Millipedes faced with drought: the life cycle of a Mediterranean population of Ommatoiulussabulosus (Linnaeus) (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae).
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: David JF
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4523768 | biostudies-other | 2015
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:Tasmanian Iulomorphidae are here assigned to the genera Amastigogonus Brölemann, 1913, Atelomastix Attems, 1911 and Equestrigonusgen. n. Descriptions or redescriptions are given for Amastigogonus danpicolasp. n., Amastigogonus elephassp. n., Amastigogonus fossuliger Verhoeff, 1944, Amastigogonus hardyi (Chamberlin, 1920), Amastigogonus hellyerisp. n., Amastigogonus michaelsaesp. n., Amastigogonus orientalissp. n., Amastigogonus peninsulensissp. n., Amastigogonus tasmanianus Brölemann, 1913 (type species of Amastigogonus), Amastigogonus verreauxii (Gervais, 1847), Atelomastix bonhamisp. n., Atelomastix smithisp. n. and Equestrigonus tasmaniensisgen. n., sp. n. The synonymy of Amastigogonus nichollsii Verhoeff, 1944 with Amastigogonus hardyi is accepted, and lectotypes are designated for Amastigogonus nichollsii and Amastigogonus tasmanianus.
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Project description:The Tömösváry organ is a sensory structure of the head in myriapods and some other terrestrial arthropods. Due to its variable shape, size, and position in millipedes (Diplopoda) the Tömösváry organ is commonly used as diagnostic character in taxonomic descriptions and often included in phylogenetic analyses. For the Polydesmida, the largest millipede order, the Tömösváry organ is inconsistently stated as being either absent or present as a pear-shaped pit covered by a membrane or cuticular disc. In order to resolve this inconsistency, we investigated the morphology of the presumable Tömösváry organ in four polydesmidan species based on paraffin-histology, semi-thin sections and micro-computed tomography. Our results unambiguously favor the view that the articulation of the cephalic tentorium with the head capsule was misidentified as the Tömösváry organ in previous studies, and thus that the Tömösváry organ indeed is absent in the Polydesmida. The pear-shaped pit proved to represent the distal roundish expansion of the incisura lateralis, to which - similarly as in julidan millipedes - the tentorial transverse bar is articulated. The absence of the Tömösváry organ in the Polydesmida does not affect the topology of the interrelationships among the millipede orders retrieved in previous cladistic analyses based on morphology. As a character shared by Colobognatha and Juliformia, however, absence of a Tömösváry organ in Polydesmida favors the optimization of its presence in nematophoran millipedes as a reversal. Further studies are needed to clarify whether among chilognathan millipedes a Tömösváry organ really exists in taxa such as Stemmiulida, and whether the Tömösváry organs are homologous across millipedes.
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Project description:A review is given of all the literature records of millipedes and centipedes that have been found in German greenhouses together with additional records for 29 such sites. Species lists are given for 46 greenhouses investigated throughout Germany. Thirty-five diplopod and 18 chilopod species were found to occur in greenhouses, of which 15 (3 Chilopoda, 12 Diplopoda) are restricted to this type of habitat. First records for Germany include Anadenobolusmonilicornis (Porat, 1876), Epinannolenecf.trinidadensis Chamberlin, 1918, Epinannolene sp., Mesoiulusgridellii Strasser, 1934, Leptogoniulussorornus (Butler, 1876), Rhinotuspurpureus (Pocock, 1894), Cryptopsdoriae Pocock, 1891, Lamyctescoeculus (Brölemann, 1889) and Tygarrupjavanicus (Attems, 1907). The millipedes Oxidusgracilis (C. L. Koch, 1847) and Amphitomeusattemsi (Schubart, 1934) and the centipedes Lithobiusforficatus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Cryptopshortensis (Donovan, 1810) are the species most frequently found in greenhouses.
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Project description:AbstractThe diplopod fauna of Georgia, Transcaucasia, is very rich given the country’s relatively small territory; it presently comprises 103 species from 44 genera, 12 families, and 7 orders. Most of the Diplopoda known from Georgia (86 species, or 83%) demonstrate Caucasian distribution patterns, 36 and 46 species, as well as 8 and 9 genera being endemic or subendemic to the country, respectively. A single Holarctic family, Anthroleucosomatidae (order Chordeumatida), contains 44 Caucasian species and 20 genera, of which 27 species and 14 genera are endemic or subendemic to Georgia. Likewise, all species from the orders Polyzoniida, Siphonocryptida, Glomerida and Chordeumatida, as well as most species of Julida and Polydesmida are native, also endemic or subendemic to the Caucasus, but the genera and families they represent are widely distributed at least across the Euro-Mediterranean Realm. Most of the presumed troglobionts in the Caucasus appear to be confined to western Georgia’s karst caves (14 species, 5 genera). Within Georgia, the fauna of the western part (= Colchis) is particularly rich and diverse, while that of the central and eastern parts of the country grows increasingly depauperate inland following the gradual climatic aridisation from west (Black Sea coast) to east (Armenia and Azerbaijan). The vertical distribution of the Diplopoda in Georgia, as well as the Caucasus generally, shows the bulk of the fauna restricted to forested lowland to mountain biomes or their remnants. Only very few Chordeumatida and Julus species seem to occur solely in the subalpine to alpine environments and thus may provisionally be considered as high-montane elements. Ongoing and future research on the millipedes of the Caucasus, especially in cave and montane environments, will undoubtedly allow for many more novelties and details of the diversity and distribution of Georgia’s Diplopoda to be revealed or refined.
