Ommatoiulus ilicis ( Brölemann, 1896 ) Akkari & Enghoff, 2012

Akkari, Nesrine & Enghoff, Henrik, 2012, Review of the genus Ommatoiulus in Andalusia, Spain (Diplopoda: Julida) with description of ten new species and notes on a remarkable gonopod structure, the fovea, Zootaxa 3538, pp. 1-53 : 23

Ommatoiulus ilicis ( Brölemann, 1896) n. comb.

Figs 51–54

Schizophyllum (Bothroiulus) ilicis Brölemann, 1896: 9–11 , figs XXIII, XXV

Schizophyllum (Bothroiulus) nivale Schubart, 1959: 485–493 , figs 7–8, n.syn.

Ommatoiulus (Bothroiulus) nivalis: Mauriès 1969b: 133

Ommatoiulus nivalis: Mauriès 1978: 585

Ommatoiulus nivale: Vicente 1985: 324

Material. Type material: Schizophyllum (Bothroiulus) ilicis Brölemann, 1896 , Pyrénées Orientales , holotype ♂ ( MNHN/772 ), Schizophyllum corsicum Brölemann, 1902 , Ariadne , Ajaccio, Corse, holotype ♂ ( MNHN/1132 ) . Non type material: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 3 immatures, 3 juveniles, Sierra de Grazalema , Sierra de Blanquilla ( western Sierra del Palo), road from Cortes de la Frontera to Benaoján, southern Barriada de la Estación Valley des Chapí, 36º39'30''N, 5º18'10''W, small valley, moist, dense shrub, in leaf litter, 4.ii.2008, H. Reip & K. Voigtländer leg. ( ZMUC) ; 10 ♂, 8 ♀♀, Sierra Nevada , alt. 2500–3000 m, 14.vii.1979, Osella-Bellol leg. ( ZMUC) ; 6 ♂, 4 ♀♀, 1 immature, 1983, Sierra Nevada Mte. Veleta , 10.viii.1981, alt. 3300 m, Feraci leg. ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. One of the most slender and elongate species of the genus Ommatoiulus with a characteristic colour pattern dark brown contrasted by a pale whitish dorsal longitudinal stripe, pale antennae, mouthparts and legs. Gonopods most resembling O. corsicus (Brölemann, 1903) in the general shape of the gonopods but differing in the shape and orientation of the apical process of the solenomerite: strongly serrated and pointing apically in O. corsicus while more simple and downturned in O. ilicis .

Descriptive notes. Gonopods: Promerite ( Fig. 51) uniformly slender, long, tapering distally, ending in a pointed tip bent posteriad; rudimentary telopodite (T) conspicuous, rounded and located basally close the the mesal margin. Posterior gonopod: Mesomerite (Ms) shorter than promerite, uniformly broad, apically narrowing, ending in a blunt downturned apex; solenomerite (S) stout with a broad basal part ( Fig. 54), strongly narrowed in the distal third;seminal groove (g) running from the fovea (F) up to the apical margin of the solenomerite (S) ( Fig. 53), opening in a folded rounded lobe (Lb) ( Figs 52, 53) connected to an anterior triangular serrated process (Tp); paracoxite (Px) almost of the same length as the mesomerite, stout, strongly narrowed and curved distally, apically expanded vertically in an asymmetrical ovoid process ( Figs 52–54).

Distribution. Known from France: the Oriental Pyrenees ( Brölemann 1896) and Spain: Sierra de Grazalema, several localities in Sierra Nevada (see also Schubart 1959, Mauriès 1969b). O. nivalis thus represents a disjunct mountaneous distribution Andalusia /The Pyrenees.

Habitat. Reported from dense shrub, in leaf litter.

Comments. Mauriès (1969b) stated that O. corsicus and O. ilicis described from Corsica and The Oriental Pyrenees, respectively, are morphologically the closest species to O. nivalis . The gonopods of the three species share in fact great similarities i.e. 1) a basally parallel-sided promerite, tapering distlly into a pointed apex and posteriorly bearing an apical tooth, 2) a simple mesomerite, slightly hooked and bent, 3) a basally broad solenomerite, narrowing distally, apically with a rounded lobe and a pointed process on either sides of the opening of the seminal groove. Examing the holotype of O. ilicis revealed that it strinkingly resembles O. nivalis in being unusually elongate and slender with more than 60 podous rings and in showing the same dark colour pattern with a pale longitudinal dorsal stripe. Brölemann (1896) did stress the fact that even if the gonopods of O. ilicis are typical for Ommatoiulus , the species differs from its congeners in the external morphology, resembling more the genera Tachypodoiulus and Julus . This applies to O. nivalis as well, outstanding in being one of the most slender Ommatoiulus species. The study of the holotype of O. ilicis left no doubt that Schubart’s species is actually a junior synonym of O. ilicis , which is the valid name of the species.