The millipede genus Julus Linnaeus, 1758 in the Caucasus (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae) Author Evsyukov, Aleksandr Author Golovatch, Sergei Author Reip, Hans S. text Zootaxa 2018 2018-08-20 4461 1 89 117 journal article 28990 10.11646/zootaxa.4461.1.7 1fbcced0-ec5a-4afe-bcb1-496990e850c9 1175-5326 1459872 3FACE488-20DC-46A4-A511-026B7F2DBEA2 Julus kubanus Verhoeff, 1921 Figs 1D , 2D , 3G–I , 4G–I , 10 , 14D , 15D , 16D , 17D , Map 2 Julus kubanus Verhoeff, 1921 : 46 (D) Julus kubanus — Lohmander, 1936 : 73 (D, R); Lang, 1959 : 1791 (M); Kobakhidze, 1965 : 393 (R); Lokšina and Golovatch, 1979 : 386 (M); Talikadze, 1984 : 143 (M); Kokhia and Golovatch, 2018 : 40 (M). Material examined. 6 males , 11 females ( ZMUM ), Russia , Krasnodar Prov., Caucasian Nature Reserve , Pasture Abago near Guzeripl, Abies , Fagus , Acer etc. forest, up to timber line and in subalpine meadow, 1700–1850 m a.s.l., litter, under bark and stones, 24–26.V.1985 ; 6 males, 7 females, 10 juveniles (ZMUM), Caucasian Nature Reserve, Pslukh ca 20 km E of Krasnaya Polyana, Mt Kogot, Fagus and Abies forest up to timber line, 1650–1850 m a.s.l., litter, under bark and stones, 18–20.V.1985 ; 1 male (ZMUM), same locality, Fagus , Quercus , Abies , Picea etc. forest, 1000 m a.s.l., litter, 11–12.VIII.1986 ; 1 male, 9 females (ZMUM), same locality, S slope of Mt Aishkho-2, 1900–2000 m a.s.l., subalpine meadow and sparse Acer , Betula and Rhododendron stand, litter, stones, 12.VIII.1986 , all leg. S. Golovatch; 3 males (SMNG), Plateau Lagonaki (= Lago-Naki), source area of Kurdjips River, 44.0792°N, 40.0000°E, 16.VIII.2012 ; 1 female, 1 juvenile (SMNG), Kordon Chernorechye (camp of Caucasian Nature Reserve), left side of Malaya Laba River near bridge across Urushten River, 43.9331°N, 40.6833°E, 840 m a.s.l., 19.VIII.2012 ; 4 females (SMNG), Urushten valley, right side of 1 km upstream of bridge at Kordon Chernorechye, 43.9319°N, 40.6778°E, 850 m a.s.l., Acer and Fagus forest with Sambucus, Corylus , Alnus, Ulmus in understorey, 18.VIII.2012 , all leg. F. Walther. FIGURE 8. Male gonopods in Julus alexandrae Evsyukov, 2018 ( A–B from the Rostov-on-Don Region) and J. colchicus Lohmander, 1936 ( C–D from Krasnaya Polyana, Krasnodar Province, E–F from Sakhrai, Adygea Republic, G–H syntype from Gagry, Abkhazia, after Lohmander (1936), I from Sataplia State Reserve, Georgia, after Golovatch (1977)). A, E, G: promere, caudal view. B, D: left gonopods, mesal view. C: promere with flagella, caudal view. F: right gonopods, mesal view. H, I: left gonopods, mesal view. Scale bars: 0.3 mm. G, H, I not to scale. Abbreviations : fl, flagellum; la, lamella on promere; lo, lateral outgrowth of opisthomere; ms, mesomere; op, opisthomere; pr, promere; t, mesal tooth on promere. 1 male (ZMUM), Russia, Adygea Republic, near Maikop, Quercus , Carpinus, Corylus forest, 300 m a.s.l., litter, V.2005 , leg. Yu. Chumachenko; 1 female (SMNG), SE of Novoprokhladnoe, 25.VIII.2005 , leg. K. Voigtländer. FIGURE 9. Male gonopods in Julus jedryczkowskii Golovatch, 1981 ( A–B from North Ossetia, C–D from North Ossetia after Golovatch (1981)). A: promere with flagellum, caudal view. B, D: right gonopods, mesal view. C: promere, caudal view. Scale bar: 0.3 mm. Abbreviations : fl, flagellum; la, lamella on promere; ms, mesomere; op, opisthomere; pr, promere. 