A revision of dragon millipedes I: genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, with the description of eight new species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)
Authors: Srisonchai Ruttapon , Enghoff Henrik , Likhitrakarn Natdanai , Panha Somsak 
Published: May 2018

The dragon millipede genusDesmoxytess.l. is split into five genera, based on morphological characters and preliminary molecular phylogenetic analyses. The present article includes a review ofDesmoxytess.s., while future articles will deal withHylomusCook and Loomis, 1924 and three new genera which preliminarily are referred to as the ‘acantherpestes’, ‘gigas’, and ‘spiny’ groups. Diagnostic morphological characters of each group are discussed.Hylomusis resurrected as a valid genus and the following 33 species are assigned to it:H.asper(Attems, 1937),comb. n.,H.cattienensis(Nguyen, Golovatch &amp; Anichkin, 2005),comb. n.,H.cervarius(Attems, 1953),comb. n.,H.cornutus(Zhang &amp; Li, 1982),comb. n.,H.dracoCook &amp; Loomis, 1924,stat. rev.,H.enghoffi(Nguyen, Golovatch &amp; Anichkin, 2005),comb. n.,H.eupterygotus(Golovatch, Li, Liu &amp; Geoffroy, 2012),comb. n.,H.getuhensis(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2014),comb. n.,H.grandis(Golovatch, VandenSpiegel &amp; Semenyuk, 2016),comb. n.,H.hostilis(Golovatch &amp; Enghoff, 1994),comb. n.,H.jeekeli(Golovatch &amp; Enghoff, 1994),comb. n.,H.lingulatus(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2014),comb. n.,H.laticollis(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.,H.longispinus(Loksa, 1960),comb. n.,H.lui(Golovatch, Li, Liu &amp; Geoffroy, 2012),comb. n.,H.minutuberculus(Zhang, 1986),comb. n.,H.nodulosus(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2014),comb. n.,H.parvulus(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2014),comb. n.,H.phasmoides(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.,H.pilosus(Attems, 1937),comb. n.,H.proximus(Nguyen, Golovatch &amp; Anichkin, 2005),comb. n.,H.rhinoceros(Likhitrakarn, Golovatch &amp; Panha, 2015),comb. n.,H.rhinoparvus(Likhitrakarn, Golovatch &amp; Panha, 2015),comb. n.,H.scolopendroides(Golovatch, Geoffroy &amp; Mauriès, 2010),comb. n.,H.scutigeroides(Golovatch, Geoffroy &amp; Mauriès, 2010),comb. n.,H.similis(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.,H.simplex(Golovatch, VandenSpiegel &amp; Semenyuk, 2016),comb. n.,H.simplipodus(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.,H.specialis(Nguyen, Golovatch &amp; Anichkin, 2005),comb. n.,H.spectabilis(Attems, 1937),comb. n.,H.spinitergus(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.,H.spinissimus(Golovatch, Li, Liu &amp; Geoffroy, 2012),comb. n.andH.variabilis(Liu, Golovatch &amp; Tian, 2016),comb. n.Desmoxytess.s. includes the following species:D.breviverpaSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha, 2016;D.cervina(Pocock,1895);D.delfae(Jeekel, 1964);D.desSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha, 2016;D.pinnasqualiSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha, 2016;D.planata(Pocock, 1895);D.purpuroseaEnghoff, Sutcharit &amp; Panha, 2007;D.takensisSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha, 2016;D.taurina(Pocock, 1895);D.terae(Jeekel, 1964), all of which are re-described based mainly on type material. Two new synonyms are proposed:DesmoxytespterygotaGolovatch &amp; Enghoff, 1994,syn. n.(=Desmoxytescervina(Pocock, 1895)),DesmoxytesrubraGolovatch &amp; Enghoff, 1994,syn. n.(=Desmoxytesdelfae(Jeekel, 1964)). Six new species are described from Thailand:D.aurataSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.,D.corythosaurusSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.,D.eurosSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.,D.flabellaSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.,D.golovatchiSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.,D.octoconigeraSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n., as well as one from Malaysia:D.perakensisSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n., and one from Myanmar:D.waepyanensisSrisonchai, Enghoff &amp; Panha,sp. n.The species can mostly be easily distinguished by gonopod structure in combination with other external characters; some cases of particularly similar congeners are discussed. All species ofDesmoxytess.s. seem to be endemic to continental Southeast Asia (except the ‘tramp’ speciesD.planata). Some biological observations (relationship with mites, moulting) are recorded for the first time. Complete illustrations of external morphological characters, an identification key, and distribution maps of all species are provided.