Molecular taxonomy of the Anadenobolus excisus (Diplopoda : Spirobolida : Rhinocricidae) species-group on the Caribbean island of Jamaica

Abstract

This paper documents the mtDNA genealogy and molecular taxonomy of the Anadenobolus excisus millipede species-group on the island of Jamaica. This endemic species-group originally comprised two nominal species, A. excisus (Karsch) and A. holomelanus Pocock. However, the latter species was considered by Hoffman likely to be a subspecies of the former, owing to their overall morphological and gonopodal similarity (the secondary sexual features most commonly used to delineate millipede species). We summarise molecular and morphological data that paints a rather different picture of the diversity in this group. Based on the 16S rRNA gene of the mitochondrion and a comparative analysis of millipede size (reported here and elsewhere), we find that this species-group comprises at least three sibling species, one of which, A. dissimulans, sp. nov., is newly described. The study documents the first myriapod species diagnosed on the basis of molecular data.