Abstracts and availability of publications

Reprints of publications available as PDFs (see below) can be obtained from me directly. Please email me ('mesibov' at 'southcom' dot 'com' dot 'au') for a copy.

Back to Bob Mesibov's QVMAG web page

Mesibov, R. 2009. New and little-used morphological characters in Polydesmida (Diplopoda). Soil Organisms (in press)

Polydesmida (Dalodesmidae and Paradoxosomatidae) vary in the structure of spiracles, spinnerets, male leg setae and integument fine sculpture. Although this variation is only clearly seen with scanning electron microscopy, some variations are apparent at low magnification. Spiracle, spinneret and fine sculpture variations are found in both sexes and are thus useful in identifying females. The variations described here are taxonomically useful at the species- and genus-group levels. Their functional significance is unknown.

Mesibov, R. 2009. The weather's different today — but what does 'different' mean? The Tasmanian Naturalist 131: 17-24. [PDF available, 0.2 mb]

[Semi-popular article on rainfall pattern at Burnie, Tasmania, 1945-2008.]

Mesibov, R. 2009. Revision of Agathodesmus Silvestri, 1910 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Haplodesmidae). ZooKeys 12: 87-110. [PDF freely available for download from ZooKeys website, 3.9 mb]

Agathodesmus Silvestri, 1910 includes A. baccatus (Carl, 1926) comb. n. from New Caledonia, A. bucculentus (Jeekel, 1986) comb. n. from Queensland, Australia, and A. johnsi sp. n. and A. steeli Silvestri, 1910 (type species) from New South Wales, Australia. A. baccatus and A. bucculentus were formerly placed in Atopogonus Carl, 1926 syn. n. The identity of the apparently congeneric Inodesmus jamaicensis Cook, 1896 sensu Loomis, 1969 from Jamaica is still uncertain, and Inodesmus Cook, 1896 remains a nomen inquirendum.

Mesibov, R. 2009. A new millipede genus and a new species of Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidea) from southern Tasmania, Australia. ZooKeys 7: 55-74. [PDF freely available for download from ZooKeys website, 3.2 mb]

Noteremus summus n. gen., n. sp. occurs at 1100-1300 m on the summit of Mt Weld, southern Tasmania, while its congener N. infimus n. sp. is troglobitic in caves in the Junee-Florentine karst, 30-40 km to the northwest. Like species of Paredrodesmus Mesibov, 2003 and Procophorella Mesibov, 2003, Noteremus spp. have a head + 19 rings, no sphaerotrichomes and pore formula 5, 7-18, and are not assigned to family within the suborder Dalodesmidea. Asphalidesmus golovatchi n. sp. occurs in caves and in forest litter in far southern Tasmania, and the adults have paramedian and median tergal projections. Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910 is removed from Polydesmidea, Haplodesmidae and placed in Dalodesmidea without family assignment.

Mesibov, R. 2008. On millipedes and sense of place. The Tasmanian Naturalist 130: 2-9. [PDF available, 0.2 mb]

[Semi-popular article on GIS analysis using joint Tasmanian millipede distributions as place-finders.]

Mesibov, R. 2008. Redescription of Paurodesmus sjoestedti (Verhoeff, 1924) comb. n. (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae). Australian Entomologist 35(3): 111-119. [PDF available as scanned image, 3.5 mb; also paper reprints]

Queenslandesmus Verhoeff, 1924 is newly synonymised with Paurodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 and Paurodesmus sjoestedti (Verhoeff, 1924), comb. n. is redescribed from new material. The species name sjoestedti may be lost to synonymy when males of the possibly conspecific Paurodesmus acutangulus Chamberlin, 1920 are recognised. The female holotype of P. acutangulus was collected at Kuranda, approximately 50 km outside the currently known range of P. sjoestedti.

Mesibov, R. 2008. Millipede salvage in southwest Victoria. Victorian Naturalist 125(4): 96-103. [PDF available, 5.4 mb]

Millipedes and other litter invertebrates were sampled in forest patches scattered over approximately 3000 km² of southwest Victorian farmland, mainly between the Eumeralla and Hopkins Rivers. Three new, geographically restricted species of Somethus (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) were collected. Litter fauna in the sampled patches, apart from Framlingham Forest, included few species that are poor dispersers. Absences may be the historical legacy of past habitat fragmentation, subsequent local extinctions and a very low probability of patch recolonisation.

