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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
..........go to 2

broad paranota

1b.  Paranota greatly reduced or absent
..........go to 10

no paranota
 

2a.  Rear corner of paranotum clearly projecting backwards (left image)
..........go to 3
2b.  Rear corner of paranotum square or slightly rounded (right image)
..........go to 6

paranota

3a.  Prominent long seta arising near rear corner of paranotum
..........go to 4
3b.  No such seta
..........go to 5

corner seta

4a.  Spiracles large, seemingly swollen (except Dasystigma tyleri, q.v.) adult 20-25 mm long, pale brown or chestnut brown
..........Dasystigma species
4b.  Spiracles large, seemingly swollen, close together; adult >30 mm long, red-brown or purplish-brown, Northeast only
..........Tasmanopeltis grandis

Dasystigma

4c.  Spiracles inconspicuous, not seemingly swollen, not close together
..........Lissodesmus species

Lissodesmus

5a.  Adults at least 15 mm long, purplish-brown; metatergites flat; found in bush areas
..........Tasmanodesmus hardyi
5b.  Adults no more than 10 mm long, pale brown; metatergites with rows of low swellings; mainly gardens
..........Brachydesmus superus

 

 

6a.  Second tergite greatly expanded laterally (see image at right), metatergites covered with numerous tiny bumps, adults 5-7 mm long
..........Asphalidesmus species
6b.  Second tergite not greatly expanded, metatergites not covered with numerous tiny bumps
..........go to 7

Asphalidesmus
 

7a.  Metatergites in adults smooth with 3 transverse rows of low bumps; animal dark reddish-brown; gonopods as shown (right);
..........Dysmicodesmus jeekeli
7b.  Metatergites in adults smooth, sometimes with 3 tranverse rows of low bumps; adults sometimes with reddish pigmentation, sometimes only as tiny red spots concentrated at rear of rings; gonopods not as shown
..........Tasmaniosoma species
7c.  Metatergites in adults with 3 tranverse rows of small setae; sometimes coloured but never with reddish pigmentation
..........go to 8

Dysmicodesmus
 

8a.  Body usually well-pigmented (various colours); males with gonopods with large, rearwards-projecting 'flange' (see image at right)
..........Atrophotergum species
8b.  Body white or faintly pigmented; mainly tiny species 4-7 mm long as adults
..........go to 9

Atrophotergum

9a.  Males with very long gonopods ending in 2-pronged fork
..........Setoisenoton pallidus
9b.  Males with long gonopods bent or 'jointed' in the middle
..........Ginglymodesmus species
9c.  Gonopods otherwise
..........undescribed H+19 miscellany

 

 

10a.  Paranota visible as reduced structures or slight lateral swellings
..........go to 11
10b.  No trace of paranota, or paranota only visible as fine line
..........go to 18

 

 

11a.  Paranota shaped as shown (head is to left)
..........go to 12
11b.  Paranota merely slight lateral swellings
..........go to 14

paradoxosomatid
 

12a.  Body light brown with well-defined dark brown ring around each ring and light paranota (see image at right)
..........Akamptogonus novarae
12b.  Body light brown to black
..........go to 13

Akamptogonus
 

13a.  Gonopod as shown (head is to right); eastern and northern Tasmania
..........Aethalosoma solum

Aethalosoma

13b.  Gonopod as shown (head is to right); eastern and northern Tasmania
..........Notodesmus scotius

Notodesmus

13c.  Gonopod similar to the one shown (head is to right); western and northern Tasmania
..........Somethus species

Somethus
 

14a.  Adults to 12 mm long, pale red in colour; ozopores on rings 5 and 7-18
..........Procophorella species
14b.  Adults at least 15 mm long; variously coloured
..........go to 15

 

 

15a.  Adults light brown or black, gonopod as shown (head is to right); far northeast Tasmania and eastern Bass Strait only
..........Dicranogonus sp.
15b.  Adults never black; not in far Northeast
..........go to 16

Dicranogonus
 

16a.  Adults reddish, ozopores on rings 5 and 7-18, far south only
..........Noteremus summus
16b.  Adults with normal pore formula
..........go to 17

 

 

17a.  Gonopod long, with 'fringed hood' at tip and long, needle-like solenomere (see image at right; dashed line through solenomere)
..........Bromodesmus species
17b.  Gonopod short, curled over like a partly closed hand, solenomere stout, short, inconspicuous
..........Atalopharetra species

Bromodesmus
 

18a.  Paranota reduced to a fine, just-visible line (see image on right)
..........Gasterogramma species
18b.  No trace of paranota
..........go to 19

Gasterogramma
 

19a.  Adults 20-25 mm long, pale with 3 dark longitudinal stripes (see image on right)
..........Pogonosternum species
19b.  Adults 10-12 mm long, without longitudinal stripes; ozopores on rings 5 and 7-18
..........Paredrodesmus species

Pogonosternum