Odontopygidae Attems, 1909

Enghoff, Henrik, 2022, Mountains of millipedes. The family Odontopygidae in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida), European Journal of Taxonomy 803, pp. 1-136 : 12-14

Family Odontopygidae Attems, 1909

Diagnosis

A family of Spirostreptida with the unique combination of the following characters: gnathochilarium without a promentum; first pair of male legs with prefemoral lobes on anterior side; one pair of gonopods (modified 8 th legs); gonopod coxa forming a more or less closed tube accommodating basis of telopodite (basomere); free (distal) part of telopodite projecting mesad; sternum of fully reduced 9 th male legs (sternum 9) prominent; anal valves usually with a dorsal, sometimes also a ventral, spinelike process.

Internal classification

The suprageneric classification of Odontopygidae was treated in detail by Kraus (1966), and again by Hoffman (1991), following the realization ( Hoffman 1991) that the genus name Odontopyge Brandt, 1841 , had been mis-applied by virtually all previous authors.

The classification of Hoffman (1991) is as follows (alphabetical sequence):

Subfamily Archepyginae Manfredi, 1939

Tribe Archepygini Manfredi, 1939

Tribe Ctenoiulini Hoffman, 1980

Tribe Prionopetalini Hoffman, 1991

Subfamily Lissopyginae Attems, 1909

Subfamily Odontopyginae Attems, 1909

Subfamily Peridontopyginae Attems, 1914

The monotypic (only one specimen known), highly dubious family Atopogestidae Hoffman, 1980 was retained by Hoffman (1991), as a second family in the superfamily Odontopygoidea . However, Atopogestus graueri ( Attems, 1927), and hence Atopogestidae , most likely is based on a teratological specimen ( Mauriès 1997) and for that reason was not included in the classification by Enghoff et al. (2015).

Key to subfamilies and tribes of Odontopygidae Attems, 1909

1. Gonopod telopodite without a flexible zone and without torsion, see, e.g., Kraus (1966: fig. 140). Gonopod sternum inconspicuous. Ozopores starting on body ring 6.. Odontopyginae Attems, 1909

– Telopodite with a flexible zone shortly after its exit from the coxal cavity, mostly with a torsion (‘torsotope’) at this point, see, e.g., Fig. 16A . Ozopores starting on ring 5 or 6 ............................... 2

2. Telopodite with a demarcation between a “prefemoral” part and a usually narrower ‘femoral’ part (post-torsal narrowing, see, e.g., Figs 8A , 55A ); torsotope always present. Gonopod sternum inconspicuous. Ozopores starting on ring 6, except in the genus Pleonoporus Attems, 1938 ............................................................................................( Archepyginae Manfredi, 1939 )...4

– Telopodite without distinction between a “prefemoral” and a usually narrower “prefemoral” zone (no post-torsal narrowing); with or without torsotope....................................................................... 3

3. No torsotope. Gonopod sternum inconspicuous. Ozopores starting on body ring 5. Margin of limbus straight ............................................................................................... Peridontopygini Attems, 1914

– Torsotope present. Gonopod sternum well-developed (at least in Xystopyge , see, e.g., Fig. 62A , VandenSpiegel & Pierrard (2004: figs 1, 4), condition in Lissopyge Attems, 1909 dubious). Ozopores starting on body ring 6. Limbus divided into variously shaped lobes ..... Lissopyginae Attems, 1909

4. Solenomere blunt, short and compact, more or less expanded, never longer than telomere and basally fused with it, see, e.g., Demange & Mauries (1975: fig. 162), Kraus (1960: fig. 169) ....................... .......................................................... Ctenoiulini Hoffman, 1980 and Archepygini Manfredi, 1939

– Solenomere always ending with a point, even when it may be expanded elsewhere, usually long and slender (1 exception in the genus Patinatiopsis Kraus, 1960 ) .......... Prionopetalini Hoffman, 1991

The distinction between Ctenoiulini + Archepygini on the one side and the Prionopetalini on the other side roughly reflects couplet 5 in the key to genera of Archepyginae (= Odontopyginae sensu Kraus 1966 ) of Kraus (1966: 90), see also Hoffman (1980: 99). The distinction between Ctenoiulini and Archepygini is unclear, see Hoffman (1991: 71).

Figures

Fig. 16. Calyptomastix ingemanni sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621715), right gonopod telopodite. A. Posterior view.B. Anterior view.C. (Sub)mesal view.D. Basal (dorsal) view.E. Apical (ventral) view. Abbreviations: PN =post-torsal narrowing; PTS =post-torsal spine; SLM =solenomere; TM = telomere; TT =torsotope. Scale bars =0.1 mm.

Fig. 8. Antipustia hoteldolichoiuli gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621699). A–D. Left gonopod. A. Anterior view. B. Posterior view. C. Anterior-mesal view. D. Telopodite, ventro-posterior view. E. Midbody dorsal limbus. Abbreviations: bts=basal telomeral spine; dts =distal telomeral spine; lcs =lateral coxal spine; mk =metaplical knob; MP =metaplica; mrp =metaplical rounded process; msp = metaplical U-shaped spine; PN = post-torsal narrowing; PP =proplica; PTS = post-torsal spine; rf =metaplical rounded flange; SLM =solenomere; TM = telomere; TT =torsotope. Scale bars: A–D=0.2 mm; E =0.01 mm.

Fig. 55. Spinotarsus axeli sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621761), left gonopod telopodite. A. Anterior view, inset: tip of telomere. B.Posterior view. C. Venral view. D. Dorsal view. E. Anterior-dorso-apical view. F. Posterior-dorsal view. Abbreviations: bla= basal telomeral lamella; BSS =basal solenomeral spine; PN= post-torsal narrowing; PTS =post-torsal spine; SLM =solenomere; TM =telomere. Scale bars =0.2 mm.

Fig. 62. Xystopyge bentemarieae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (NHMD 621766). A. Gonopod sternum (sternum 8). B. Sternum 9. C. Midbody dorsal limbus. D–F. First pair of legs. D. Anterior view. E. Lateral view. F. Ventral view. Abbreviations: APS=mesapical prefemoral sensilla; CXS =coxosternal setae; LPS =lateral prefemoral sensilla. Scale bars: A= 0.05 mm; B, E=0.1 mm; C=0.01 mm; D, F =0.2 mm.