Mesibov, R. 2008. The millipede genera Gephyrodesmus Jeekel, 1983 and Orthorhachis Jeekel, 1985 in southeastern Australia, a new Lissodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 from Victoria, and observations on male leg setae, spinnerets and metatergite sculpture (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) Zootaxa 1790: 1-52. [PDF available, 2.3 mb]

Descriptions and illustrations are provided for Gephyrodesmus arcuatus n. sp., G. cineraceus Jeekel, 1983, G. coolahensis n. sp. and G. regilacus n. sp.; Lissodesmus grampianensis n. sp.; and Orthorhachis catherinae n. sp., O. cavatica Jeekel, 2006, O. celtica n. sp., O. christinae n. sp., O. durabilis n. sp., O. gloriosa n. sp., O. inflata n. sp., O. jubata n. sp., O. kerewong n. sp., O. monteithi n. sp., O. oresbia n. sp., O. pallida Jeekel, 1985, O. paradoxalis Jeekel, 2006, O. serrata n. sp., O. tallagandensis n. sp., O. vinnula n. sp., O. weiri n. sp. and O. yabbra n. sp.

Mesibov, R. 2008. Plant more pines! The Natural News, Autumn 2008. [PDF available as scanned image, 0.4 mb]

[Popular article promoting establishment of Pinus radiata plantations as conservation measure for litter invertebrates on farms. In newsletter of Central North Field Naturalists Inc.]

Mesibov, R. 2008. Diversity of Queensland paradoxosomatid millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae). Australian Entomologist 35(1): 37-46. [PDF available as scanned image, 1.7 mb; also glossy paper reprints]

Paradoxosomatids are the most widespread and abundant native millipedes in mainland Australia. The Queensland paradoxosomatid fauna currently consists of five inadequately described species, 28 adequately described species and 199 new and undescribed species. Future collecting in non-rainforest habitats can be expected to raise the State total by at least another 10%, to 250 species.

Mesibov, R. 2007. The Trafalgar millipede Lissodesmus johnsi Mesibov, 2006 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae). Victorian Naturalist 124(4): 197-203. [PDF only available as scanned image, 9.2 mb]

Lissodesmus johnsi, L. dignomontis and L. tarrabulga are endemic to the Strzelecki Ranges in Gippsland, Victoria, where the three species may once have formed a distribution mosaic. Lissodesmus johnsi now appears to be restricted to c. 60 ha over three sites in the western Strzelecki hills, which were almost entirely cleared of their forest cover in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Mesibov, R. 2006. Dirt-encrusted and dragon millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) from Queensland, Australia. Zootaxa 1354: 31-44. [PDF available, 0.8 mb]

Three unusual new Paradoxosomatidae are described from tropical north Queensland. Desmoxytoides hasenpuschorum n. gen., n. sp. closely resembles the dragon millipedes Desmoxytes of southeast Asia, but differs in gonopod details. Tholerosoma monteithi n. gen., n. sp. and T. corrugatum n. sp. are remarkable for their tightly attached coating of soil particles.

Mesibov, R. 2006. The millipede genus Lissodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania and Victoria, with descriptions of a new genus and 24 new species. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62(2): 103-146. [PDF available, 4.6 mb, supplement 0.3 mb]

Lissodesmus includes L. adrianae Jeekel, 1984, L. alisonae Jeekel, 1984, L. modestus Chamberlin, 1920 (type species) and L. perporosus Jeekel, 1984 from Tasmania, L. martini (Carl, 1902) from Victoria, and 23 new species: L. anas, L. bashfordi, L. clivulus, L. cognatus, L. cornutus, L. devexus, L. hamatus, L. horridomontis, L. inopinatus, L. latus, L. montanus, L. orarius, L. peninsulensis and L. plomleyi from Tasmania, and L. blackwoodensis, L. catrionae, L. dignomontis, L. gippslandicus, L. johnsi, L. macedonensis, L. milledgei, L. otwayensis and L. tarrabulga from Victoria. The new genus Tasmanopeltis, close to Lissodesmus, is erected for T. grandis sp. nov. from Tasmania.

