The millipede tribe Brachyiulini in the Caucasus (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae)

Abstract

The diplopod tribe Brachyiulini is represented in the fauna of the Caucasus by eight genera and 32 species, of which one genus and 14 species are described as new: Colchiobrachyiulus montanus Vagalinski, sp. nov., Iraniulus tricornis Vagalinski, sp. nov., Omobrachyiulus armatus Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. fasciatus Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. faxifer Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. kvavadzei Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. lazanyiae Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. ponticus Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. pristis Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. trochiloides Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. unugulis Vagalinski, sp. nov., O. zuevi Vagalinski, sp. nov., Svaniulus ryvkini Vagalinski, gen. nov., sp. nov., and S. waltheri Vagalinski, gen. nov., sp. nov. Colchiobrachyiulus Lohmander, 1936, a former subgenus of Megaphyllum, is here elevated to a full genus, and the genus Grusiniulus Lohmander, 1936 is downgraded to a subgenus of the genus Cyphobrachyiulus Verhoeff, 1900, both stat. nov., with their previously described species, Colchiobrachyiulus dioscoriadis (Lignau, 1915) and Cyphobrachyiulus redikorzevi (Lohmander, 1936), respectively, listed as comb. nov. Omobrachyiulus brachyurus (Attems, 1899) is formally established as a junior subjective synonym of O. caucasicus (Karsch, 1881), syn. nov., and Omobrachyiulus implicitus ritsensis (Golovatch, 1981) is formally synonymised with the typical Omobrachyiulus implicitus (Lohmander, 1936), syn. nov. Omobrachyiulus sevangensis (Lohmander, 1932), originally described in the genus Megaphyllum, is here transferred to the former genus, comb. nov. The diagnoses and descriptions of some genera and subgenera are refined and complemented. A key is given to all genera and species of Brachyiulini that occur in the Caucasus, and their distributions are mapped. Several species are recorded as new to the faunas of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, or Russia. The distribution patterns of the Caucasian Brachyiulini and their biogeographic implications are discussed.