# A new species of the family Cyrnosomatidae (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida) from Tuscany, Italy: Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum subgen. and sp. n

Jean-Paul Mauriès, Jean-François David

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Jean-Paul Mauriès, Jean-François David. A new species of the family Cyrnosomatidae (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida) from Tuscany, Italy: Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum subgen. and sp. n. Onychium, 2025, 18 (3), pp.109-114. hal-05166118

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# A new species of the family Cyrnosomatidae (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida) from Tuscany, Italy: *Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum* subgen. and sp. n.

Jean-Paul MAURIÈS<fnref n="1" />,† & Jean-François DAVID<fnref n="2" />,\*

**Abstract.** A new species of cyrnosomatid millipede, *Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum* subgen. and sp. n., is described from a forest soil in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany (Italy). It is tentatively placed in a new subgenus due to (i) noticeable differences between its gonopods and those of the typical *Cyrnosoma* species from Corsica and (ii) a lower number of body rings (27 pleurotergites instead of 29). The new species' gonopods have similarities with those of *Neotractosoma strandi* (*Neotractosomatidae*) described from the same province of Grosseto, and a possible transfer of *N. strandi* to the family *Cyrnosomatidae* and the subgenus *Toscanosoma* is discussed.

**Riassunto.** Una nuova specie della famiglia *Cyrnosomatidae* (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida) della Toscana, *Italia*: *Cyrnosoma* (Toscanosoma) variegatum subgen. e sp. n. Viene descritta una nuova specie di millepiedi *Cyrnosomatide*, *Cyrnosoma* (Toscanosoma) variegatum subgen. e sp. n. rinvenuta nel terriccio di una foresta in provincia di Grosseto, Toscana (Italia). Essa è inserita provvisoriamente in un nuovo sottogenere per (i) le sue notevoli differenze tra i suoi gonopodi e quelli delle specie del genere *Cyrnosoma* tipico, della Corsica e (ii) un minor numero di anelli corporei (27 pleurotergiti invece di 29). I gonopodi della nuova specie presentano similarità con quelli di *Neotractosoma strandi* (*Neotractosomatidae*) descritto della stessa provincia di Grosseto, e viene discusso un possibile trasferimento di *N. strandi* alla famiglia *Cyrnosomatidae* e al sottogenere *Toscanosoma*.

**Keywords.** Millipedes, Europe, taxonomy, biodiversity.

**ZooBank registration.** https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/8235392f-6df8-4c1b-961d-1aab7795055c

**Citation.** MAURIÉS J.-P. & DAVID J.-F., 2025. A new species of the family *Cyrnosomatidae* (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida) from Tuscany, Italy: *Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum* subgen. and sp. n. *Onychium*, 18(3): 109-114.

## Introduction

The millipede family *Cyrnosomatidae* has consisted so far of three species in the genus *Cyrnosoma* Mauriès, 2015¹ endemic to Corsica (KIME & ENGHOFF, 2021). It is one of the two European families in the superfamily *Neotractosomatoidea* as defined by MAURIÉS (2003), i.e., including species with flagella present only on anterior gonopods: (1) the *Neotractosomatidae* Verhoeff, 1901, in which the pair of flagella or graphia (i.e., brush-shaped flagella) arise laterally, and (2) the *Cyrnosomatidae* Mauriès, 2015, in which the pair of flagella arise medially. It should

<footnote n="1">¹ Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Origines & Evolution, Paris, France</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France. E-mail: jean-francois.david@cefe.cnrs.fr</footnote>

<footnote>*Corresponding author</footnote>

<footnote>† Jean-Paul died in October 2022 and this paper is a continuation of, and a tribute to, his scientific work.</footnote>

<footnote n="1">¹ The first descriptions of *Cyrnosoma* date back to MAURIÉS (1969) but the genus was only validated much later in a nomenclatural note by MAURIÉS (2015).</footnote>
be noted that the family Mastigophorophyllidae, with flagella present both on anterior and posterior gonopods, was excluded from the Neoactrosomatoidea by MAURIÈS (2003) but is still mentioned in this superfamily by other classifications (MINELLI, 2015; KIME & ENGHOFF, 2021). During the SoilForEurope project investigating the effects of tree diversity on soil biodiversity, a specimen of an unknown species of Neoactrosomatoidea was found in a forest of Tuscany, Italy (DAVID et al., 2023). Jean-Paul Mauriès, a specialist in the systematics of the Chordeumatida, examined and dissected the male specimen, drew its gonopods, and confirmed that it was a new species and even, possibly, a new subgenus of Cyrnosomatidae, before being prevented from finishing the study by a serious disease. In the present note written after Jean-Paul's death, some characters of the species are described, in particular the morphology of the gonopods, which will enable to identify unambiguously other individuals that might be collected in the future. A new subgenus is proposed to accommodate the new species, while leaving it to eminent taxonomists to decide later whether it should be maintained or not. Finally, the composition of the family Cyrnosomatidae, with the question of whether the species *Neoactrosoma strandi* Attems, 1927 [1926] should be included or not, is briefly discussed.

