig. 1).	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC318259FF5BFE6308F06718.taxon	description	Figs 5, 6 B, E	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC318259FF5BFE6308F06718.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined (All from Bulgaria). 1 ♂, 3 ♀, Western Rhodope Mts, Plovdiv District, between the villages of Yugovo and Belitsa, on the left side of the road in direction to Belitsa, ca. 1.5 km after the junction leading to v. Borovo, 41.83895 ° N, 24.85941 ° E, ca. 670 m a. s. l., carved limestone scree with sparse Corylus, young Carpinus and Pinus, Viburnum, etc., in soil and litter between stones, 1. V. 2015, P. Mitov & B. Vagalinski leg.; 3 ♂, Pirin Mts, Blagoevgrad District, above v. Ilindentsi, in soil at the base of marble rocks, 11. V. 2014, P. Mitov & B. Vagalinski leg.; 1 ♂, Western Rhodopi Mts, Smolyan District, N of v. Uhlovitsa by the path to Uhlovitsa Cave, Fagus forest, under stones, 5. V. 2018, P. Mitov & B. Vagalinski leg.; 9 ♂, 2 ♀, Blagoevgrad District, ca 1.5 km NNE of v. Mesta, near the right bank of Mesta River, 41.77700 ° N, 23.68149 ° E, 663 m a. s. l., stony area with various scattered broadleaf trees and shrubs, pitfall trap next to a young Salix, 02. III – 02. IV. 2023, M. Naumova, G. Hristov, B. Vagalinski leg.; 1 ♂, Blagoevgrad District, ca 2.5 km SSW of v. Slashten, 41.46843 ° N, 24.01734 ° E, 417 m a. s. l., meso-xerophytic meadow with sparse trees and shrubs by the left bank of Mesta River, pitfall trap under a young Quercus, 02. III – 02. IV. 2023, M. Naumova, G. Hristov, B. Vagalinski leg. Descriptive notes. Anterior paragonopods (Fig. 5 C) very similar to those in M. sintica sp. nov., but setose also posteriorly, not only apically. Anterior gonopods (Figs 5 A, 6 B, E, H) with very characteristic syncolpocoxite (Fig. 6 B, E, sc in Fig. 5 A): with distinct distolateral corners and a long and stout, subtriangular apicomedian process, both structures ending with sharply pointed tips turned anteriad; lateral lobes (ll) oblong, distally narrowing. Angiocoxites (Figs 5 E, 6 H, ac in Fig. 5 A) apically with scoop / visor-like projections directed mesad. Posterior gonopods (Fig. 5 B) practically indistinguishable from those in M. sintica sp. nov., except for the fimbriate tip of pseudoflagellum (pf) being short and somewhat fan-like broadened, unlike its more slender, somewhat tapering shape in M. sintica sp. nov. Posterior paragonopods (Fig. 5 D) differing in details from those in M. sintica sp. nov., viz., posterior process (pp) larger, plus presence of a well-pronounced hump distally of the latter.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC318259FF5BFE6308F06718.taxon	discussion	Remark. The distribution range of M. broelemanni extends southwards to Chalkidiki and Epirus in Greece (Kime & Enghoff 2021), so it is very likely that the species co-occurs with M. sintica sp. nov. in parts of southwestern Bulgaria and northern Greece. M. broelemanni was recently reported as new to Germany (Decker et al. 2025) Mauriès et al. (1997), in their review of the Albanian millipedes, listed M. albanica as a subspecies of M. broelemanni, but without giving any comments on its taxonomic history and status. This publication was probably used as the source of synonymy between the two species in the later treatments in Kime & Enghoff (2021) and www. millibase. org (accessed on 1. X. 2025), as, to my knowledge, neither has M. albanica been officially synonymized nor has it been treated as subspecies in older publications. However, considering that Mauriès et al. (1997) explicitly indicated all other new synonymies and supported them with comments, the mere listing of “ M. b. albanica ” in the paper’s supplement can hardly be regarded as a proper nomenclatural act. Also given the fact that Verhoeff (1901) emphasized the similarity between M. albanica and M. broelemanni, and listed few but significant characters to distinguish between the two species, it seems reasonable to accept M. albanica as a separate species, until the type material is re-examined or new, topotypic material is made available.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC3F8256FF5BFF2E09AD60E4.taxon	description	Fig. 6 C, F	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC3F8256FF5BFF2E09AD60E4.taxon	materials_examined	Material. 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (IBER), Bulgaria, Pernik District, v. Bosnek, opposite to the entrance of Duhlata Cave, by the left bank of Struma River, 03. III. 2017, P. Mitov leg. Descriptive notes. Syncolpocoxite (Fig. 6 C, F) of anterior gonopods relatively broad, without distinct lateral corners and with broadly rounded or flattened apical margin. Apical part of angiocoxites (Fig. 6 I) very similar to the condition in M. broelemanni, but the scoop / visor-like projection somewhat more pronounced. Apex of pseudoflagellum of posterior gonopods similar to that seen in M. sintica sp. nov., rather than to that in M. broelemanni.	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
5F0887FFDC3F8256FF5BFF2E09AD60E4.taxon	discussion	Remarks. The species is new to the fauna of Bulgaria, the present record marking the southernmost point of its currently known distribution. Both gonopod pairs of the examined male specimen are particularly similar to those in the subspecies M. t. hungarica (Sziráki, 1967).	en	Vagalinski, Boyan (2025): Melogona sintica sp. nov. - a surprising seventh member of Melogona Cook, 1895, with a key to species of the genus (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Chordeumatidae). Zootaxa 5728 (3): 549-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.3.5