Mesibov, R. 2005. A new genus of millipede (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania with a pseudo-articulated gonopod telopodite. Zootaxa 1064: 39-49. [PDF available, 1.0 mb]

Ginglymodesmus tasmanianus n. gen., n. sp., G. penelopae n. sp. and G. sumac n. sp. are described from northwest Tasmania, Australia. The three species have long, slender gonopod telopodites divided into proximal and distal sections, with the distal section pivoting around a hinge-like structure which appears to differ from the typical joint in an arthropod leg.

Mesibov, R. 2005. A new genus of burrowing and cave-dwelling millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania, Australia. Zootaxa 1034: 21-42. [PDF available, 2.1 mb]

Atalopharetra johnsi n. gen., n. sp. and A. bashfordi n. sp. are forest-dwelling, burrowing millipedes with overlapping distributions in southern and southwestern Tasmania. A. clarkei n. sp. and A. eberhardi n. sp. are troglomorphic, cavernicolous species from limestone karst near Ida Bay and Precipitous Bluff, respectively, within the ranges of A. bashfordi and A. johnsi.

Mesibov, R. 2005. Native species dominate the millipede fauna in a second-rotation Pinus radiata plantation in Tasmania, Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology 11:17-22. [PDF only available as scanned image, 1.9 mb]

Soil-dwelling millipedes were methodically hand-sampled in two second-rotation Pinus radiata stands in Stoodley Plantation in north-central Tasmania. Eleven of 14 species collected were natives, and native millipedes comprised 83% of the 1456 identified specimens. The average millipede catch in 40 x 0.5 m² quadrats was 74 individuals/m². All nine of the native species of Chordeumatida, Polydesmida and Polyzoniida found in the survey had previously been collected in native forest within a 10 km radius of the pine plantation. Historical records indicate that Stoodley Plantation was established on abandoned farmland, and the two sampled areas have carried P. radiata for at least 60 years. The survey results support the suggestion that plantation development on cleared farmland can assist in local-scale conservation of native invertebrates.

Fox, J.C., Mesibov, R., McCarthy, M.A. and Burgman, M.A. 2004. Giant Velvet Worm (Tasmanipatus barretti) in Tasmania, Australia. Pp. 150-161 in Akçakaya, H.R., Burgman, M.A., Kindvall, O., Wood, C.C., Sjögren-Gulve, P., Hatfield, J.S. and McCarthy, M.A. (eds), Species Conservation and Management. Case Studies. New York: Oxford University Press; 533 pp. + CD-ROM. [Not available]

Mesibov, R. 2004. A new genus of millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from wet forests in southern Victoria, with brief remarks on the Victorian Polydesmida. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 61(1): 41-45. [PDF available, 0.5 mb]

Victoriombrus gen. nov. is erected for Victoriombrus acanthus sp. nov. from the Otway Ranges and V. seminudus sp. nov. from the Mt Donna Buang area. Four species of Dalodesmidae and 15 species of Paradoxosomatidae have now been described from Victoria. A diverse fauna of non-paradoxosomatid Polydesmida remains to be described from Victorian wet forests.

Mesibov, R. 2004. A new genus and four new species of millipedes from Tasmania, Australia (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae), with notes on male leg setae in some Tasmanian dalodesmids. Zootaxa 558: 1-19. [PDF available, 4.5 mb]

Bromodesmus catrionae n. gen., n. sp. (type species), B. militaris n. sp., B. riparius n. sp. and B. rufus n. sp. are described. The new genus is characterized by greatly reduced paranota and a gonopod telopodite expanded at the distal end into a posteriorly concave ‘hood’ fringed with teeth; the ‘hood’ partly protects a long, curved, acutely pointed solenomerite. Male leg setation in the type species of six Tasmanian dalodesmid genera is briefly discussed and illustrated with scanning electron micrographs. The sphaerotrichome shaft is sharply pointed in Atrophotergum; gently tapered in Dasystigma, Lissodesmus and Tasmanodesmus; expanded at the tip in Bromodesmus; and entirely absent in Gasterogramma. Tips of the setae forming the dense ventral ‘brush’ on male podomeres are gently tapered in Dasystigma and Lissodesmus, truncated in Gasterogramma, expanded in Bromodesmus and forked in Tasmanodesmus.