## Material and methods

A single adult male was collected in April 2017 in the leaf litter of a mixed forest (sweet chestnut *Castanea sativa* Mill., holm oak *Quercus ilex* L. and hop hornbeam *Ostrya carpinifolia* Scop.), located west of the Bagni di Petriolo (and west of the Strada Statale 223), in the north of the province of Grosseto, Tuscany (43°4'24"N 11°17'1"E). The specimen was preserved in 70% alcohol. Several years later, observations and drawings were made using a stereomicroscope with a camera lucida attachment.

For the gonopod description, MAURIÈS' (1969) terminology has been updated following ANTIC & MAURIÈS (2022) for Craspedosomatidea: the "telopodites" of the anterior gonopods (8th leg-pair), i.e., the anterior parts through which the flagella pass, have been renamed herein as angiocoxites in accordance with the probable entirely coxal origin of the anterior gonopods (SHEAR & LEONARD, 2007). The posterior parts of the anterior gonopods are referred to as syncolpocoxite. The term telopodite has been kept only for parts of the posterior gonopods (9th leg-pair) with presumed traces of articulations.

## Results

### Taxonomy

* Order Chordeumatida Pocock, 1894
* Suborder Craspedosomatidea Cook, 1895
* Family Cyrnosomatidae Mauriès, 2015
* Genus *Cyrnosoma* Mauriès, 2015

### *Toscanosoma* subgen. n.

**Diagnosis.** A subgenus of the genus *Cyrnosoma* with 27 pleurotergites (plus the head and the telson), angiocoxites of the anterior gonopods transversally broadened and enfolding long, slender flagella, syncolpocoxite of the anterior gonopods without median projection, and posterior gonopods without paramedian projections from the sternum.

**Type species.** *Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum* sp. n.

**Etymology.** The species epithet refers to the outstanding coloration of the body of the single specimen.
**Material examined.** HOLOTYPE. 1 ♂, Italy: Tuscany: Grosseto: Civitella Paganico. April 2017, J.F. David & J. Nahmani leg. (MNHN Paris, Myriapod collection: DA 286).

**Description.** Body size. Small species, a little less than 1cm long (exact measurement by JPM has been lost). 27 pleurotergites (head + 25 podous pleurotergites + 2 apodous pleurotergites + telson). Metazonites of mid-body pleurotergites 0.59 mm wide.

Head (Fig. 1A). Moderately setose anteriorly. Eyes made up of about 16 black ocelli in a pear-shaped field. Cheeks protruding moderately from the head capsule. Antennae medium-sized with terminal antennomeres (V to VII) enlarged, the fifth being 1.6 times wider than the third.

Coloration. Body with blue and yellow glints in the freshly collected adult male. After seven years in 70% alcohol, only remnants of brown pigment on the head, on a large dorso-medial part of the metazonites and below the paranota, plus a faintly bluish, brown tinge on the prozonites.

Pleurotergites (Fig. 1B). Surface of the prozonites finely punctured with transverse rows of minute dots. On mid-body metazonites, paranota of modest size but clearly visible dorsally. 3 + 3 medium-sized trichoid setae roughly equal in length to the distance between the bases of lateral setae. Base of median seta approximately equidistant from the other two, the three forming an angle of about 90-100°. Internal seta nearer to the median seta than to the medial suture.

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>**Fig. 1.** *Cyrnosoma (Toscanosoma) variegatum* subgen. and sp. n. **A.** Head in dorsal view with an antenna in place.</figcaption></figure>

<caption>**B.** Outline of a mid-body pleurotergite in dorsal view showing the position of the 3+3 setae on the metazonite.</caption>

Anterior gonopods (Fig. 2A, B). In anterior view, angiocoxites relatively broad, in contact interiorly in their proximal part. Distal end of the angiocoxites markedly narrowed at about 1/6 length. Slender flagella, a little swollen at the base, exceeding the angiocoxites in length. In posterior
view, syncolpocoxite surmounted by two round-ended lobes covered with microscopic setae or denticles, without median process.

