Skip to main content

Black-yellow pill millipede (Rhopalomeris nigroflava) is 5.1-9.7 mm long from Myanmar

Black-yellow pill millipede (Rhopalomeris nigroflava) is 5.1-9.7 mm long from Myanmar

NEWS - Black-yellow pill millipede (Rhopalomeris nigroflava Likhitrakarn sp. nov.) found in Linno Gu, Kayin State, Myanmar, 5.1-9.7 mm long and yellow with contrasting brown to blackish markings on certain terga, also the position of the syncoccital lobe of the telopod relative to the lateral syncoccital horns separates it from other Rhopalomeris species.

Currently, pill millipede (Rhopalomeris Verhoeff, 1906) consists of 7 species distributed in Vietnam (4 species), Myanmar (2 species), Thailand and Malaysia (1 species each) with no documented species overlap.

The distribution pattern, especially the higher species diversity in Vietnam compared to neighboring countries, suggests that there is still a high possibility of new species being discovered in Cambodia and southern Thailand through future surveys.

Rhopalomeris species are found at elevations of 5-1600 meters. Most are narrow endemics restricted to the type site. The exceptions are R. sauda which has a distribution of 180 km and R. carnifex which shows a range exceeding 1200 km and extends from southern Myanmar through Thailand to northern Malaysia.

R. nigroflava differs from other Rhopalomeris species by its yellowish body with contrasting brown to blackish markings on terga 4-9. In addition, the body is 5.1-9.7 mm long and 2.6-4.7 mm wide, with a lower syncoccytial lobe of the telopods than the lateral syncoccyte horns.

A female and two males were found guarding a clutch of eggs near the head, beneath the thoracic shield. This behavior deviates from the typical reproductive strategy known throughout the order Glomerida, where females deposit eggs in special clay chambers and allow them to develop independently.

This newly discovered species exhibits interesting traits that deserve special study. The specific epithet nigroflava is derived from the Latin niger meaning black and flavus meaning yellow, referring to the dark bands on the yellowish back.

The low intraspecific genetic divergence observed in R. carnifex (1.75%) and the newly described R. nigroflava (0%) is consistent with previous reports in Peplomeris magna (0.2%), some species of Hyleoglomeris (0-1.19%) and Hyperglomeris (0.45-5.30%).

Unfortunately, phylogenetic relationships do not seem to be sufficient to resolve genus-level relationships within the family, as shown in other studies. Future studies should include other genetic markers, such as 16S and 28S ribosomal RNA genes, and more advanced techniques, such as transcriptomic and phylogenomic data.

Studies combined with analyses of morphological, distributional and ecological traits are needed to gain a more integrative understanding of the evolutionary relationships among glomerid species, especially regarding the intraspecific variation observed within the R. carnifex complex.

Original research

Likhitrakarn N, Golovatch SI, Srisonchai R, Jirapatrasilp P, Sapparojpattana P, Jeratthitikul E, Panha S, Sutcharit C (2024). A new species of the pill millipede genus Rhopalomeris Verhoeff, 1906 (Diplopoda, Glomerida, Glomeridae) from Myanmar, and notes on Rhopalomeris carnifex (Pocock, 1889). ZooKeys 1215: 235-257. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1215.130919, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1215.130919

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...
Read more

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...
Read more

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Sonokeling or Java palisandre or Indian rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a large tree producing hardwood, medium weight and high quality, rounded leaves, thin and broad pods, highly adaptive, grows in dry and rocky landscapes with lots of sunlight. D. latifolia has medium to large size, cylindrical stems, up to 40 m high with a ring of up to 2 m, the bark is brownish gray and slightly cracked longitudinally. The crown is dense, dome-shaped and sheds leaves. The leaves are compound and pinnate oddly with 5-7 strands that have different sizes and appear alternately on the shaft. The leaves are round or elongated in width or heart, the upper surface is green and the surface is pale green. The flowers are small, 0.5-1 cm long and clustered in panicles. The pods are green to brown when ripe and are elongated lanceolate, pointed at the base and tip. The pods have 1-4 seeds which are soft and brownish. Indian rosewood grows at elevations below 600 m,...
Read more