Mesibov, R. 2004. Redescription of Tasmanodesmus hardyi Chamberlin, 1920 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae). Myriapodologica 8(3): 21-36. [PDF only available as scanned image, 1.0 mb]

Tasmanodesmus hardyi Chamberlin, 1920 is redescribed from abundant, recently collected material. Although endemic to Tasmania, T. hardyi is common in eucalypt forest in central and eastern areas from sea level to at least 1120 m.

Mesibov, R. 2004. Spare a thought for the losers. Australian Zoologist 32(4): 505-507. [PDF available, 0.1 mb]

[Opinion piece, promotes salvage sampling of disappearing habitats]

Mesibov, R. 2004. Buglines. Tasmania 40° South 33: 26-28 (winter 2004). [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.6 mb]

[Popular article about parapatric boundaries and faunal breaks in Tasmania.]

Mesibov, R. 2004. A new genus of millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania, Australia with a mosaic distribution. Zootaxa 480: 1-23. [PDF available, 4.3 mb]

Atrophotergum silvaticum n. gen., n. sp. (type species), A. bonhami n. sp., A. montanum n. sp., A. pastorale n. sp., A. sodalis n. sp., and A. wurrawurraense n. sp. are described. The six species have a tightly fitted mosaic distribution in Tasmania. Atrophotergum species are among the ‘head + 19 segments’ Australasian dalodesmids with a conspicuous pit on the underside of somite 2 in males, and relatively small metatergites on somites 3 and 4 in both sexes. The solenomerite in Atrophotergum is carried on a large posterior projection arising midway along the telopodite.

Mesibov, R. 2003. A new genus of Tasmanian millipedes (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Dalodesmidae) with unusual spiracles and a mosaic distribution. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60(2): 197-206. [PDF available, 1.8 mb]

Dasystigma gen. nov. is erected for Lissodesmus margaretae Jeekel, 1984 (type species), D. bonhami sp. nov., D. huonense sp. nov. and D. tyleri sp. nov. A dense cluster of hair-like structures of unknown function emerges from each spiracle in all Dasystigma species, and the four geographic distributions form a closely fitted mosaic.

Mesibov, R. 2003. The millipede genus Gasterogramma (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) in Tasmania, Australia, with descriptions of seven new species. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60(2): 207-219. [PDF available, 1.8 mb]

Eight species of Gasterogramma (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) occur in Tasmania: G. austrinum sp. nov., G. extremum sp. nov., G. imber sp. nov., G. plomleyi sp. nov., G. psi Jeekel, 1982, G. rusticum sp. nov., G. tarkinense sp. nov. and G. wynyardense sp. nov. The genus is largely confined to areas with an annual rainfall greater than 1000 mm. G. psi is widespread and abundant in the northern and western third of Tasmania, while G. plomleyi is restricted to the area of endemism known as Plomleys Island in Tasmania’s north-east. G. plomleyi and the six other new species form an allopatric/parapatric distribution mosaic in northern, western and southern Tasmania. All eight species are burrowers in soil and deep litter.

Mesibov, R. 2003. Two new and unusual genera of millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) from Tasmania, Australia. Zootaxa 368: 1-32. [PDF available, 6.2 mb]

Procophorella innupta n. gen., n. sp. (type species) and P. bashfordi n. sp., and Paredrodesmus taurulus n. gen., n. sp. (type species), P. aceriodendron n. sp., P. australis n. sp., P. bicalcar n. sp., P. monticolus n. sp. and P. purpureus n. sp. are described. Both new genera are ‘head + 19 segments’ Polydesmida (head + 17 podous rings + 1 apodous ring + telson) with the uncommon pore formula 5, 7–18. P. bicalcar is unusual in having a long mesal process on the leg 1 prefemur and an epiproct divided into two large spurs, while leg 2 in P. taurulus has greatly inflated podomeres and a massive claw. Although Paredrodesmus and Procophorella are referable to the suborder Dalodesmidea Hoffman, 1977, their family placement is uncertain.

