Nyssodesmus python
Creators: name: Golovatch, Sergei I.
name: Korotayeva, Alyona M.
name: Martínez-Torres, Daniela
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Diplopoda
Polydesmida
Platyrhacidae
Nyssodesmus
Nyssodesmus python

description: Nyssodesmus cf. python (Peters, 1865)
Material examined. 1 male, 1 female (FSCA, DMT 134), Costa Rica, Heredia Province, Estación Biologica La Selva, 10.416667°N, - 84.000000°W, 50–150 m a.s.l., in copula, side of trail, 14.II.2001, G.B. Edwards leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2016; 1 male, 1 female (MCZ 44105, DMT 366), Heredia Province, near Puerto Viejo, La Selva, 10.434769°N, - 84.018914°W, 60 m a.s.l., 21.VI.1979, J. Coddington leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2015 (https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/ MCZ:IZ:44105); 1 male (NCMNH A3657, DMT 64), Heredia Province, Rio Sarapiqui, above road from La Selva Biological Station, 10.416667°N, - 84.000000°W, 100 m a.s.l., 9.III.1981, R.E. Ashton leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2015; 1 male, 1 female (MCZ 41246, DMT 363), Limón Province, Guapiles, 10.2158780°N, - 83.786609°W, 256 m a.s.l., III.1924, Barbour and Brooks leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2016 (https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/ MCZ:IZ:41246); 1 male (MCZ 45362, DMT 371), Limón Province, Hamburg Farm, 10.2846630°N, - 83.410149°W, 10 m a.s.l., Dodge leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2016 (https:// mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/ MCZ:IZ:45362); 1 male (MCZ 46480, DMT 403), Limón Province, Las Mercedes, between Squirres and Guapiles, 10.1756270°N, - 83.611534°W, 50 m a.s.l., X.1984, W. Eberhard leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2016 (https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/ MCZ:IZ:46480); 1 male (NCMNH A3655, DMT 65), Costa Rica, Puntarenas Province, 25 km NNE of Pan Am Highway, Monteverde Сloud Forest Reserve, 1600–1700 m a.s.l., 10.III.1981, R.E. Ashton leg., D. Martínez-Torres det., 2015.
Brief descriptive notes. Length ca 70–100 mm (male, female) (Figs 5, 8–13), width of midbody pro- and metazona up to 6.2 and 12.2 mm, respectively (male). Live coloration (Fig. 13) usually variegated, vivid and stripy, light to dark brown, always with a wide, light, red-brown to pallid, mid-dorsal, axial stripe often accompanied by a vague, narrow, darker, greyish axial line; pro- and metaterga contrasting light mid-dorsally, paraterga usually light as well, but dark/infuscate only at or near bases of paraterga, occasionally dark also almost until their lateral margins, these being orange to pallid. Dry or alcohol material (Figs 6A, B, 8A, 9A, 10A, 11A, B, 12A, B) usually apparently faded, up to uniformly greyish to light beige (Figs 6A, 10A). Metatergal granulations typically indistinct (Figs 6A, 11A, B, 12A, B). Ozopore on paratergum 10 lying ca 1–2 its diameter off lateral margin (Fig 6C). Gonopods (Figs 7, 8B, C, 9B, C, 11C, D, 12C, D) virtually same as in N. alboalatus, acropodite likewise ribbon-shaped and rapidly bent mesad, divided into a rudimentary solenomere (sl) and a longer, slightly sigmoid, rounded to subtruncate lateral branch (lb).
Remarks. Because the above alcohol samples referred to as Nyssodesmus cf. python tend to show some minor deviations from the typical patterns, such as a little more distinct metatergal granulations and/or more strongly dentate lateral margins of some paraterga, and/or a little better discernible solenomere vestige, they all are provisionally treated, and mapped (Fig. 14), as N. cf. python, separately from N. python, even though they appear to be largely strictly sympatric or even syntopic with doubtless N. python material.
Basically, sympatry or syntopy is known to be very common amongst Neotropical Platyrhacidae, with up to several congeners often co-occurring together (e.g., Hoffman 1999).
description: Published as part of Golovatch, Sergei I., Korotayeva, Alyona M. & Martínez-Torres, Daniela, 2024, Three species of the millipede family Platyrhacidae from Costa Rica: a new Barydesmus Cook, 1896 and two oldest Nyssodesmus Cook, 1896 (Diplopoda Polydesmida), pp. 424-438 in Zootaxa 5538 (5) on pages 435-436, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5538.5.2, http://zenodo.org/record/14239741