Eviulisoma iuloideum ( Verhoeff, 1941 )

Enghoff, Henrik, 2018, A mountain of millipedes VII: The genus Eviulisoma Silvestri, 1910, in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, and related species from other Eastern Arc Mountains. With notes on Eoseviulisoma Brolemann, 1920, and Suohelisoma Hoffman, 1963 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 445, pp. 1-90 : 66

Eviulisoma iuloideum ( Verhoeff, 1941)

Fig. 32

Himatiopus iuloideus Verhoeff, 1941: 243 .

Eviulisoma iuloides – Jeekel 1968: 101.

Eviulisoma iuloideus – Mortiz & Fischer 1978: 105.

Eviulisoma iuloideum – Jeekel 2003: 69.

Diagnosis

Differs from all other Eviulisoma species, except E. articulatum sp. nov. and E. lanceolatum , by the obviously articulated gonopod acropodite. Very similar to E. articulatum sp. nov., with which it shares the very large, subrectangular solenophore, but differs from that species by having a cylindrical mesal acropodite process (map) without a subapical side branch (vs map tapering, with a side branch), as well as by having a triangular hypoproct (vs a rounded trapezoid, tritubercuate hypoproct).

Material studied

Syntypes

TANZANIA (all in ZSM): 1 ♂ (only posterior half), 1 ♀, in alcohol, non-original label “ Himatiopus iuloideus Verhoeff, Tanganjika, Tier mit Originaldet.-Etik. (Typus-Verd.), ehem. Trockenm. Etik. Nr. 1277 ”; slide with gonopod, labelled “ A20035148 , Himatiopus juloideus Verh. Gp. ♂ Tanganjika ”; slide with male leg pairs 1–6, labelled “ A20035147 , Himatiopus juloideus Verh. 1.–6. B. ♂ Tanganjika ”; 2 ♀♀, in alcohol, “ Tanganykia, Mufindi, Iringa, in tea nursery, xii – 1930, W. V. Harris, from DAO ”.

Remarks

As far as can be seen from the available material, E. iuloideum shares the general morphology of the Udzungwan Eviulisoma species. It is especially similar to E. articulatum sp. nov., from which it differs gonopod-wise as specified in the diagnosis. Figure 32 (from Verhoeff 1941) shows the gonopod telopodite of E. iuloideum ; a restudy of the gonopod slide confirmed that Verhoeff’s drawing is accurate.In particular, the mesal acropodital process (map) does not have a subapical side branch. The two species also differ in the shape of the hypoproct, which in E. iuloideum is triangular vs rounded trapezoid, with three tubercles in E. articulatum sp. nov. According to Verhoeff (1941), E. iuloideum , unlike E. articulatum sp. nov., has no setae on the collum and body rings (“spärliche Beborstung nur am Telson”), but considering how delicate and hard to see these setae are, this difference is hardly significant. The type locality of E. iuloideum , “Tanganjikasee bei Mufundi-Iringa”, probably refers to Mufindi SW of Iringa City, some 100 km SW of the type locality of E. articulatum sp. nov., i.e., outside the Udzungwa Mts (and, as is the case with several other localities at the “Tanganjikasee” mentioned by Verhoeff 1941, very far from Lake Tanganjika [did Verhoeff misread “tea nursery”?]).

Figures

Fig. 32. Eviulisoma iuloideum (Verhoeff, 1941), right gonopod telopodite, mesal view. Abbreviations: fet = ʻfemoriteʼ; map = mesal acropodital process; prf = prefemoral part; slm = solenomere (hidden behind a fold of the solenophore); sph = solenophore. After Verhoeff (1941), modified.