Mesibov, R. and Churchill, T. 2003. Patterns in pitfall captures of millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) at coastal heathland sites in Tasmania. Australian Zoologist 32(3): 431-438. [PDF available, 0.3 mb]

The millipede by-catch from a 1986-88 spider survey in Tasmanian coastal heathland was tallied by species, sex and life-stage. Two species of paradoxosomatid Polydesmida, Notodesmus scotius Chamberlin, 1920 and Pogonosternum sp., made up 99.8% of the pitfall captures. The N. scotius catch (9754 individuals) was 80% adult (stadium VIII) and peaked in October-December with only 23 captures in July-September. The Pogonosternum sp. catch (116 individuals) was 91% adult and peaked in September, with 40% of all captures in July-September. These results, together with field observations, indicate that pitfall trapping mainly captured adults wandering during the mating season, and that mating seasons for the two species did not coincide. The Pogonosternum sp. captures were tightly clustered in space, showing that pitfall trapping can be an unreliable method for estimating millipede abundance unless the fine-scale spatial patterning of target species is known in advance. A third paradoxosomatid species known to be present near the survey sites, Dicranogonus sp., did not appear in any of the 938 pitfall samples containing millipedes. The overwhelming dominance of paradoxosomatid Polydesmida in heathland is in marked contrast to the dominance of dalodesmid Polydesmida in forest habitats in Tasmania.

Mesibov, R. 2003. Lineage mosaics in millipedes. African Invertebrates 44(1): 203-212. [PDF available, 0.05 mb]

Allopatric/parapatric distribution mosaics are apparently widespread among millipede genera, notably in Polydesmida. In this paper I discuss possible origins for these lineage mosaics and possible mechanisms for the persistence of their narrow parapatric zones, using mainly Tasmanian examples. Although it seems unlikely that lineage mosaics arise through rapid differentiation of a single widespread ancestor following vicariance partitioning of its range, it will not be possible to test competing hypotheses of origin and persistence in lineage mosaics until more genetic data become available, especially sequence data from intensively sampled areas.

Mesibov, R. 2002. Redescriptions of Asphalidesmus leae Silvestri, 1910 and A. parvus (Chamberlin, 1920) comb. nov. from Tasmania, Australia (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Haplodesmidae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 59(2): 531-540. [PDF available, 2.9 mb]

Atopodesmus Chamberlin, 1920 is synonymised with Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910. Asphalidesmus leae Silvestri, 1910 and A. parvus (Chamberlin, 1920) comb. nov. are redescribed from abundant, recently collected material. The two millipede species appear to be endemic to Tasmania but have widely separated ranges.

Mesibov, R., Bonham, K.J., Doran, N., Meggs, J., Munks, S., Otley, H. & Richards, K. 2002. Single-species sampling in Tasmania: an inefficient approach to invertebrate conservation? Invertebrate Systematics 16: 655-663. [PDF available, 0.3 mb]

In recent years the distributions of a number of geographically restricted Tasmanian invertebrates have been carefully mapped by single-species sampling (SSS). We review 29 such projects targeted at 16 species. The average return of new locality records was only one per 1.3 person-days in the field. In almost all cases the SSS was aimed at improving the knowledge base for invertebrate conservation, and the principal end users of the results have been land managers, not biologists. It is suggested that more of the limited resources available for intensive fieldwork be directed to sampling functional groups of taxa, rather than single species, in areas prioritised by need for land management advice.

Bonham, K.J., Mesibov, R. & Bashford, R. 2002. Diversity and abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates in plantation vs. native forests in Tasmania, Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 158: 237-247. [PDF available, 0.1 mb]

Land snails, millipedes, carabid beetles and velvet worms (Onychophora) were methodically hand-sampled at 46 localities on paired plots in conifer or eucalypt plantations and in nearby native forest in northwest Tasmania. Native land snails and millipedes were less diverse in plantations than in native forests, and introduced land snails were several times more abundant in plantations. Many taxa, however, including a velvet worm previously considered to be threatened by plantation development, and including almost half the taxa represented by 10 or more specimens, were found at least as commonly in plantations as in native forests. Invertebrate conservation may be assisted by specific forestry operations, including windrowing, mound ploughing, and leaving waste prunings and thinnings to rot. Plantation development on cleared farmland can allow invertebrates to re-invade from adjacent bush remnants, reducing the risk of local extinctions.

