13. Lithobius (Lithobius) muticus C.L. Koch, 1847

New material (Fig. 5). ● Mount Paiko: 1 male, Skra close to cemetery (loc.9).

Distribution. Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine (Zapparoli 2002; Bonato et al. 2016).

Chorotype. European (EUR).

Habitat & ecology. In Greece, L. muticus is common in thermophilous and mesothermophilous broadleaved forests (Quercus spp.), in Abies cephalonica woods and in open habitats (Zapparoli 1994, 1996; Simaiakis et al. 2016). In the PPTV area, it lives in mixed beech–oak–hornbeam forests, often on moist, leaf-littered slopes.

Altitudinal range. 600–2200 m (species found at medium altitude, at 530 m).

Remarks. Eason (1972: pp. 116–117), based on re-examination of the type material, confirmed the validity of the species, which has not been questioned to date. Here, the morphological characteristics of the unique male specimen from Mount Paiko (loc.9) correspond to the identification key provided by Stoev (2002: p. 63) and Iorio et al. (2022: p. 39, fig. 78) (e.g. body length of about 12 mm; antennae with 43+44 articles; 17–18 ocelli arranged in many rows; prosternum with 2+2 teeth; no projections on TT 9, 11, and 13; 15 th leg without VaC, with 15VaTi and without an accessory apical claw).

Natura 2000 Network. The presence of L. muticus in the PPTV mountain range includes a site that is part of the ecological network, such as GR1240009 “OROS PAIKO, STENA APSALOU, MOGLENITSAS”.

Conservation status. In the Greek Red List of Threatened Species (2024), it is listed as LC, since threats to L. muticus are unknown.