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Project description:Methanogens represent the final decomposition step in anaerobic degradation of organic matter, occurring in the digestive tracts of various invertebrates. However, factors determining their community structure and activity in distinct gut sections are still debated. In this study, we focused on the tropical millipede species Archispirostreptus gigas (Diplopoda, Spirostreptidae) and Epibolus pulchripes (Diplopoda, Pachybolidae), which release considerable amounts of methane. We aimed to characterize relationships between physicochemical parameters, methane production rates, and methanogen community structure in the two major gut sections, midgut and hindgut. Microsensor measurements revealed that both sections were strictly anoxic, with reducing conditions prevailing in both millipedes. Hydrogen concentration peaked in the anterior hindgut of E. pulchripes. In both species, the intestinal pH was significantly higher in the hindgut than in the midgut. An accumulation of acetate and formate in the gut indicated bacterial fermentation activities in the digestive tracts of both species. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed a prevalence of Methanobrevibacter spp. (Methanobacteriales), accompanied by a small fraction of so-far-unclassified "Methanomethylophilaceae" (Methanomassiliicoccales), in both species, which suggests that methanogenesis is mostly hydrogenotrophic. We conclude that anoxic conditions, negative redox potential, and bacterial production of hydrogen and formate promote gut colonization by methanogens. The higher activities of methanogens in the hindgut are explained by the higher pH of this compartment and their association with ciliates, which are restricted to this compartment and present an additional source of methanogenic substrates. IMPORTANCE Methane (CH4) is the second most important atmospheric greenhouse gas after CO2 and is believed to account for 17% of global warming. Methanogens are a diverse group of archaea and can be found in various anoxic habitats, including digestive tracts of plant-feeding animals. Termites, cockroaches, the larvae of scarab beetles, and millipedes are the only arthropods known to host methanogens and emit large amounts of methane. Millipedes are ranked as the third most important detritivores after termites and earthworms, and they are considered keystone species in many terrestrial ecosystems. Both methane-producing and non-methane-emitting species of millipedes have been observed, but what limits their methanogenic potential is not known. In the present study, we show that physicochemical gut conditions and the distribution of symbiotic ciliates are important factors determining CH4 emission in millipedes. We also found close similarities to other methane-emitting arthropods, which might be associated with their similar plant-feeding habits.
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Project description:Methane production by intestinal methanogenic Archaea and their community structure were compared among phylogenetic lineages of millipedes. Tropical and temperate millipedes of 35 species and 17 families were investigated. Species that emitted methane were mostly in the juliform orders Julida, Spirobolida, and Spirostreptida. The irregular phylogenetic distribution of methane production correlated with the presence of the methanogen-specific mcrA gene. The study brings the first detailed survey of methanogens' diversity in the digestive tract of millipedes. Sequences related to Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales, Methanomicrobiales and some unclassified Archaea were detected using molecular profiling (DGGE). The differences in substrate preferences of the main lineages of methanogenic Archaea found in different millipede orders indicate that the composition of methanogen communities may reflect the differences in available substrates for methanogenesis or the presence of symbiotic protozoa in the digestive tract. We conclude that differences in methane production in the millipede gut reflect differences in the activity and proliferation of intestinal methanogens rather than an absolute inability of some millipede taxa to host methanogens. This inference was supported by the general presence of methanogenic activity in millipede faecal pellets and the presence of the 16S rRNA gene of methanogens in all tested taxa in the two main groups of millipedes, the Helminthophora and the Pentazonia.
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Project description:AbstractBased on all available information, 339 species from 71 genera, 26 families, and eleven orders of Diplopoda have hitherto been recorded from mainland China, the fauna thus being very rich, albeit far from completely known, comprising various zoogeographic elements and populating very different environments. Diplopods mainly occur in various woodlands, in caves, and high in the mountains. Most species (> 90 %, usually highly localised, including 160 cavernicoles), 18 genera, and one family are strictly endemic to continental China. Mapping not only the horizontal, but also the vertical distributions of Diplopoda in China shows the bulk of the fauna to be expectedly restricted to forested lowland and mountain biomes or their remnants. Yet some Chordeumatida, Callipodida, Polydesmida, Julida, and even Spirobolida seem to occur only in the subalpine to alpine environments and thus may provisionally be considered as truly high-montane. The long-acknowledged notions of China being a great biogeographic zone transitional between the Palaearctic and Oriental regions generally find good support in millipede distributions, in particular at the higher taxonomic levels (generic, familial, and ordinal). While the Palaearctic/Holarctic components expectedly dominate the fauna of the northern parts of the country, the Oriental ones prevail in its south and along the Pacific coast. Both realms are increasingly mixed and intermingled towards China’s centre. However, in addition to the above traditional views, based on distribution patterns alone, southern China seems to harbour a rather small, but highly peculiar faunal nucleus or origin centre of its own, whence Himalaya, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina and/or Taiwan could have become populated by younger lineages. The millipede fauna of continental China is thus a tangled mixture of zoogeographic elements of various origins and ages, both relict and more advanced. The few anthropochores must have been the latest faunal “layer” to populate China.
