Victoriocambala buffalensis Verhoeff, 1944

MESIBOV, ROBERT, 2017, Notes on Victorian Iulomorphidae (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 76, pp. 113-120 : 116-119

Victoriocambala buffalensis Verhoeff, 1944

Zoobank LSID. http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

0BA89A30-C7D6-4437-90B7-A427AD8E2CF3

Figures 4A, 4E, 4F , 5B, 5C

Victoriocambala buffalensis Verhoeff, 1944: 42–43 , figs 9–12; Jeekel, 1971: 115; Jeekel, 1981: 40; Jeekel, 2009: 38–41, figs 10–13; Korsós & Read, 2012: 46.

Previous records. Male holotype (Verhoeff described only one male specimen), Mt Buffalo, Victoria [−36.7760 146.7670 ± 10 km], date unknown, possibly collected by G.E. Nicholls, ZSM 20060631; [the following five records are from Jeekel, 2009, p. 38] 1 female, Gunyah Gunyah , 32 km SSW of Morwell, Victoria [−38.5306 146.3286 ± 100 m], station 92, C.A.W. Jeekel & A.M. Jeekel-Rijvers, 17 Nov 1980, timber track along Grand Ridge Road, temperate rainforest with tree ferns, under logs and litter and in rotting trees ; 1 juvenile, Mt Taylor , 11 km NNW of Bairnsdale, Victoria [−37.7578 147.5986 ± 1 km] station 87, same collectors, 14 Nov 1980, fragment of Eucalyptus forest, along roadside between grassland, under logs ; 1 male, Tarra National Park , Victoria [−38.4289 146.5669 ± 1 km], station 91, same collectors, along nature track in temperate rainforest with tree ferns, under logs and in soil ; 2 males, 2 females, Ferntree Gully National Park , 18 km NNE of Dandenong, Victoria [−37.8800 145.3185 ±500 m], station 93, same collectors, 18 Nov 1980, along nature track in temperate rainforest with tree ferns, under logs and litter and in rotting trees ; 5 males, 13 females, 4 juveniles, Glenaladale National Park , 28 km WNW of Bairnsdale, Victoria [−37.6500 147.2667 ± 5 km], station 88, same collectors, 15 Nov 1980, dry rainforest along creek, along nature track, under logs and stones, and in litter .

