Parancistrum Verhoeff 1943
Creators: name: Vagalinski, Boyan
name: Lazányi, Eszter
name: Golovatch, Sergei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Julida
Julidae
Parancistrum

description: Subgenus Parancistrum Verhoeff, 1943
Parancistrum Verhoeff, 1943: 226. Type species: Brachyiulus adanensis Verhoeff, 1943 (syn. n. of Megaphyllum curvifolii (Verhoeff, 1898)), by monotypy.
Diagnosis. A subgenus of Megaphyllum differing from other subgenera by the following combination of characters: Opisthomere with a large, flattened, posterior process (pp), a well-developed, slender, club- or spineshaped anterior process (ap), and a rather simple solenomere, with a prominent anterior protrusion (asp). Vulva cylindrical, with a small, entirely apically positioned opening (o); operculum (op) shorter than to subequal to bursa. Subanal scale in males triangular, pointed.
Description. Medium- to large-sized animals, 25–45 mm long and 1.6–3.2 mm high; females usually slightly longer and considerably thicker than males. Body colour pattern usually marked by two lateral and one mid-dorsal dark stripe against a brownish background.
Head with 2 frontal, 4 supralabral and 18–24 labral setae. Antennomeres 3, 4 and 5 subequal in length.
Gnathochilarium typically julid, with 4–5 setae on each lingual plate; promentum rather large, 1/4–2/7 of total length of gnathochilarium. Males with expanded mandibular stipites, each protruding ventro-anteriad into a rounded lobe.
Collum smooth, either with several short scratches at posterolateral corner or with one long stria running along collum’s lateral margin.
Body rings not vaulted; male’s first 3–4 body rings somewhat flattened dorsoventrally, this being more pronounced in certain species. Prozona finely scratched, metazona deeply and densely striated. Male pleurotergum 7 with large shovel-shaped or smaller lobes protruding mesad at border between pro- and metazona. Pre-anal process (= epiproct) long and pointed, sometimes with a hyaline tip turned down, in females usually shorter and stouter. Anal valves (= paraprocts) densely pilose. Subanal scale (= hypoproct) triangular, pointed or faintly blunt, in females sometimes narrowly rounded.
Male leg-pair 1 forming parallel hooks, without tarsal remnants; leg-pair 2 unmodified, with two adhesive pads, one each on postfemora and tibiae; following walking legs with three pads, one each on femora, postfemora and tibiae. Tarsi of mid-body male walking legs shorter than or subequal to tibiae. Legs in females unmodified except for first two leg-pairs being slightly enlarged when vulvae fully developed.
Penis lying deep behind coxae 2, stout, somewhat longer than broad, with well-developed apical lobes slightly turned caudad.
Gonopods more or less slender, in situ considerably protruding outside gonopod sinus. Promere (P) simple, elongated, leaf-like, with a rather deep median groove (g) on its posterior side and a well-developed median ridge (r). Flagellum (fl) from subequal to, to considerably longer than promere, thin; several spini- or setiform filaments (sf) along opisthomere’s flagellum channel (fc). Opisthomere somewhat longer than to subequal to promere, with a massive, flattened, posterior process (pp), a slender, smooth or serrated, spini- or claviform, anterior process (ap), and a rather simple solenomere (s) turned caudad and bearing a marked anterior protrusion (asp), with flagellum channel (fc) opening behind it.
Vulvae robust, markedly cylindrical, with a small, slit-like, apically positioned opening (o); bursa (b) and operculum (op) subequal in height, with well-developed, apical, lamellar protrusions (bl and opl, respectively); setation particularly dense; receptaculum seminis double, consisting of an ovoid or subspherical posterior ampulla (pa) and a wide apodematic tube (at), the former attached to the latter through a long, folded, often spirally twisted connecting tube (ct).
Distribution. Turkey, Israel
Included species. Megaphyllum curvifolii (Verhoeff, 1898) (type species), M. genezarethanum (Verhoeff, 1923), M. serratum (Verhoeff, 1898), M. tenenbaumi (Jawłowski 1931), M. turcicum (Verhoeff, 1898) and M. arcuatum sp. n.
Comment. Attems (1940) assigned the species M. curvifolii, M. genezarethanum (referred to as Chromatoiulus palaestinus), M. serratum, M. tenenbaumi and M. turcicum to the subgenus Phauloiulus Attems, 1940 he then described. However, by choosing M. lictor Attems, 1904 as the type species, a species actually belonging to Byzantorhopalum Verhoeff, 1932 (Vagalinski & Lazányi, in prep.), as well as by adding therein (in the same paper) also M. crassum (Attems, 1928), M. glossulifer (Schubart, 1934), M. karschi (Verhoeff, 1901), M. montivagum (Verhoeff, 1901), M. leucadium (Attems, 1929) (referred to as Chromatoiulus leucasius, a misprint), M. pentheri (Attems, 1905), M. seditiosum (Attems, 1940), M. tetricum (Attems, 1932) and M. vicinum (Verhoeff, 1903), Attems instantly made his Phauloiulus a highly heterogeneous assemblage. Moreover, M. curvifolii appears to be a senior subjective synonym of M. adanense, i.e. the type, and so far only constituent, species of Parancistrum. The decision to revive the hitherto monotypic Parancistrum is prompted by the presence of several similar species among Phauloiulus which, together with the synonymized M. adanense, form a natural group that shows certain similarities with Megaphyllum s. str., but is at the same time clearly discernible.
description: Published as part of Vagalinski, Boyan, Lazányi, Eszter & Golovatch, Sergei, 2013, Redescription of the subgenus Parancistrum Verhoeff, 1943, an eastern Mediterranean lineage of the millipede genus Megaphyllum Verhoeff, 1894 (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae: Brachyiulini), pp. 501-520 in Zootaxa 3734 (5) on pages 502-503, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3734.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/219026