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Project description:Pitfall trapping is one of the standard methods used for the capture of ground-active arthropod groups. Despite being frequently used, the standardization of this method is problematic due to the large range of combinations of the individual parameters of pitfall traps with varying efficacy under different environmental conditions. We evaluated the effects of the trap diameter, the fixing fluid, and their combination on the capture efficacy for harvestmen (Opiliones) and millipedes (Diplopoda). We used pitfall traps with three different diameters: 3 cm, 5 cm, and 12 cm, filled with three types of fixing fluids (saturated fluid of NaCl, 10:1 mixture of 70% ethanol and glycerol and 4% formaldehyde). Altogether, 90 traps representing nine combinations of trap diameters and fixing fluid were placed on a mown meadow in spring and autumn intervals for a total of 45 days. We sampled 1,488 individuals representing 11 harvestmen species and 881 individuals representing 11 millipede species. Large (d = 12 cm) and medium (5 cm) traps captured significantly more millipede species and individuals than the small-sized traps (3 cm). The same effect was observed for harvestmen species richness, whereas the medium traps (d = 5 cm) captured the highest mean activity of harvestmen. By analyzing the differences in the body sizes of the studied arthropods in relation to the trap diameter and fluid, we found that larger traps, as well as traps filled with NaCl solution, captured larger harvestmen more frequently than the other trap types. Our results revealed that the combination of larger traps (d = 5 and 12 cm) and formaldehyde was most effective in the capture of both studied groups. However, the disadvantage of formaldehyde is its toxicity.
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Project description:A lack of mitochondrial genome data from myriapods is hampering progress across genetic, systematic, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies. Here, the complete mitochondrial genomes of two millipedes, Asiomorpha coarctata Saussure, 1860 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) and Xystodesmus sp. (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) were assembled with high coverage using Illumina sequencing data. The mitochondrial genomes of the two newly sequenced species are circular molecules of 15,644 bp and 15,791 bp, within which the typical mitochondrial genome complement of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and two ribosomal RNA genes could be identified. The mitochondrial genome of Asiomorpha coarctata is the first complete sequence in the family Paradoxosomatidae (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) and the gene order of the two flat-backed millipedes is novel among known myriapod mitochondrial genomes. Unique translocations have occurred, including inversion of one half of the two genomes with respect to other millipede genomes. Inversion of the entire side of a genome (trnF-nad5-trnH-nad4-nad4L, trnP, nad1-trnL2-trnL1-rrnL-trnV-rrnS, trnQ, trnC and trnY) could constitute a common event in the order Polydesmida. Last, our phylogenetic analyses recovered the monophyletic Progoneata, subphylum Myriapoda and four internal classes.
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Project description:Cave animals live under highly constant ecological conditions and in permanent darkness, and many evolutionary adaptations of cave-dwellers have been triggered by their specific environment. A similar "cave effect" leading to pronounced chemical interactions under such conditions may be assumed, but the chemoecology of troglobionts is mostly unknown. We investigated the defensive chemistry of a largely cave-dwelling julid group, the controversial tribe "Typhloiulini", and we included some cave-dwelling and some endogean representatives. While chemical defense in juliform diplopods is known to be highly uniform, and mainly based on methyl- and methoxy-substituted benzoquinones, the defensive secretions of typhloiulines contained ethyl-benzoquinones and related compounds. Interestingly, ethyl-benzoquinones were found in some, but not all cave-dwelling typhloiulines, and some non-cave dwellers also contained these compounds. On the other hand, ethyl-benzoquinones were not detected in troglobiont nor in endogean typhloiuline outgroups. In order to explain the taxonomic pattern of ethyl-benzoquinone occurrence, and to unravel whether a cave-effect triggered ethyl-benzoquinone evolution, we classed the "Typhloiulini" investigated here within a phylogenetic framework of julid taxa, and traced the evolutionary history of ethyl-benzoquinones in typhloiulines in relation to cave-dwelling. The results indicated a cave-independent evolution of ethyl-substituted benzoquinones, indicating the absence of a "cave effect" on the secretions of troglobiont Typhloiulini. Ethyl-benzoquinones probably evolved early in an epi- or endogean ancestor of a clade including several, but not all Typhloiulus (basically comprising a taxonomic entity known as "Typhloiulus sensu stricto") and Serboiulus. Ethyl-benzoquinones are proposed as novel and valuable chemical characters for julid systematics.
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