Micropachyiulus ocellatus ( Antić & Akkari, 2018 ) Vagalinski & Evsyukov & Chumachenko & Zabiyaka, 2023

Vagalinski, Boyan, Evsyukov, Aleksandr P., Chumachenko, Yuri A. & Zabiyaka, Igor Y., 2023, A review of the genus Micropachyiulus Verhoeff, 1899 and description of the related Armeniopachyiulus gen. nov. (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae: Pachyiulini), Zootaxa 5239 (2), pp. 221-246 : 227

Micropachyiulus ocellatus ( Antić & Akkari, 2018) , comb. nov.

Hylopachyiulus ocellatus Antić & Akkari, 2018 (in Antić et al. 2018): 231–234, figs 4, 5, 8C, D.

Diagnosis. A species of Micropachyiulus (always?) with ommatidia. Very similar to Micropachyiulus corylorum , Micropachyiulus pygmaeus , and Micropachyiulus paucioculatus in terms of gonopod conformation, and especially in the shape of the solenomere which ends up with a minute, transversely oriented apical projection. Clearly distinguishable from all these species by the very short and blunt (vs. long and pointed) epiproct. Differs further from M. corylorum by the absence of a rod-like process next to the solenomere; from M. pygmaeus by the solenomere considerably overreaching the mesomeral process, rather than the two being subequal in height; and from M. paucioculatus by a thicker, apically fimbriate rather than smooth posterior lamella of the opisthomere, a much shorter (barely vs. considerably overreaching apical part of posterior lamella) solenomere and a stouter apical outgrowth of the mesomeral process, oriented considerably more anteriad rather than being mostly parallel to the main axis of the opisthomere.

Distribution ( Fig. 14 , pink circles). Croatia: Dicmo (type locality). Austria: Vienna, Grinzing (D. Antić and J. Gruber, pers. comm.).

Remarks. According to fig. 5A in Antić et al. (2018), males of M. ocellatus comb. nov. have humps basomesally on the distal podomere of legs 1, like those observed in other species of the genus (see below).

According to unpublished observations of Jürgen Gruber (formerly in NHMW) based on numerous individuals from Grinzing, most adults have 1–4 ommatidia on each side of the head, while some seem to lack ommatidia altogether. However, the latter condition might be a false impression caused by the absence of pigmentation from the ommatidia, which is quite common in this species. Additional careful observations are needed to either confirm or reject the existence of an anophtalmous form of M. ocellatus comb. nov..

Considering the high level of endemism within Micropachyiulus and the more than 500 km in a straight line between the type locality of M. ocellatus comb. nov. and Vienna, the latter record is almost certainly a case of human introduction.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution of the genera Micropachyiulus Verhoeff, 1899 and Armeniopachyiulus gen. nov.