Key to Polydesmida
Note: For troglomorphic cave-dwelling millipedes, try Atalopharetra clarkei for Ida Bay, A. eberhardi for Precipitous Bluff and Noteremus infimus for the Junee-Florentine. If the clues in the key and the descriptions for your troglomorphic cave millipedes don't match one of these, please contact me by email.
|
1a. Paranota broad and obvious
|
![]() |
|
1b. Paranota greatly reduced or absent
|
![]() |
|
2a. Rear corner of paranotum clearly projecting backwards (left image)
|
![]() |
|
3a. Prominent long seta arising near rear corner of paranotum
|
![]() |
|
4a. Spiracles large, seemingly swollen (except Dasystigma tyleri, q.v.) adult 20-25 mm long, pale brown or chestnut brown
|
![]() |
|
4c. Spiracles inconspicuous, not seemingly swollen, not close together
|
![]() |
|
5a. Adults at least 15 mm long, purplish-brown; metatergites flat; found in bush areas
|
|
|
6a. Second tergite greatly expanded laterally (see image at right), metatergites covered with numerous tiny bumps, adults 5-7 mm long
|
![]() |
|
7a. Metatergites in adults smooth with 3 transverse rows of low bumps; animal dark reddish-brown; gonopods as shown (right);
|
![]() |
|
8a. Body usually well-pigmented (various colours); males with gonopods with large, rearwards-projecting 'flange' (see image at right)
|
![]() |
|
9a. Males with very long gonopods ending in 2-pronged fork
|
|
|
10a. Paranota visible as reduced structures or slight lateral swellings
|
|
|
11a. Paranota shaped as shown (head is to left)
|
![]() |
|
12a. Body light brown with well-defined dark brown ring around each ring and light paranota (see image at right)
|
![]() |
|
13a. Gonopod as shown (head is to right); eastern and northern Tasmania
|
![]() |
|
13b. Gonopod as shown (head is to right); eastern and northern Tasmania
|
![]() |
|
13c. Gonopod similar to the one shown (head is to right); western and northern Tasmania
|
![]() |
|
14a. Adults to 12 mm long, pale red in colour; ozopores on rings 5 and 7-18
|
|
|
15a. Adults light brown or black, gonopod as shown (head is to right); far northeast Tasmania and eastern Bass Strait only
|
![]() |
|
16a. Adults reddish, ozopores on rings 5 and 7-18, far south only
|
|
|
17a. Gonopod long, with 'fringed hood' at tip and long, needle-like solenomere (see image at right; dashed line through solenomere)
|
![]() |
|
18a. Paranota reduced to a fine, just-visible line (see image on right)
|
![]() |
|
19a. Adults 20-25 mm long, pale with 3 dark longitudinal stripes (see image on right)
|
![]() |

















