Zinophora Chamberlin, 1927

Vohland, Katrin & Hamer, Michelle, 2013, A review of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of Namibia, with identification keys and descriptions of two new genera and five new species, African Invertebrates 54 (1), pp. 251-251 : 289-290

Genus Zinophora Chamberlin, 1927

Zinophora: Chamberlin 1927: 211 ; Schubart 1966: 164; Demange 1983: 579; Hamer 1998: 55; Redman et al. 2003: 230.

Poratophilus: Attems 1928: 376 .

Philoporatia: Attems 1928: 376; Lawrence 1965: 50. Synonymised by Demange (1983: 579).

Poratophilus (Philoporatia) : Schubart 1966: 156.

Type species: Zinophora munda Chamberlin, 1927 , by original designation.

Diagnosis: Telopodite with one or two simple femoral processes, where two spines present these of similar size. Apical elements comprising three components: the pectinophore, thumb and second lamella ( Fig. 71, p, t, sl). Thumb narrow and falcate, or a saucer-shaped, laminate plate broadening apically, curving away from other apical elements. Distal ends of telocoxites complexly lobed ( Fig. 71). Prefemora of first legs not touching medially and syncoxosternum without suture (Redman et al. 2003).

Distribution: Most diverse in South Africa, where the genus is widely distributed; also occurs in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia (Redman et al. 2003).

Remarks: Attems (1928) assigned five new species to the genus Poratophilus Silvestri, 1897 , but stated that the illustrations of the type species, P. australis Silvestri, 1897 , were so poor that it was not possible to be certain about this designation, or of the three species described by Carl (1917) in Poratophilus . Attems (1928) suggested that if the five species described were found not to be congeneric with australis , then the name Philoporatia should be used. He did not provide any diagnosis for this genus. Schubart (1966) used the name Philoporatia as a subgenus of Poratophilus , and Demange (1983) later synonymised Philoporatia with Zinophora , and placed Attems’s (1928) and Carl’s (1917) three species into the latter genus. Hoffman (1994) later verified Poratophilus as a valid genus and described the South African P. gorteri Hoffman, 1994 , as a second species in the genus.