Mesibov, R. 2001. The rain at St Marys. The Tasmanian Naturalist 123: 5-11. [Not yet available in digital form]

[Documents and discusses high-intensity rainfall events in the St Marys area, Tasmanian East Coast.]

Mesibov, R. 2001. The Milabena Marvel, or why single-species conservation is inappropriate for cryptic invertebrates. The Tasmanian Naturalist 123:16-23. [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.7 mb]

[Reports frustrating searches for a polyxenidan millipede in northwest Tasmania.]

Mesibov, R. 2000. An overview of the Tasmanian millipede fauna. The Tasmanian Naturalist 122: 15-28. [Not yet available in digital form]

[Seriously out-of-date in taxonomy, but a reasonable summary of ecology and biogeography.]

Mesibov, R. 1999. Litter - the good sort. Forest Practices News 2(1): 10. [PDF, 55 kb]

[Introduction to forest litter dynamics.]

Mesibov, R. 1999. The Mersey Break: an unexplained faunal boundary on the north coast of Tasmania. In Ponder, W. and Lunney, D. (eds.), The Other 99%. The Conservation and Biodiversity of Invertebrates. Transactions of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. Mosman (NSW): Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales; pp. 246-252. [PDF only available as scanned image, 10.1 mb]

Eleven native millipede species (Polydesmida and Polyzoniida) have range boundaries in a narrow, 70 km-long zone, here called the Mersey Break, which runs inland from Devonport on the north coast of Tasmania. In each of four millipede genera, the Mersey Break is the parapatric boundary between a pair of species. It is difficult to find either an ecological or historical explanation for this striking biogeographical feature. All eleven species are widespread in Tasmania and occur on a range of parent geologies, at a range of elevations and in a range of forest and woodland habitats.

Mesibov, R. 1998. Species-level comparison of litter invertebrates at two rainforest sites in Tasmania. Tasforests 10: 141-157. [PDF available, 0.1 mb]

Litter macroinvertebrates were collected with equal sampling effort at rainforest sites 200 km apart in north-eastern and north-western Tasmania. Both sites carried oldgrowth Nothofagus–Atherosperma–Dicksonia forest on a north-west facing slope at 650–690 m elevation. One-third of the 7205 invertebrates collected were unidentified spirostreptidan millipedes. Of the remaining specimens, nearly 80% were referrable to 153 known or new species of flatworms, nemertines, velvet worms, snails, centipedes, millipedes, harvestmen, spiders, slaters, landhoppers, neanurid springtails, and carabid, lucanid and tenebrionid beetles. Just under two-thirds of the species at either site were unique to that site, but an analysis which progressively discounts the importance of low-abundance species suggests that the unique proportion is closer to one-half.

Mesibov, R. 1997. A zoogeographical singularity at Weavers Creek, Tasmania. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 56: 563-573. [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.7 mb]

A narrow landscape zone containing the range boundaries of at least six widespread millipede species and two widespread centipede taxa has been mapped at Weavers Creek, near Launceston in northern Tasmania. Two other, geographically restricted millipede species are unusually abundant in the zone. Although the zone coincides with a broad ecotone between dry and wet eucalypt forest, its existence is most plausibly explained as the result of interspecific competition and historical factors. Weavers Creek is neither a 'centre of endemism' for litter invertebrate diversity nor the site of unusual forest habitats. The area is nevertheless of considerable conservation significance because of the insights it affords into ecological parapatry and local-scale invertebrate evolution.

Mesibov, R. 1997. Naturalists should carry maps. The Tasmanian Naturalist 119: 23-30. [Not yet available in digital form]

[Slightly over-the-top promotion of locality recording with grid references.]

Mesibov, R. 1997. The farmer and the flower: a fable. Nature Australia, Winter 1997, p. 80. [Available as 0.3 mb PDF]

[Satire on conservation bureaucracies.]

