Pseudotremia princeps Loomis

Shear, William A., 2008, Cave millipeds of the United States. VII. New species and records of the genus Pseudotremia Cope. I. Species from West Virginia, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), Zootaxa 1764, pp. 53-65 : 58

Pseudotremia princeps Loomis

P. princeps Loomis 1939 , p. 168; Shear, 1972, p. 190.

Type locality: “Eagle Cave, West Virginia.” In 1972, the only “Eagle Cave” I could locate was in Monongalia Co., far from the other localities in Pendleton Co. Thanks to Daniel Fong (pers. comm. 2008) I can now state that there is indeed an Eagle Cave in Pendleton Co., on Cave Mountain 2.8 miles north of Upper Tract; this is undoubtedly the type locality. Male holotype in MCZ.

No additional localities have been reported since my 1972 revision, and I have found no new material in collections. All known localities are in northern Pendleton Co., West Virginia, along the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River. While known at present only from caves, this is one of the largest species (to 36 mm long), well-pigmented and with well-developed ocelli (22 in each eyepatch). It is undoubtedly an epigean species with troglophilic tendencies; it is important to remember that in karst areas, caves are likely to have been much more thoroughly collected than epigean habitats. Without more thorough surface collecting, occurrence only in caves is not a reliable indicator of troglobiosis.