@article {2027, title = {The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VIII. Three new genera and four new species of minute millipedes from Oregon and Washington, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5264}, year = {2023}, month = {14/04/2023}, pages = {323-340}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

We describe three new genera and four new species of small, litter-dwelling millipedes from the states of Oregon and Washington, USA: Miniaria ramifera, n. gen., n. sp., Miniaria richarti, n. gen., n. sp., Tigraria oregonensis, n. gen., n. sp., and Kingaria prattensis, n. gen., n. sp. Some of the unusual characters of these species are discussed, including a new type of sensory array on the third tarsus of males and a newly observed mandibular gland.

}, keywords = {new taxa, northwestern North America, sense organs, Striariinae}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5264.3.2}, url = {https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5264.3.2}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1773, title = {The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VII. Petra sierwaldae, n. gen., n. sp., a minute millipede from Idaho, USA (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striariidae)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5213}, year = {2022}, month = {25/11/2022}, pages = {287-293}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Petra sierwaldae, n. gen., n. sp. is described from males and females collected at four localities in Kootenai County, Idaho, USA. The new genus is defined by its unique gonopod and ninth leg anatomy, a notched collum and single ommatidium on each side of the head, and lacking third coxal flasks as well as having modified fifth coxae. \ 

}, keywords = {Kootenai County, new genus, new species, Striariinae}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5213.3.6}, url = {https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5213.3.6}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E. and Bond, Jason E. and Wesener, Thomas} } @article {1765, title = {The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. VI. Six new genera and thirteen new species from western North America (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5205}, year = {2022}, month = {11/11/2022}, pages = {501-531}, abstract = {

The following new genera and species of Striariidae are described from the states of California, Oregon and Washington: Nototrisaria ornata n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia napa n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia chico n. gen., n. sp., Maraplia schusteri n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia curryensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia bentonensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia pratensis n. gen., n. sp., Lamparia millicoma n. gen., n. sp., Rampalia cheathamensis n. gen., n. sp., Plaramia arcata n. gen., n. sp., Plaramia johnsonae n. gen., n. sp., Ralampia complexa n. gen., n. sp., and Ralampia filamentosa n. gen., n. sp.. The new species are all very small millipedes, 5.5 mm or less in length and with two or three ommatidia on each side of the head or blind. The majority have the sixth metazonital crest larger than the other crests and extended horizontally, so that the animals have the general appearance of having paranota. A new key to striariid genera is presented.

}, keywords = {California, millipedes, Oregon, Washington}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5205.6.1}, url = {https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5205.6.1}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1442, title = {The first true millipede{\textemdash}1306 legs long}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, month = {16/12/2021}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {

The name \“millipede\” translates to a thousand feet (from mille \“thousand\” and pes \“foot\”). However, no millipede has ever been described with more than 750 legs. We discovered a new record-setting species of millipede with 1,306 legs, Eumillipes persephone, from Western Australia. This diminutive animal (0.95\ mm wide, 95.7\ mm long) has 330 segments, a cone-shaped head with enormous antennae, and a beak for feeding. A distant relative of the previous record holder, Illacme plenipes from California, it belongs to a different order, the Polyzoniida. Discovered 60\ m below ground in a drill hole created for mineral exploration, E. persephone possesses troglomorphic features; it lacks eyes and pigmentation, and it has a greatly elongated body\—features that stand in stark contrast to its closest surface-dwelling relatives in Australia and all other members of its order. Using phylogenomics, we found that super-elongation (\>\ 180 segments) evolved repeatedly in the millipede class Diplopoda. The striking morphological similarity between E. persephone and I. plenipes is a result of convergent evolution, probably for locomotion in similar soil habitats. Discovered in the resource-rich Goldfields-Esperance region and threatened by encroaching surface mining, documentation of this species and conservation of its habitat are of critical importance.

}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02447-0}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02447-0}, author = {Marek, Paul E. and Buzatto, Bruno A. and Shear, William A. and Means, Jackson C. and Black, Dennis G. and Harvey, Mark S. and Rodriguez, Juanita} } @article {1440, title = {Three new genera and eighteen new species of miniature polydesmid millipedes from the northwestern United States (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Polydesmidae)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4975}, year = {2021}, month = {24/05/2021}, pages = {81-126}, abstract = {

Three new genera, Retrorsioides, Rowlandesmus and Benedictesmus, are described and the polydesmid millipede fauna of North America is briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the genera Bidentogon Buckett \& Gardner, 1968 and Retrorsia Shelley, 2003. Eighteen new species are described: Bidentogon buttensis, Bidentogon norcal, Retrorsia leonardi, Retrorsia benedictae, Retrorsia richarti, Retrorsia gracilis, Retrorsia simplicissima, Retrorsioides castellum, Retrorsioides linnensis, Retrorsioides kittitas, Retrorsioides bammerti, Retrorsioides arboramagna, Rowlandesmus millicoma, Rowlandesmus dentogonopus, Benedictesmus aureua, Benedictesmus ellenae, Benedictesmus yaquina and Benedictesmus timber. Natural history notes and illustrations are provided of putative commensal fungi, nematodes and a mite found on the millipede specimens.