Shear, W.A. and Mesibov, R. 1997. Australian chordeumatidan millipedes. III. A review of the millipede family Metopidiotrichidae Attems in Australia (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida). Invertebrate Taxonomy 11:141-178. [PDF available, 3.5 mb]

The metopidiotrichid millipede genus Australeuma Golovatch, 1986, erected for two species from Tasmania, is revised and enlarged to include two new Tasmanian species and one each from Victoria and Western Australia. Two new Tasmanian species are added to Neocambrisoma Mauriès, 1987, previously known from a New South Wales species. Nesiothrix, gen. nov., is erected for Schedotrigona tasmanica Golovatch, 1986, and two new Tasmanian species. Reginaterreuma victorianum, sp. nov., is described from Victoria. Identification keys are provided for all metopidiotrichids currently recognised from Australia.

Taylor, R., Mesibov, R., Brereton, R. and Bonham, K. 1997. Terrestrial fauna of Cataract Gorge Reserve, Launceston. The Tasmanian Naturalist 119: 46-58. [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.8 mb]

A survey of the terrestrial fauna of Cataract Gorge Reserve was undertaken in August and September 1995. The invertebrate fauna is dominated by introduced species with only the more resilient native species persisting. This dominance by introduced species occurs despite the native vegetation being in reasonable condition. Such a situation has not previously been reported in Tasmania. Comparison of our results with earlier studies of molluscs indicates that some habitats have disappeared from the reserve, particularly from the wetter habitats. With the vertebrate fauna the large herbivores and carnivores are still present despite high levels of usage of the reserve by humans. This contrasts with bushland in close proximity to urban areas around Hobart where such species are now rare.

Mesibov, R. 1996. Summing up: Is northeast Tasmania a biogeographical region? Records of the Queen Victoria Museum 103: 21-24. [Not yet available in digital form]

Modern biology is based not on the classification of species, but on their systematisation, or arrangement in a system which reflects historical relationships. Looking at Tasmanian landscape units in an analogous manner, northeast Tasmania (as defined for this symposium) is historically composite and not a monophyletic region. It is suggested that landscape systematics could be advanced by making use of geomorphic entities asa well as biological species in historical reconstructions.

Mesibov, R. 1995. Distribution and ecology of the centipede Craterostigmus tasmanianus Pocock, 1902 (Chilopoda: Craterostigmomorpha: Craterostigmidae) in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Naturalist 117: 2-7. [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.3 mb]

Craterostigmus tasmanianus Pocock, 1902 is widely distributed in native forest and woodland in Tasmania from sea level to at least 1300 m. It has not been recorded from moorland, grassland or heath, and in the drier portion of its range is restricted to permanently moist microsites. In western Tasmania C. tasmanianus is common and tolerates considerable habitat disturbance. Females brood eggs and young between September and April and clutch sizes of 44-77 eggs have been recorded. In its preferred microhabitats (rotting logs, moist leaf litter) C. tasmanianus may compete for prey with other species of centipedes and other invertebrate predators of similar size and cryptic habit.

Mesibov, R., Taylor, R.J. and Brereton, R. N. 1995. Relative efficiency of pitfall trapping and hand-collecting from plots for sampling of millipedes. Biodiversity and Conservation 4: 429-439. [PDF available, 0.6 mb]

Millipedes were sampled by hand-collecting from plots and by pitfall trapping at three forest sites in central Tasmania. Seven days of pitfall trapping each month over one year was less efficient than four weeks of hand-collecting in autumn, yielding fewer species and fewer specimens per working day in the field. Hand-collecting is likely to provide more accurate data on species diversity and relative abundance for a range of litter invertebrates.

Shear, W.A. and Mesibov, R. 1995. Australian chordeumatidan millipeds. II. A new species of Reginaterreuma Mauriès from Tasmania (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Metopidiotrichidae). Myriapodologica 3(8): 71-77. [Not yet available in digital form]

Reginaterreuma tarkinensis, new species, is described from abundant material collected in numerous localities in western Tasmania. The new species differs from the four previously described species (all from Queensland) in the much larger anterior gonopod coxosternum, larger body size, and more prominent seta-bearing tergal knobs.

Mesibov, R. 1994. Faunal breaks in Tasmania and their significance for invertebrate conservation. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 36(1): 133-136. [PDF only available as scanned image, 0.3 mb]

Faunal breaks are narrow landscape zones in which invertebrate species assemblages change more or less abruptly. At least three faunal breaks are found on the main island of Tasmania, each coincident with an ecotone which may act as a dispersal barrier. It is argued that faunal breaks need to be conserved for their value in reconstructing the historical zoogeography of a wide range of invertebrate taxa.

