Sphaeriodesmus mexicanus (Saussure, 1859)

John Hollier, Edmund Schiller & Nesrine Akkari, 2017, An annotated list of the Diplopoda described by Aloïs Humbert alone and with Henri de Saussure, and the Diplopoda from Saussure’s Mexico expedition, Revue suisse de Zoologie 124 (2), pp. 203-224 : 214

mexicanus Saussure, 1859b: 328 -329 [ Glomeridesmus ].

Mexique. Unspecified number of ♂ and ♀.

Saussure (1860) states that the specimens came from “Cordova, zone chaude du Mexique”.

Carl (1902) illustrated the gonopod. The MHNG collection contains three specimens in alcohol (in two jars) and parts of at least five card-mounted or pinned specimens under the name Sphaeriodesmus mexicanus . The pinned specimens are broken, and some parts that have been secondarily card-mounted are not necessarily all from the same specimen. The ♂ specimen studied by Carl is in alcohol and labelled as a type with a locality label in the jar reading “Pic d’Orizaba, H. de Sss”. Among the pinned specimens there are a ♂ and part of a ♀ labelled “Cordova, Mexique, M H de Saussure” which are clearly syntypes. The other specimens were collected by Sumichrast or have illegible labels and are less certainly syntypes. There is also a syntype in the ZMHB ( Moritz & Fischer, 1978; ZMB213).

Sphaeriodesmus mexicanus (Saussure, 1859)