The millipede genus Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 in the Caucasus, with descriptions of eleven new species, erection of a new monotypic genus and notes on the tribe Leucogeorgiini (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae)

Abstract

The Caucasian leucogeorgiinine genera Archileucogeorgia Lohmander, 1936 and Leucogeorgia Verhoeff, 1930 are revised, with Leucogeorgia being considered as a senior subjective synonym of Archileucogeorgia, syn. nov. The following new combinations are thus warranted: Leucogeorgia abchasica (Lohmander, 1936) and L. satunini (Lohmander, 1936), both comb. nov. ex Archileucogeorgia. All four previously described species, viz., L. longipes Verhoeff, 1930, L. abchasica, L. satunini and L. rediviva Golovatch, 1983, are redescribed based on new material, partly also on the type series, with a lectotype being designated for L. longipes. In addition, eleven new species of Leucogeorgia are described, both with normal (L. borealis sp. nov., L. gioi sp. nov., L. golovatchi sp. nov., L. lobata sp. nov., L. oculata sp. nov. and L. prometheus sp. nov.) and modified mouthparts (L. caudata sp. nov., L. mystax sp. nov., L. profunda sp. nov., L. redivivoides sp. nov. and L. turbanovi sp. nov., all clearly troglobionts). Additionally, a new monotypic genus, Martvilia gen. nov., is erected, with M. parva gen. et sp. nov. as the type species, another presumed troglobiont. An identification key to both genera and all 16 species of Caucasian Leucogeorgiini is presented. Several other members of this tribe are also re-examined, including a syntype male of Telsonius nycteridonis Strasser, 1976, from Greece, herewith designated as the lectotype. Troglomorphisms and mouthpart modifications, as well as the distributions and relationships within both Leucogeorgia and Leucogeorgiini, and a Leucogeorgiini species richness estimate for the western Caucasus are discussed.

The mostly cavernicolous millipede genus Stygiiulus Verhoeff, 1929, stat. nov.: taxonomy, distribution and phylogenetic relationships (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae)

“…nov. are characterized by modified mouthparts, elongated head, shorter body, long legs and large tarsal claws, all connected with a presumed hydrophilous way of life and filtering diet. Modifications in hydrophilous cave julids were recently elaborated by Antić & Reip (2020). The proportionately shorter body, elongated legs and strong tarsal claws undoubtedly enable these animals to occasionally submerge in cave water bodies, spend time on their surface, or live on vertical wet walls.…”

“…The proportionately shorter body, elongated legs and strong tarsal claws undoubtedly enable these animals to occasionally submerge in cave water bodies, spend time on their surface, or live on vertical wet walls. On the other hand, the elongated head, the reduction of the labral teeth, as well as the hypertrophy of the pectinate lamellae combined with the reduction of the biting parts of mandibles present adaptations for filtering diet in such habitats (see also Enghoff 1985;Antić et al 2017;Antić & Reip 2020).…”

The millipede tribe Brachyiulini in the Caucasus (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae)

“…Endemism at the species level is overwhelming, amounting to > 85%, while as many as 25 millipede genera are endemic or subendemic to the Caucasus. All families and orders they belong to, however, are widely distributed at least across the Euro-Mediterranean realm ( Antić and Reip 2020 ).…”

“…As regards the Julidae , the only other family of Julida remaining in the Caucasus, it is definitely one of the most diverse, common, and widespread across the region. The following tribes have already been reviewed and treated taxonomically in the scope of the entire Caucasian fauna: Cylindroiulini ( Read 1992 ; Evsyukov and Golovatch 2013 ; Zuev 2014 ), Pachyiulini ( Evsyukov 2016 ; Evsyukov et al 2021 ), Julini ( Evsyukov et al 2018 ), Leptoiulini ( Evsyukov et al 2020 ), and Leucogeorgiini ( Antić and Reip 2020 ).…”

A new Diplura species from Georgia caves, Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) imereti (Diplura, Campodeidae), with morphological and molecular data

“…and Pseudosinella sp., and the Insecta (Carabidae Coleoptera) Troglocimmerites sp. 2 (Barjadze et al 2019;Maghradze et al 2019;Antić & Reip 2020;Martens et al 2021;. Maghradze & Barjadze, unpublished data).The notal macrosetae pattern of Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) imereti Sendra & Barjadze sp.…”