Posterior gonopods (Fig. 2C). Small and very simple. Two short, very close stumps (telopodites) arising from the sternum without any other process. Spots of black pigment on the telopodites.

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>**Fig. 2.** *Cyrnosoma* (*Toscanosoma*) variegatum subgen. and sp. n. Morphology of the gonopods based on preliminary drawings by J.P. Mauriès. **A.** anterior gonopods, posterior view. **B.** anterior gonopods, anterior view. **C.** posterior gonopods, anterior view.</figcaption></figure>

**Discussion.** The new species' gonopods are characteristic of the superfamily Neoatractosomatoidea sensu MAURIÈS (2003), with (1) each anterior gonopod including a flagellum inserted in a furrow formed by a posterior fold of the angiocoxite, and (2) posterior gonopods without flagella and with telopodites reduced to stumps. The medial insertion of the flagella and their weak proximal bulge place the species in the monotypic family Cyrnosomatidae.

Several differences with the gonopods of the type species, *Cyrnosoma beroni* (Mauriès, 1969), especially the absence of a median projection from the syncolpocoxite of the anterior gonopods and the absence of two paramedian projections in the posterior gonopods — which are all present in both *C. beroni* and *Cyrnosoma strasseri* (Mauriès, 1969) — have led to place the species from Tuscany in a separate sub-genus, *Toscanosoma*. It should be noted that the third species known from Corsica, *Cyrnosoma coineaui* (Mauriès, 1969), also has gonopods quite different from those of *C. beroni* and *C. strasseri* — and quite different from those of *C*.
*variegatum* too — with ribbon-shaped flagella, and should probably be transferred to another subgenus or genus, as was already suggested by MAURIÈS (1969).

The new species from Tuscany also differs from the *Cyrnosoma* species of Corsica by a smaller number of body rings at the adult stage (27 pleurotergites instead of 29), tergal setae arranged in a less obtuse angle (ca. 90-100° instead of 120°), and by its surprising coloration with blue and yellow glints, a very rare trait in the Chordeumatida. The origin of those two colours is unknown, but the fact that they fade and disappear after long term storage in ethanol might suggest some kinds of pigments, as assumed in other colourful millipedes (GILGADO *et al.*, 2020). However, a blue colour caused by an iridovirus cannot be excluded (HOPKIN & READ, 1992), in which case less coloured individuals might be found in the future.

The new species' gonopods have similarities to those of *Neotractosoma strandi* from the peninsula of Monte Argentario, in the same province of Grosseto. Although the latter species is currently classified in the family *Neotractosomatidae*, MAURIÈS (2003) suggested, in view of ATTEMS' (1926) drawings, that it should probably be included in the family *Cyrnosomatidae*, considering the attachment site of the flagella. This cannot be confirmed by examination of the type specimen kept in the Natural History Museum Vienna because the gonopods are missing (WIRKNER *et al.*, 2002), and new collections in the area of Monte Argentario would be required to settle the question. In *N. strandi* as in *C. variegatum* (1) the angiocoxites of the anterior gonopods, seen in anterior view, are markedly broadened over a large part of their height; (2) slender flagella largely exceed the angiocoxites in length; (3) there is no prominent median process arising from the syncolpocoxite of the anterior gonopods; and (4) there are no paramedian processes between the short telopodites of the posterior gonopods. All that brings *N. strandi* closer to the new subgenus *Toscanosoma* of the genus *Cyrnosoma*. The species has 27 pleurotergites, like *C. variegatum*, but it differs by the mottled brown colour of the body and by details of the anterior and posterior gonopods — which might however depend on the accuracy of drawings. This should also be checked on new specimens.

In conclusion, the family *Cyrnosomatidae* gains some consistency in a geographically limited area on both sides of the Corsica channel, including four or five species: three from Corsica and one or two from the Tuscan coastal province of Grosseto, depending on whether *N. strandi* is included or not. All are micro-endemic species known so far from a single locality, which suggests that they may be of conservation concerns.

## Acknowledgements

The corresponding author is deeply grateful to Johanne Nahmani for her invaluable help both during the field work and during the preparation of this paper, and to Jean-Jacques Geoffroy for the management of the specimen in the MNHN, Paris.

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Received: 29 January 2025

Accepted: 26 April 2025