3 males, 7 females, 2 juveniles (ZMUM), Russia, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Teberda Nature Reserve, Canyon Alibek near Dombai, 2000–2100 m a.s.l., sparse Betula stand, litter and under stones, 25.VII.1986 ; 1 male, 3 females, 3 juveniles (ZMUM), Teberda Nature Reserve, Canyon Gonachkhir between Teberda and Dombai, road to Klukhor Pass, 1700–1900 m a.s.l., Abies , Fagus , Acer etc. forest, 1.VI.1985 ; 7 males, 21 females, 4 juveniles (ZMUM), Teberda Nature Reserve, Canyon Baduk between Teberda and Dombai, dwarf Fagus , Acer , Abies , Pinus and Betula stands, litter, under bark and stones at timber line, 2000 m a.s.l., 3.VI.1985 ; 6 males, 19 females, 8 juveniles (ZMUM), Teberda Nature Reserve, Mt Malaya Khatipara, above town of Teberda, Fagus , Abies and Betula forest, Rhododendron thicket, 2150 m a.s.l., litter, 29–30.V.1985 ; 1 male, 3 females, 1 juvenile (ZMUM), same locality, Mt Malaya Khatipara, 29–30.V.1985 ; 4 males, 1 juvenile male, 8 females, 1 juvenile (ZMUM), Teberda Nature Reserve, Dombai, Abies , Fagus , Picea , Betula , Acer etc. forest, 1700–1800 m a.s.l., litter, under bark and stones, 31.V.1985 ; 1 male, 10 females (ZMUM), Teberda Nature Reserve, Dombai, Mt Mussa-Achitara, 3000 m a.s.l., alpine meadow, 29.VII.1986 , all leg. S. Golovatch; 6 males, 21 females, 4 juveniles (ZMUM), Gumbashi Pass ca 32 km NE of Karachaevsk, 2000 m a.s.l., subalpine meadow, under stones, 11.VII.1986 ; 1 male, 2 females (ZMUM), ca 30 km N of Kurjinovo, 4 km N of Damkhurts, 1050–1100 m a.s.l., Laba River valley, Fagus , Acer , Picea etc. forest, litter, bark, 4.VIII.1986 , leg. S. Golovatch; 2 females, 2 juveniles (SMNG), 9.5 km S of Rozhkao, valley of Bolshaya Laba River, 43.7528°N, 40.8442°E, 1100 m a.s.l., Alnus forest, 23.VIII.2012 , leg. F. Walther. 2 males , 1 juvenile ( ZMUM ), Russia , North Ossetia , North Ossetian Nature Reserve , S slope of Tseissky Mt. Ridge, meadow, 2000 m a.s.l. , 13.VIII.1982 , leg. S. Alekseev. 2 males, 6 females, 4 juveniles (ZMUM), Russia, Chechnya, Kharachoy SE of Vedeno, 950 m a.s.l., Fagus , Carpinus etc. forest, litter, under bark and stones, 17.VII.1986 , leg. S. Golovatch. 3 males , 8 females ( ZMUM ), Abkhazia , near Lake Ritsa , Avadkhara , 1600–1700 m a.s.l. , under stones and bark, 18.IX.1985 , leg. I. Ushakov ; 3 males , 9 females ( ZMUM ), SE of Lake Ritsa , between Pass Anchkho and Pskhu , 1300–1450 m a.s.l. , 14 and 16.VIII.1986 , leg. S. Golovatch. 1 male, 1 male juvenile, 14 females, 4 juvenile (ZMUM), Georgia, Kakheti, Batsaro Nature Reserve, ca 20 km N of Akhmeta, Fagus , Castanea forest, 800–850 m a.s.l., litter, 5-6.V.1987 , leg. S. Golovatch and K. Eskov. Diagnosis. Differs from other species of the genus by the following combination of characters. Main process ( mp ) of male leg-pair 2 long, with two outgrowths. The distofrontal one more or less large and thick. The caudal outgrowth small and short ( Figs 4G–I ). Gonopodal promere ( pr ) very narrow, broadly rounded at apex, with a wide lamella ( la ) ( Figs 10B, 10D, 10F ). End of pr more or less clearly narrowed. Flagella ( fl ) well-developed, each with a spike-like outgrowth in middle part ( Fig. 10B ). Opisthomere ( op ) with an elongated lateral outgrowth ( lo ) sharpened at apex ( Fig. 14D ). Striations on metazonae superficial and irregular ( Fig. 16D ). Bursa ( bu ) of female vulva ( vu ) with well-developed apical outgrowths; ampullae ( am1 and am2 ) different in size; female leg-pair 2 ( l2 ) with a large coxal process ( Fig. 17D ). Descriptive notes. Length of adults 28–38 mm , width 1.6–2.4 mm . Number of segments in adults from 52+1+T to 57+2+T. Body grey-brown with a thin, black, dorsal, axial line, lighter on ventral side; legs light brown, antennae and anal valves grey. Eye patches composed of 40–45 black ocelli. Striae on metazonae shallow and irregular ( Fig. 16D ). All other characters as in J. alexandrae , except as follows. Antennae in situ reaching back to body segment 5. Antennomeres 5 and 6 each with a sparse corolla of bacilliform sensilla ( Fig. 1D ). Each stipes of gnathochilarium with a rather compact group of ca 17 setae placed parabasally below mentum ( Figs 2D ). Male leg-pair 1 ( Figs 3G–I ) with a well-developed suture between coxa ( cx ) and a roundish 1-segmented telopodite remnant ( te ); cx with a distolateral outgrowth, rounded at apex; te with a group of thick setae. Male legpair 2 with three coxal processes ( Figs 4G–I ): anterolateral process ( alp ) short; main process ( mp ) long and with two outgrowths, including a more or less thick and large distofrontal branch and a small and short caudal outgrowth; posterior process ( pp ) short and with two basal setae. Penes ( p ) short, not deeply bifurcate, with two small claws crossing at apex ( Fig. 4G ). FIGURE 10. Male gonopods in Julus kubanus Verhoeff, 1921 ( A–B from Maikop, Adygea Republic; C–E from Pskhu, Abkhazia; F–G from Aksaut, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, after Lohmander (1936)). A: right gonopods, mesal view. B, D: promere with flagellum, caudal view. C, G: left gonopods, mesal view. E: right gonopods, sublateral view. F: promere, caudal view. Scale bar: 0.3 mm ( A–E ), not to scale ( F–G ). Abbreviations : fl, flagellum; la, lamella on promere; lo, lateral outgrowth of opisthomere; ms, mesomere; op, opisthomere; pr, promere. Gonopodal promere ( pr ) very narrow, widely rounded at apex, with a wide lateral lamella ( la ) ( Figs 10B, 10D, 10F ). End of pr more or less narrowed. Flagella ( fl ) long and thick, with an anchor-shaped outgrowth near midpoint ( Fig. 10B ). Apex of a particularly short mesomere ( ms ) narrow ( Figs 10C, 10G , 14D ). Opisthomere ( op ) with an elongated, sharpened ( Fig. 14D ) or rounded ( Fig 10C ), lateral outgrowth ( lo ) at apex. Ventral edges of male segment 7 on each side with a small curved lamella bordering a small, inconspicuous gonopodal aperture ( Fig. 15D ). Bursa ( bu ) of female vulva ( vu ) with well-developed apical outgrowths. Ampullae ( am1 and am2 ) rounded, slightly different in size; leg-pair 2 ( l2 ) with a large coxal process ( Fig. 17D ). Remarks. In the Caucasus, this is the second most common species following J. colchicus . It has been recorded from the Krasnodar Province, the Adygea , Karachaevo-Cherkessia and North Ossetia republics, and Abkhazia ( Verhoeff 1921 ; Lohmander 1936 ; Lang 1959 ; Kobakhidze 1965 ; Lokšina and Golovatch 1979 ; Talikadze 1984 ), being widely distributed from lowlands to elevations about 2000 m a.s.l. Intraspecific variation: The species shows only minor variations in the structure of male legs-pairs 1 and 2, and of the gonopods.