Amblyiulus georgicus Lohmander, 1932

Figs 1A, 2, 3, 15A, 16

Amblyiulus georgicus Lohmander, 1932a: 180-182, figs 10-12 (D).

Amblyiulus georgicus - Lohmander 1936: 170 (M); Kobakhidze 1965: 395 (M); Lokšina and Golovatch 1979: 385 (M).

Syrioiulus georgicus - Mauriès 1984: 43 (M); Kokhia and Golovatch 2020: 207 (M).

Material examined.

Armenia: 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 2 juv. (ZMUM), SW of Shnokh halfway between Alaverdi and Bagratashen, ca. 1500 m a.s.l., Carpinus forest, litter, 24.V.1987 ; 2 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Odzun W of Alaverdi, 1500-1550 m a.s.l., Quercus, Fagus, Carpinus, etc. forest, litter and under stones with ants, 23-24.V.1987; all leg. S. Golovatch, K. Eskov.

Diagnosis.

Differs from A. hirtus sp. nov., apparently the most similar and geographically the closest congener known to date, by the following combination of somatic and gonopodal characteristics. Head without frontal setae; collum and metazonae of body rings without setae. Male mandibular stipites expanded. Promere wide, with two apical denticles. Solenomere with a membranous lobe notched apically. Rod of opisthomere relatively short. See also Key below.

Redescription.

Length of adults 27-30 mm (♂♂) or 28-31 mm (♀♀), width 1.6-1.7 mm (♂♂) or 1.7-1.9 mm (♀♀). Number of body rings in adults, 65-67+2+T (♂♂) or 67-69+2+T (♀♀). Body subcylindrical (typical of Julidae), metazonae brownish grey, prozonae yellowish grey (Fig. 1A). Head, a few postcollum rings and telson lighter than other body rings. Collum more vividly red-brown. Antennae, mouthparts, and legs yellow (Fig. 2A-C). Eyes absent. Metazonae with weak and irregular striations, 14-16 striae between dorsal axial line and ozopore (Fig. 2D). Ozopores relatively large, with a stria in front and lying behind suture without touching it (Fig. 2H).

Antennae relatively long, in situ reaching segment 4. Head without frontal setae, but with 8+8-9+9 labral and 2+2 supralabral setae (Fig. 2A-C). Gnathochilarium with four setae on each lamella lingualis, stipites with a group of several short setae in medial part and three long setae at anterolateral margin (Fig. 2I). Collum and metazonae without setae at posterior margin (Figs 1A, 2A-G). Epiproct undeveloped (Fig. 2E, F). Hypoproct subtriangular, with several long setae (Fig. 2G). Telson and anal valves sparsely setose, setae being long (Fig. 2E-G).

Male. Mandibular stipites expanded, slightly swollen in distal part (Fig. 2A). Leg pair 1 small, unciform, with a group of setae on each coxa and at base of telopodite; telopodite relatively long (Fig. 2J). Leg pair 2 with pads on postfemur and tibia (Fig. 2K). Penes short, bifurcate on top. Ventral edge of male segment 7 with elongated and rounded lamellae bordering the gonopodal aperture (Fig. 2L).

Gonopods (Fig. 3). Promere spoon-shaped, relatively wide, constricted in basal third; mesal ridge in apical part forming a small mesal denticle (Fig. 3B, E). Lateral denticle large, well-developed. Mesomeral process simple, flattened, ribbon-shaped, notched on top (Fig. 3A, C, F). Opisthomere tripartite (Fig. 3D). Solenomere long, slightly curved, with caudomesal lamella notched apically; apical part with a fovea and a pointed membranous process. Anterior process of opisthomere appressed to solenomere, with a rounded apex. Anterolateral part of opisthomere with a helicoid rod.

Female. First two leg pairs unmodified. Vulva rounded, operculum and bursa equal in height (Fig. 15A). Operculum at apical margin oblique, undivided. Bursa asymmetric, lateral valve higher than mesal one. Each valve with two rows of long setae. Median field of bursa very short, narrow; emargination of median field suboval.

Remarks.

This species was described from Borjom (= Borjomi), Georgia (Lohmander 1932a). The above samples represent the first formal records of this species from Armenia. It seems to populate high-montane deciduous forests in the western part of the Caucasus Minor (= Lesser Caucasus) (Fig. 16).