The 'F, S and T' miscellany

(Order Polydesmida, family uncertain)

In most Tasmanian habitats you can find tiny, pale, H+19 Polydesmida which are mature at 4-6 mm in length. Almost all have three transverse rows of tiny setae on the tergites, and well-developed paranota with rounded posterior corners. Sorting on gonopod structure, I count more than 30 species in the State. I am not sure to which family or families they should be referred. They are a poorly known, taxonomically difficult section of our millipede fauna, and it will be years before they are formally described.

I have broken the miscellany into subgroups, but only one of these, 'F', appear to be a 'good' genus. (What I call 'S' and 'T' Polydesmida are clearly not natural groups!) The F gonopod (pictured below) is unusually long and ends in a claw-like arrangement of processes.

If you find mature males that seem to fit in this miscellaneous grouping of Tasmanian Polydesmida, please email me with details. I won't be able to give you a scientific name, but for some species I can give you a code name (e.g. 'T6') and a map of previously known localities.