Ommatoiulus lusitanus ( Verhoeff, 1895 )

Nesrine Akkari & Henrik Enghoff, 2017, Revision of the genus Ommatoiulus Latzel, 1884 (Julida, Diplopoda) in Portugal, with description of six new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 295, pp. 1-42 : 20-22

Ommatoiulus lusitanus ( Verhoeff, 1895)

Fig. 15

Schizophyllum (Eleutheroiulus) lusitanum Verhoeff, 1895: 224 –226.

Archiulus (Schistocoxitus) cingulatus Attems, 1927: 286 –288, figs 79–85 new syn.

Ommatoiulus cingulatus – Vicente 1985: 323. — Bailey & De Mendonça 1990: 104.

Diagnosis

Large species, closest to O. sabinarensis Akkari, Mauriès and Enghoff, 2012 , both are the only Iberian species with a deeply divided paracoxite. The two species also share similarities in the configuration of the solenomerite characterized by a strongly serrated main process and two accessory branches of different shapes. The two species differ in the main shape of the promerite, mesomerite and a much lower solenomerite and simpler accessory branches in O. lusitanus .

Material examined

PORTUGAL: Schizophyllum (Eleutheroiulus) lusitanum , syntype slide preparation (ZMB 130856) which is herewith designated as a lectotype; gonopods in slide preparation (NHMW3162) designated herewith as a lectotype for Archiulus (Schistocoxitus) cingulatus , 7 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (NHMW8810) paralectotypes for the same species, ‘Portugal, Peisha’, 1865, Steindachner don. leg; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Julus lusitanum , syntypes, don. Verhoeff 1896, Coimbra Env., Paulino d’Oliveira leg. (NHMW8045); 1 ♂, approx. 12 km SW Évora Province, 38,475889 N, 8,027 W, 27 Mar. 2012, I. Martínez-Solano, J. Gutiérrez, E. Recuero leg. (Ernesto Recuero Coll. 1790); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Setúbal District, Grândola, under stones in grassland, 3 Nov. 1986, P. Bailey leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Faro District, Algarve, Carrapato, 4 Oct. 1986, O. Martin leg. (ZMUC); 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀, 4 juveniles, Faro District, Baragem de Bravura, 5 Mar. 1981, D. Kime leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, (1 ♂ prep. 71, 1 ♀ prep. 72), Beja District, SW Odemira, 23 Jan. 1981, G.H. Baker leg. (ZMUC); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Setúbal District, Grândola, under stones in grassland, 3 Nov. 1986, P. Bailey leg. (ZMUC); 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 70 km SE of Lisboa, 27 Oct. 1981, G.H. Baker leg. (ZMUC).

Descriptive notes

Promerite with a round apex and a deep lateral notch ( Fig. 15 A–B). Posterior gonopods complex ( Fig. 15 C–D) with a large, club-shaped mesomerite ( Fig. 15 E–F), distally expanded mesolaterad, apically with a thin process pointing distad. Solenomerite complex with a main short bulgy process, deeply furrowed, posterior half strongly serrated and apically protruding in an acuminate stem lodging the opening of the seminal groove, anteriorly with a long slender process; paracoxite large and deeply divided in two asymmetrical branches.

Distribution

Portugal.

Habitat

Predominantly in grassland but occurring in Cistus litter ( Bailey & De Mendonça 1990).

Comments

Verhoeff (1895) described Schizophyllum (Eleutheroiulus) lusitanum from Coimbra without providing any illustration of the gonopods, but his verbal description, although in part difficult to interpret, is consistent with the much better described Archiulus cingulatus Attems, 1927 . For example, in Verhoeff’s description of the mesomerites (“Mittelblätter”) he wrote (translated from German): “the latter ends apically in a pointed tooth. A second such [tooth] projects at approximately right angles on the lateral side somewhat distal to the mid-length”, cf. Fig. 15 E, F. Verhoeff donated a few syntypes of the species to NHMW; these were probably overlooked by Attems who in 1927 described Archiulus cingulatus based on material from ‘Peisha’ (probably Baja now), and for which he even erected the subgenus Schistocoxitus based on the unique shape of the paracoxite deeply divided in two processes (now also noted for the Andalusian species Ommatoilus sabinarensis Akkari, Mauriès & Enghoff, 2012 ).

The comparison side by side of the syntypes of O. lusitanum and O. cingulatus (see Fig. 15 ) from ZMB and NHMW collections respectively leaves no doubt that both names are synonyms. Therefore, Archiulus cingulatus is here considered as a junior synonym of Ommatoiulus lusitanus ( Verhoeff, 1895) .

Figures

Fig. 15. Ommatoiulus lusitanus (Verhoeff, 1895). A, C, E. ‘ Archiulus cingulatus ’ syntype (NHMW 3162). B, D, F. Schizophyllum (Eleutheroiulus) lusitanum, syntypes, slide preparation (ZMB 130856). A – B. Promerites, posterior view. C – D. Posterior gonopods, posterior view. E – F. Mesomerites, posterior view.