Mesibov, R. 1994. Tasmania and its myriapods. Bulletin of the British Myriapod Group 10: 51-58. [Not yet available in digital form]

[Seriously out of date. Go instead to the Tasmanian Multipedes website.]

Shear, W.A. and Mesibov, R. 1994. Australian chordeumatidan millipeds. I. New observations on the the genus Peterjohnsia Mauriès, with the description of a new species from Tasmania (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Peterjohnsiidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 8: 535-544. [PDF available, 0.4 mb]

A new species of peterjohnsiid milliped, Peterjohnsia titan, is described from Tasmania. Examination of the gonopods of this species and the three previously described from Queensland showed that the Family Peterjohnsiidae belongs to the Superfamily Heterochordeumatoidea, not Cleidogonoidea as originally supposed.

Taylor, R.J., Mesibov, R. and Growns, I. 1994. Local distribution patterns of land snails in relation to vegetation: implications for reserve design. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 36(1): 215-220. [Not yet available in digital form]

Distribution patterns of land snails amongst forest communities were studied in a 500ha block of State forest in north-east Tasmania. Twelve species were found, four of which were represented by fewer than five individuals. Three of the eight common species were randomly distributed in relation to vegetation. Four others were most abundant in the wetter forest communities, close to drainage lines or adjacent slopes. The remaining common species was most frequently found in the driest community. Retention of streamside reserves when the area is logged would probably protect populations of all land snails. However, a more comprehensive system of reserves including all major vegetation communities would ensure protection of preferred habitat for all species.

Mesibov, R. 1992. Terrestrial invertebrates. In Harries, D.N. (ed.). Forgotten Wilderness: North West Tasmania. Hobart: Tasmanian Conservation Trust; pp. 299-312. [Not yet available in digital form]

[Semi-popular summary of past and recent sampling between the Arthur and Pieman Rivers in northwest Tasmania.]

Mesibov, R. and Ruhberg, H. 1991. Ecology and conservation of Tasmanipatus barretti and T. anophthalmus, parapatric onychophorans (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from northeastern Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 125: 11-16. [Not yet available in digital form]

Tasmanipatus barretti and T. anophthalmus are parapatrically distributed in northeastern Tasmania with known ranges of about 600 km² and 200 km² respectively. Both species occur in wet sclerophyll forest. Both appear to tolerate habitat disturbance such as occasional bushfires, but are eliminated by forest clearing for agriculture or pine plantations. Both are found in forest reserves, and are to be further protected by a habitat management programme devised by the Tasmanian Forestry Commission.

Ruhberg, H., Mesibov, R., Briscoe, D.A. and Tait, N.N. 1991. Tasmanipatus barretti gen. nov., sp. nov. and T. anophthalmus sp. nov.: two new and unusual onychophorans (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from northeastern Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 125: 7-10. [Not yet available in digital form]

Tasmanipatus gen. nov., Peripatopsidae Bouvier 1907, is characterised by eighteen dorsal plical folds on each body segment, in combination with a unique distribution of male crural papillae and a lack of pigmentation over all or most of the ventral body surface. The type species T. barretti sp. nov. is unique in relation to its combination of large size, uniform, patternless colouration, and well-developed crural papillae in both sexes. Tasmanipatus anophthalmus sp. nov. is unusual in lacking eyes and body pigmentation. The two species occur parapatrically in a small area in northeastern Tasmania. Their diagnostic features are described here.

Mesibov, R. 1990. Velvet worms: a special case of fauna conservation. Tasforests 2: 53-56. [Not yet available in digital form]

A novel approach to the conservation of rare invertebrate animals is described. Forest operations are permitted where the animals occur, with operational constraints based on a knowledge of the animals' distribution and ecology. Special care is to be taken within 'Wildlife Priority Areas' where the animals are particularly abundant.

Mesibov, R. 1986. A Guide to Tasmanian Centipedes. Hobart: published by the author.

[Seriously out of date. Go instead to centipede pages on the Tasmanian Multipedes website.]