}, keywords = {California, commensals, gonopod terminology, new genera, new species, Oregon, Washington}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4975.1.3}, url = {https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4975.1.3}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1439, title = {The millipede family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. IV. Amplaria oedipus, n. sp., with a secondary sexual modification of males unique among millipedes (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5099}, year = {2022}, month = {10/02/2022}, pages = {137-145}, abstract = {

A new species, Amplaria oedipus, is described from Oregon, USA. Males of the new species have greatly inflated pyriform tarsi on the 5th and 6th legpairs, which is a secondary sexual modification previously not known from any other millipede. \ 

}, keywords = {new species, Oregon}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5099.1.7}, url = {https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5099.1.7}, author = {Shear, William A. and Nosler, Philip and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1438, title = {The milliped family Striariidae Bollman, 1893. V. Stegostriaria dulcidormus, n. gen., n. sp., Kentrostriaria ohara, n. gen., n. sp., and the convergent evolution of exaggerated metazonital crests (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Striarioidea)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5094}, year = {2022}, month = {04/02/2022}, pages = {461-472}, abstract = {

Two new genera and species, Stegostriaria dulcidormus (Trisariinae) and Kentrostriaria ohara (Striariinae), are described from Oregon and Idaho, respectively. The new species are distinct from any other striariids, and indeed from any other chordeumatidan millipedes, in having the second dorsal crests greatly enlarged, giving them a fanciful resemblance to stegosaurid dinosaurs. In spite of this similarity, the two species are so distinct they cannot be accommodated in the same genus or the same subfamily. The exaggerated metazonital crests are therefore attributed to convergent evolution. We present a key to the genera of the family Striariidae. \ 

}, keywords = {Idaho, new genus, new species, Oregon}, issn = {1175-5334, 1175-5326}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5094.3.5}, url = {https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5094.3.5}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1151, title = {Taxonomic synthesis of the eastern North American millipede genus Pseudopolydesmus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Polydesmidae), utilizing high-detail ultraviolet fluorescence imaging}, journal = {Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {187}, year = {2019}, month = {18/04/2019}, pages = {117-142}, abstract = {

The species of the eastern North American millipede genus Pseudopolydesmus are reviewed. Synonyms and comprehensive literature citations are provided for each of the eight recognized species. Diagnostic morphology of the genus, including clarification of male gonopod terminology, is reviewed and defined using scanning electron microscopy and high-quality macrophotographic images, including those in which ultraviolet fluorescence was induced to produce detailed images of morphological structures. Based on the examination of available type material, the following eight species are recognized: (1) Pseudopolydesmus erasus; (2) Pseudopolydesmus canadensis; (3) Pseudopolydesmus collinus; (4) Pseudopolydesmus pinetorum; (5) Pseudopolydesmus minor; (6) Pseudopolydesmus caddo; (7) Pseudopolydesmus paludicolus; and (8) Pseudopolydesmus serratus. The species names Polydesmus neoterus and Polydesmus euthetus are here placed as junior subjective synonyms of Ps. minor (both syn. nov.), and Polydesmus natchitoches is placed as a junior subjective synonym of Ps. pinetorum (syn. nov.).

}, keywords = {anatomy, biodiversity, ecology, genitalia, genus revision, morphological systematics, Taxonomy}, issn = {0024-4082}, doi = {10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz020}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/187/1/117/5475011}, author = {Sierwald, Petra and Hennen, Derek A. and Zahnle, Xavier J. and Ware, Stephanie and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1081, title = {Phylogenetic Systematics of the Millipede Family Xystodesmidae}, journal = {Insect Systematics and Diversity}, volume = {5}, year = {2021}, month = {01/03/2021}, pages = {1-26}, abstract = {

