Revision of the American Pill Millipedes I: Onomeris and Trichomeris (Diplopoda, Glomerida, Glomeridae)
Author
Wesener, Thomas
text
Zootaxa
2010
2725
28
40
journal article
46920
10.5281/zenodo.199966
1b68f66d-616d-4266-bad2-b210c4029067
1175-5326
199966
Genus
Onomeris
Cook, 1896
Onomeris
Cook, 1896
: 43
.
Type
species
O. underwoodi
–
Chamberlin & Hoffman 1958
: 12; Jeekel 1971: 16;
Mauriès 1971
: 434; Hoffman 1980: 68;
Hoffman 1999
: 17;
Mauriès 2005
: 243 (list genus name).
Trichomeris
Loomis, 1943
: 374
.
New synonymy
Type
species:
T. sinuata
–
Chamberlin & Hoffman 1958
: 13
; Jeekel 1971: 18; Hoffman 1980: 68;
Hoffman 1999
: 18
(list genus name).
The redescription of the genus is presented here in more detail in order to focus the following redescriptions of the species on the unique characters of each species.
Type
species
:
Onomeris underwoodi
Cook, 1896
Other species included
:
Onomeris australora
Hoffman, 1950
;
Onomeris sinuata
(
Loomis, 1943
)
new comb.
Genus diagnosis
: Shares the general shape of telopods, with a prefemoral and a femoral trichostele, a prefemoral process, and especially the presence of a differentiated process on the femur (
Fig. 5
B), only with species of the Asia genus
Hyleoglomeris
. Tarsus and tibial process of telopod generally of slender appearance (
Fig. 5
A). Differs from
Hyleoglomeris
and most other genera of
Glomeridae
(but not the European
Tectosphaera
Mauriès, 2005
) in presence of a strongly modified head, which bears a conspicuous Y-shaped ledge on frontal side, and laterally of crest above organ of Tömösváry large grooves for antennae (
Fig. 1
A). Thoracic shield with a large hyposchism field bearing numerous transverse striae whose caudal edge is drawn behind tergal contour, a clear impression present before hypochism (
Fig. 1
B). Like in
Hyleoglomeris
but unlike
Glomeris
male leg 17 greatly reduced in size, with a high outer coxal lobe and a 3-segmented, vestigial telopodite with an apical spine (
Fig. 2
B).
Redescription:
Length
of non-stretched but unrolled specimens of both sexes ca
4–5 mm
, width
2.2–2.8 mm
, respectively.
General coloration
clearly visible in the
type
series of
O. sinuata
and
O. australora
, faded in the
type
series of
O. underwoodi
, but relatively well conserved in more recently collected material of
O. underwoodi
and
O. sinuata
. Dark brown with laterally lighter grey markings. In the field, specimens are of a shiny appearance resembling micro-gastropods. Tergites 2–11 laterally on metazona with oval greyish-white area, which does not reach margins of tergite. Center of collum light grey; center of head light, margins of head as well as lateral grooves dark brown. Antenna and legs dark brown.
Head
with a setose labrum (
Fig. 1
A). Head centrally with Y-shaped crest rising between antennae and expanding to posterior margin. Laterally of crest, from posteriorly of antennae and organ of Tőmősváry to ocelli with deep antennal grooves (
Fig. 1
A).
Ocellaria
black, ocelli 5+1 (
O. underwoodi
) or 6+1; lenses convex (
Fig. 1
A).
Antennae
with four large apical cones, antennomere 6 ca 2.1 (
O. underwoodi
) – 2.5 times as long as broad. Antennomere 3 as long as 1 and 2 combined (
Fig. 1
A).
Organ of T
ő
m
ő
sváry
elongate, ca 2.4–2.5 times as long as broad (
Fig. 1
F).
Gnathochilarium
lateral palps more slender and with fewer sensory cones than inner palps (
Fig. 1
D). Central pads and endochilarium on inner side centrally with circa 15 sensory cones in a circular arrangement; more laterally with another area of circa 10 cones (
Fig. 1
E).
Mandible
: external tooth with a small notch on dorsal side. Inner tooth 4-combed; four rows of pectinate lamellae; condylus a barely detectable 'bump', weakly developed (
Fig. 2
A).