Material examined. 1 male, Glenrowan, Victoria [−36.4620 146.2240 ± 5 km], W. Kershaw, date unknown, NMV K-13633; 1 male, 2 females, Thorpdale, Victoria [−38.2890 146.1760 ± 5 km], collector unknown, 1 Apr 1899, O.A. Sayce purchase 25 Jul 1911, NMV K-13625; 1 male, 2 females, Gembrook, Victoria [−37.9530 145.5540 ± 5 km], J. Kershaw, Nov 1901, NMV K-13646; 1 male, 2 females, Emerald district, Victoria [−37.9320 145.4400 ± 10 km], E.N. Jarvis, Aug 1904, NMV K-13629; 2 males, 3 females, 1 juvenile (fragments), either Neerim North Post Office or Noojee (unclear if site or collector address), Victoria [−37.9030 145.9980 ± 5 km], T.G. Robinson, 8 Jul 1908, NMV K-13623; 3 males, 1 female, Toolangi near Healesville, Victoria [−37.5360 145.4710 ± 5 km], J.A. Kershaw, 16 Nov 1909, NMV K-13624; 3 males, Gippsland, Victoria, J.E. Dixon, 1 Jul 1914, NMV K-13640; 1 male, Bruthen, Victoria [−37.7070 147.8320 ± 5 km], Dr J.A. Leach, 12 Mar 1917, NMV K-13644; 1 male, 2 females, Bruthen, Victoria [−37.7070 147.8320 ± 5 km], J. Barling, 3 Jan 1918, NMV K-13645; 1 male (fragments), Marysville, Victoria [−37.5100 145.7480 ± 2 km], G.F. Hill, 19 Aug 1923, NMV K-13654; 1 male, 1 female, Ferntree Gully, Victoria [−37.8840 145.2950 ± 2 km], G.F. Hill, 22 Feb 1924, NMV K-13635; 1 male, Sherbrooke Forest, Ferntree Gully, Victoria [−37.8938 145.3635 ± 2 km], A. McEvey, 25 Sep 1969, “a bird used this sp of millipedes for anting”, NMV K-13650; 1 male, near Shady Creek, Dartmouth Survey locality LN, Victoria [−36.5500 147.6167 ± 2 km], Field Survey Group, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, 3 Mar 1973, NMV K-13643; 1 female, Tarra-Bulga National Park, 0.5 km NNE of Tarra Valley Picnic Area, Victoria, 38° 26' 40" S 146° 32' 30" E [−38.4444 146.5417 ± 1 km], G. Milledge, 14 Nov 1995, direct search, NOH 2239, NMV K-13637; 1 male, The Big Culvert, 2.5 km ENE of Mt Observation, Victoria, 37° 33' 36" S 145° 52' 15" E [−37.5600 145.8708 ± 100 m] G. Milledge, 19 Feb 1996, direct search, NOH 1892, NMV K-13631; 1 male, Tarra-Bulga National Park, 0.2 km W of Tarra Valley Picnic Area, Victoria, 38° 27' S 146° 32' E [−38.4500 146.5333 ± 2 km], G. Milledge, 6 Mar 1996, direct search, NOH 2238, NMV K-13639; 1 male, 2 juveniles, Dandenong Ranges National Park, ca 0.22 km WNW of Kallista roundabout, Kallista Project Site OS 1A, Victoria, 37° 53.066' S 145° 22.006' E [−37.8844 145.3668 ± 25 m], 420 m a.s.l., N. Porch & A. Lodewyke, 18 Apr 2013, open ground under tree ferns and dead holly on E slope in mountain ash ( Eucalyptus regnans ) forest, Berlesate of all leaf litter on 2 m by 2 m grid, NMV K-11998; 1 male, Dandenong Ranges National Park, ca 0.21 km SW of Kallista roundabout, Kallista Project Site SF2A, Victoria, 37° 53.112' S 145° 22.065' E [−37.8863 145.3678 ± 25 m], 395 m a.s.l., N. Porch & A. Lodewyke, 20 Apr 2013, shield fern ( Polystichum proliferum ) dominated ground under open canopy, mountain ash ( Eucalyptus regnans ) forest, E slope, Berlesate of all leaf litter on 2 m by 2 m grid; NMV K-12000

Distribution. As circumscribed here (see Remarks); V. buffalensis is widespread in eastern Victoria (fig. 2).

Remarks. More than one species may be included here as V. buffalensis . As noted by Jeekel (2009, p. 41), “This species seems rather unstable in various characters”, among them the shape of the coxite process. The process is fairly straight in specimens from parts of Gippsland and the mountains northeast of Melbourne (figs 4E, 5B and fig. 10 in Jeekel, 2009), but elsewhere in eastern Victoria, the tip is bent anterolaterally (figs 4F, 5C and fig. 12 in Verhoeff, 1944) the posterior surface is depressed, and the anterior and lateral surfaces bowed outwards around the depression (figs 4F, 5C). I have not noticed any other differences between specimens with the two coxite process forms, and I am reluctant to erect new Victoriocambala species without more intensive sampling across the V. buffalensis range.

Figures

Figure 4. Victoriocambala buffalensis Verhoeff, 1944 (A, F, NMV K-13624; E, NMV K-12000), Amastigogonus tasmanianus Brölemann, 1913 (B, QVM 23:54414) and V. bidentata Jeekel, 2009 (C, D, NMV K-13651). A, B, anterior views of left leg 1. C posterior view of right posterior gonopod. D–F, lateral outlines of distal portion of coxite process on left anterior gonopod (anterior to left). at = anterior tab on prefemur, fe = femur, lp = lateral process (telopodite remnant), msd = median sternite division, po = postfemur, pr = prefemur, ta = tarsus, ti = tibia, tt = fused tibiotarsus. Scale bars for A–C = 0.25 mm; D–F not to scale.

Figure 5. Victoriocambala bidentata Jeekel, 2009 (A, NMV K-13634) and V. buffalensis Verhoeff, 1944 (B, NMV K-13646; C, NMV K-13625). Anterior views of anterior gonopods. c = coxite process, t = tooth on telopodite margin. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.