Desmoxytes
| Desmoxytes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Two Desmoxytes species from China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Polydesmida |
| Family: | Paradoxosomatidae |
| Genus: | Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923 |
| Species | |
|
c. 30, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Desmoxytes, whose species are commonly known as the dragon millipedes, is a genus of millipede of the family Paradoxosomatidae found in southeast Asia. The genus was described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1923 and reviewed by Sergei Golovatch and Henrik Enghoff in 1994.[1] At least twenty-nine species are known from southeastern China to Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.[2] One species, D. planata, has also been observed in Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Seychelles, Java, Great Coco Island, and Fiji; however, this species has expanded its range by being transported through human activity.[1][3] Several species have only recently been discovered and some have yet to be officially described.[3]
Generally, species in this genus are striking in coloration and spiny,[3] although several species are cave-dwelling, and show troglomorphic characters such as pale browinish coloration and long, narrow spines.[4] This genus is unique for its sculptured, ornamented dorsum, and elaborate paranota.[5] The maximum length for a species in this genus is around 3 centimeters (1.2 inches).[3] Species in this genus also have the ability to produce hydrogen cyanide to ward off predators, which can give the dragon millipedes an almondlike smell.[3]
Species
Other than D. planata, each species of dragon millipede is known primarily from only one or a few locations in their country of origin.[3] Additionally, there is one species from Australia, Desmoxytoides hasenpuschorum, which is extremely similar to Desmoxytes but has been split into its own monotypic genus; there is speculation, even by the genus authority for Desmoxytoides, that this split is not necessary.[3] Five species of Desmoxytes, including D. aspera, D. cervaria, D. draco, D. pilosa, and D. spectabilis, were originally placed in the separate genus Hylomus before it was lumped into Desmoxytes.[5][6]
| Binomial names | Authority | Year | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desmoxytes acantherpestes | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 |  Thailand |
| Desmoxytes aspera | Attems | 1937 |  Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes cattienensis | Nguyen Duc Anh et al. | 2005 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes cervaria | Attems | 1953 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes cervina | Pocock | 1895 |  Myanmar |
| Desmoxytes cornutus | Zhang & Li | 1982 |  People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes delfae | Jeekel | 1964 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes draco | Cook & Loomis | 1924 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes enghoffi | Nguyen Duc Anh et al. | 2005 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes eupterygota | Golovatch et al. | 2012 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes getuhensis | Liu, Golovatch & Tian | 2014 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes gigas | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes hostilis | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes jeekeli | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes lingulata | Liu, Golovatch & Tian | 2014 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes longispina | Loksa | 1960 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes lui | Golovatch et al. | 2012 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes minutuberculata | Zhang | 1986 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes nodulosa | Liu, Golovatch & Tian | 2014 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes parvula | Liu, Golovatch & Tian | 2014 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes pilosa | Attems | 1937 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes planata | Pocock | 1895 | widespread |
| Desmoxytes proxima | Nguyen Duc Anh et al. | 2005 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes pterygota | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes purpurosea | Enghoff, Sutcharit & Panha | 2007 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes rhinoceros | Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha | 2015 |  Laos |
| Desmoxytes rhinoparva | Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha | 2015 | Laos |
| Desmoxytes rubra | Golovatch & Enghoff | 1994 | Thailand |
| Desmoxytes scolopendroides | Golovatch et al. | 2010 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes scutigeroides | Golovatch et al. | 2010 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes specialis | Nguyen Duc Anh et al. | 2005 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes spectabilis | Attems | 1937 | Vietnam |
| Desmoxytes spinissima | Golovatch et al. | 2012 | People's Republic of China |
| Desmoxytes taurina | Pocock | 1895 | Myanmar |
| Desmoxytes terae | Jeekel | 1964 |  Malaysia, Thailand |
References
- 1 2 Enghoff, Henrik (November 2005). "The millipedes of Thailand (Diplopoda)" (PDF). Steenstrupia (Copenhagen) 29 (1): 87–103. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- ↑ Thompson, Christian (2008-12-15). "First Contact in the Greater Mekong" (pdf). World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Enghoff, Henrik; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Panha, Somsak (2007). "The shocking pink dragon millipede, Desmoxytes purpurosea, a colourful new species from Thailand" (PDF). Zootaxa 1563: 31–36. ISSN 1175-5326. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- ↑ Golovatch, Sergei; Li, Youbang; Liu, Weixin; Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques (2012). "Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)". ZooKeys 185 (0): 1. doi:10.3897/zookeys.185.3082.
- 1 2 Shelley, Rowland; Selena Bauer (1998). "The Milliped Family Paradoxosomatidae in the Hawaiian Islands (Diplopoda: Polydesmida)" (PDF). Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 56: 48–49. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ↑ "Zoo 111". Universität Ulm & Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Retrieved 2008-12-17.