How many species are there of Pachyiulus? A contribution to the taxonomy of Europe's largest millipedes (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae)

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the discussion about species limits in the millipede genus Pachyiulus Berlese, 1883. Colour, body size, morphology, anamorphosis and DNA sequences of two morphotypes are compared, leading to the conclusion that Pachyiulus oenologus (Berlese, 1885) and Pachyiulus flavipes (C.L. Koch, 1847) are distinct species although they were previously synonymized under Pachyiulus varius (Fabricius, 1781). The identity of P. varius is discussed, and a new record of P. apfelbecki Verhoeff, 1901, is presented.

Keywords:

• species
• millipede
• morphology
• Pachyiulus
• sequence divergence
• anamorphosis

Acknowledgements

We extend our thanks to Jens Böcher for providing live specimens of P. flavipes, to W. Jędryczkowski (Warsaw) and P. Schwendinger (Genève) for access to specimens in the collections under their care.