Collum
with two transverse striae (
Fig. 1
C).
Thoracic shield
with a large hyposchism field whose caudal edge is drawn behind tergal contour (
Fig. 1
B). Clear impression present in front of schism. Shield with numerous transverse striae, of which three or four cross the dorsum (
Fig. 1
B). Striae 1 or 2 striae lie above, 5 or 6 level to, and further 4 or 5 posterior to the schism (
Fig. 1
B). Thoracic shield like other tergites sparsely covered with numerous minute pits (
Fig. 1
B), a short setae rising at each pit.
Following
tergites 3–11
covered with numerous short setae (
Fig. 4
A), usually inserting in a pit (
Fig. 4
B). Dorsal ozopore without any conspicuous ridges. Anterior margin of tergites with wavy ridge projecting posteriorly in a tooth-like pattern (
Fig. 4
A). Tergites laterally without discernable striae, lateral edges not projecting posteriorly.
Male anal shield
at least faintly (
O. sinuata
), more often strongly concave medially at caudal edge (
Fig. 5
E).
Male leg 17
(
Fig. 2
B) particularly strongly reduced, with a low, broad, rounded coxal lobe and a 3-segmented vestigial telopodite.
Male leg 18
(
Fig. 3
A) less strongly reduced, with a syncoxial notch and a 4-segmented telopodite. Second joint of telopodite flattened, last telopodite with strongly developed spine (
Fig. 3
A)
Telopod
(
Figs 3
B, 5A–C) strongly robust, with a high, roundly subtrapeziform (
Fig. 3
B) to bilobed (
Fig. 6
C) syncoxital lobe flanked by setose, apically simple horns. Prefemur with strongly developed trichostele. Femur with trichostele of
circa
half the length of the prefemur one, posteriorly with very large, triangular process. Femur with strongly sclerotized, distal finger on posterior side, as well as a field of sclerotized teeth located centrally on the posterior face of finger (
Fig. 5
B). Tibia and tarsus, as well as tarsus and femoral process forming a chela (
Fig. 5
A). Tibia with long, strongly sclerotized, but slender distal finger caudolaterally; finger with a small field of sclerotized teeth at its base (
Fig. 3
B). Tarsus slender, basally curved 45–65 degrees towards syncoxite, otherwise straight (
Fig. 3
B), inner margin towards femoral process with sclerotized teeth (
Fig. 3
B). Apex of tarsus well-rounded, posteriorly with curved spine (
Fig. 3
B).
Synonymization of
Trichomeris
Loomis, 1943
under
Onomeris
Cook, 1896
.
The synonymization of
Trichomeris
und
Onomeris
was suggested previously (
Hoffman 1999, p. 18: "This monotypic genus is probably not separable from
Onomeris
"
). Re-study of the
type
specimen of
T. sinuata
, the only described
Trichomeris
species, shows that this species indeed belongs into
Onomeris
. The telopod differences between
T. sinuata
and
Onomeris
species, which even prompted the different systematic placement of both by Mauriès (1972, 2005), were based on erroneous drawings by the first describer.
Position of the genus
Onomeris
within the
Glomerida
.
Currently, authors agree that
Onomeris
should be placed in the pill millipede family
Glomeridae
(Hoffman 1980,
Mauriès 2005
), based on the presence of setae and an outgrowth on the mesal side of the telopod (
Fig. 5
A). On the tribe level, the position of
Onomeris
needs to be fixed through a phylogenetic analysis, which is beyond the scope of this study. In the most recent system (
Mauriès 2005
),
Onomeris
is placed in the tribe Glomerini together with the mainly West European genera
Glomeris
,
Sicilomeris
and
Loboglomeris
, while
Trichomeris
is not mentioned. However, according to the character descriptions (
Mauriès 2005
), the presence of a differentiated process on the femur, which is clearly present in
Onomeris
(
Fig. 5
A), would place this genus in the large tribe Dooderiini, and there particularly close to the Asian genus
Hyleoglomeris
(see
Golovatch
et al
. 2006
,
2010
).