The millipede family Xystodesmidae includes 486 species distributed primarily in temperate deciduous forests in North America and East Asia. Species diversity of the family is greatest in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, with 188 species. Although the group includes notable taxa such as those that are bioluminescent and others that display M\üllerian mimicry, producing up to 600 mg of cyanide, basic alpha-taxonomy of the group is woefully incomplete and more than 50 species remain undescribed in the Appalachian Mountains alone. In order to establish a robust phylogenetic foundation for addressing compelling evolutionary questions and describing species diversity, we assembled the largest species phylogeny (in terms of species sampling) to date in the Diplopoda. We sampled 49 genera (out of 57) and 247 of the species in the family Xystodesmidae, recollecting fresh material from historical type localities and discovering new species in unexplored regions. Here, we present a phylogeny of the family using six genes (four mitochondrial and two nuclear) and include pivotal taxa omitted from previous studies including Nannaria, Erdelyia, taxa from East Asia, and 10 new species. We show that 6 of the 11 tribes are monophyletic, and that the family is paraphyletic with respect to the Euryuridae and Eurymerodesmidae. Prior supraspecific classification is in part inconsistent with the phylogeny and convergent evolution has caused artificial genera to be proposed. Subspecific classification is likewise incongruent with phylogeny and subspecies are consistently not sister to conspecifics. The phylogeny is used as a basis to update the classification of the family, diagnose monophyletic groups, and to inform species hypotheses.

}, keywords = {aposematic, biogeography, Polydesmida, Taxonomy}, issn = {2399-3421}, doi = {10.1093/isd/ixab003}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/isd/article/doi/10.1093/isd/ixab003/6154022}, author = {Means, Jackson C. and Hennen, Derek A. and Tanabe, Tsutomu and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {1015, title = {Is geography an accurate predictor of evolutionary history in the millipede family Xystodesmidae?}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {5}, year = {2017}, month = {12/10/2017}, pages = {1-31}, abstract = {

For the past several centuries, millipede taxonomists have used the morphology of male copulatory structures (modified legs called gonopods), which are strongly variable and suggestive of species-level differences, as a source to understand taxon relationships. Millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae are blind, dispersal-limited and have narrow habitat requirements. Therefore, geographical proximity may instead be a better predictor of evolutionary relationship than morphology, especially since gonopodal anatomy is extremely divergent and similarities may be masked by evolutionary convergence. Here we provide a phylogenetics-based test of the power of morphological versus geographical character sets for resolving phylogenetic relationships in xystodesmid millipedes. Molecular data from 90 species-group taxa in the family were included in a six-gene phylogenetic analysis to provide the basis for comparing trees generated from these alternative character sets. The molecular phylogeny was compared to topologies representing three hypotheses: (1) a prior classification formulated using morphological and geographical data, (2) hierarchical groupings derived from Euclidean geographical distance, and (3) one based solely on morphological data. Euclidean geographical distance was not found to be a better predictor of evolutionary relationship than the prior classification, the latter of which was the most similar to the molecular topology. However, all three of the alternative topologies were highly divergent (Bayes factor \>10) from the molecular topology, with the tree inferred exclusively from morphology being the most divergent. The results of this analysis show that a high degree of morphological convergence from substantial gonopod shape divergence generated spurious phylogenetic relationships. These results indicate the impact that a high degree of morphological homoplasy may have had on prior treatments of the family. Using the results of our phylogenetic analysis, we make several changes to the classification of the family, including transferring the rare state-threatened species Sigmoria whiteheadi Shelley, 1986 to the genus Apheloria Chamberlin, 1921\—a relationship not readily apparent based on morphology alone. We show that while gonopod differences are a premier source of taxonomic characters to diagnose species pairwise, the traits should be viewed critically as taxonomic features uniting higher levels.

}, keywords = {Diplopoda, Evolution, Gonopod, Homoplasy, phylogeny, Sigmoria whiteheadi, Xystodesmidae}, issn = {2167-8359}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.3854}, url = {https://peerj.com/articles/3854}, author = {Means, Jackson C. and Marek, Paul E.} } @article {834, title = {Urochordeumatidae Silvestri, 1909, a millipede family endemic to~Washington State, USA (Chordeumatida, Striariidea, Striarioidea)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4657}, year = {2019}, month = {19/08/2019}, pages = {352-360}, abstract = {

Urochordeumatidae Silvestri, 1909 includes a single species, Urochordeuma bumpusi Silvestri, 1909, with U. porona Chamberlin, 1941 as a new junior subjective synonym. The family Urochordeumatidae is removed from the superfamily Caseyoidea and transferred to the superfamily Striarioidea. The species is known only from four counties in Washington State in the North Cascades: Pierce, King, Thurston and Whatcom. The occurrence of U. bumpusi from Whatcom County is a significant range extension.

}, keywords = {Mount Rainier National Park, Myriapoda, Urochordeuma bumpusi, Urochordeuma porona}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4657.2.7}, url = {https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4657.2.7}, author = {Shear, William A. and Marek, Paul E.} }