Eurygyrus asiaeminoris ( Verhoeff, 1898 )

Vagalinski, Boyan, Golovatch, Sergei, Simaiakis, Stylianos Michail, Enghoff, Henrik & Stoev, Pavel, 2014, Millipedes of Cyprus (Myriapoda: Diplopoda), Zootaxa 3835 (4), pp. 528-548 : 539

15. Eurygyrus asiaeminoris ( Verhoeff, 1898)

Material examined. MNKB: 2 ♂, 4 ♀, few fragm. specimens, “ Cypern, Rolle leg.”, PS det.

Distribution. This is the first record of the order Callipodida on Cyprus. The species was so far known only from its type locality, i.e. an unspecified place between the cities of Mersin and Tarsus, Cilicia, southern Turkey ( Verhoeff, 1898, Enghoff, 2006, Stoev et al., 2008). Besides studying some near-topotypic material from Mersin, we have found it also in three other localities in the same region in southern Turkey: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Taurus, Cilicien, 1896, leg. Holz (MNKB); 4 ♂, 2 ♀, Beysehir District, v. Dumanli, Taurus Dedegöl Mts., Düden Yayla, 1600-1800 m, 4-9.VII.1993, leg. P. Beron (NMNHS), and 1 ♂, 9 ♀, Çamlilayla, 9-11.V.1969, leg. G. Pretzmann (NHMW). The material from Cyprus treated here was found among old samples in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Taking into account its rather poor condition, apparently due to a long preservation in alcohol, the material is very likely to have been collected around the end of 19th to early 20th century. We were not able to find any information about the collector and his trip to Cyprus, and it also remains unclear where exactly the species was found on the island. Cyprus lies only 75 km off the Turkish coast, and the type locality of E. asiaeminoris is situated only ca 120-130 km NNE of Cape Apostolos Andreas in Karpass Peninsula. The presence of the species on the island is not surprising given the short distance to the mainland and might be explained either by human introduction or natural dispersal. The record of E. asiaeminoris from ‘Senaar’ ( Attems, 1927) is dubious and may represent a case of mislabelling (see Stagl and Stoev, 2005). In mainland Turkey, the species seems to be restricted to the Taurus Ridge and adjacent areas, its range covering an area of approximately 100 km N/S to 250 km E/W. In Çamlilayla it was found together with E. turcicus ( Verhoeff, 1898) (on the sympatry of the turcicus and rufolineatus groups of Eurygyrus see also Glaubrecht & Spelda, 1993).

Taxonomic remarks. E. asiaeminoris was originally described as a subspecies of Lysiopetalum byzantinum ( Verhoeff, 1896) . The latter species is now considered to be a junior synonym of E. rufolineatus C.L. Koch, 1847 (see Hoffman and Lohmander, 1964). In the same paper the authors also erect E. asiaeminoris to a full species status. The gonopod similarity between E. asiaeminoris and E. rufolineatus has already been emphasized by a number of authors (e.g., Verhoeff, 1898, Attems, 1927, Hoffman and Lohmander, 1964, Hoffman, 1972). In the latest taxonomic treatment of the species ( Hoffman, 1972) the author states “The status of this nominal taxon was discussed in our 1964 paper, when the possibility of its being either a synonym or subspecies of rufolineatus was mentioned. Subsequent examination of type material has failed to settle this question either way.” and “The chief differences that I can perceive are the serrate-laciniate aboral edge of the coxal process in rufolineatus , and the distinctly larger distal telopodite process in asiaeminoris ”. Examination of other nearly topotype material, as well as a side-by-side comparison with non-type specimens of E. rufolineatus from Çanakkale reveals further characters in support of the validity of E. asiaeminoris . In addition to the characters mentioned above, the latter has a subtrapezoid, sometimes apically emarginated gonosternal process (vs. clearly rounded in rufolineatus ) ( Figs 8–9 ), and an apically much thinner coxal process, which is strongly curved at mid-length (vs. almost equally broad along its length and more or less straight); the apical part of the coxal process with a distinct serration, delineated by a rim ( Figs 10–11 ). We do not completely rule out the possibility that the Cypriotic material belongs to a new species, closely related to E. asiaeminoris . There are slight morphological differences in the shape of the gonocoxal process and leg-pair 7 in the males. However, until fresh material is examined and molecular methods employed the identity of the Cyriotic specimens remains uncertain.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 9. Gonosterna, anterior views of Eurygyrus asiaeminoris (8) and E. rufolineatus (9).

FIGURES 10 – 11. Eurygyrus asiaeminoris, gonopod: (10) specimen from Cyprus, mesal view, coxal process missing; (11) specimen from Mersin, Turkey, anterior view. Abbreviations: li — linomere, cp — coxal process, d — distal process of telopodite.