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Brachoria blackmountainensis Marek 2010

The Black Mountain Mimic Millipede

Paul Marek
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Containing group: Brachoria

Characteristics

Brachoria blackmountainensis individuals are about 44.1 mm long and 9.8 mm wide (females 44.8 mm X 10.6 mm).  Color: Striped pink (8.75R 6/12, shown above) or yellow (1.25Y 7/14); and 3-spotted pink (3.75YR 7/12, shown above).

 

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Brachoria blackmountainensis genitalia - left male gonopodal acropodite (with setae removed): (Left) medial view and (Right) magnified apical view. © Paul Marek

 

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Brachoria blackmountainensis, striped yellow (1.25Y 7/14) color morph. © Paul Marek

 

 

Habitat

Brachoria blackmountainensis specimens were collected during the evening (16:39, Trace Branch) in a forest predominately comprising maple trees.  Individuals were found beneath layers of accumulated decomposing leaf material adjacent to KY-160.  On the summit of Black Mountain, the highest peak in Kentucky, specimens were collected during the evening (19:00) beneath decomposing leaves in a high elevation mixed mesophytic forest comprising oak and maple trees.  Brachoria blackmountainensis occurs at the highest elevation of any other species of Brachoria from 727 – 1254.5 m.  No other xystodesmids were encountered sympatrically at this locality.  Note: Individuals of B. blackmountainensis may be confused in the field with Apheloria virginiensis corrugata and Cherokia georgiana latassa due to similarity in color patterns and overlap in distribution.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality on Black Mountain in Harlan Co., Kentucky.  The closest known Brachoria species, B. hoffmani, occurs about 12 air km east near Halfway Branch, Wise County, Virginia.

Conservation status

Brachoria blackmountainensis is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture (especially growing demand for paper products), coal mining, development, and the invasion of exotic species.

References

Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Brachoria blackmountainensis
Location USA, Kentucky, Harlan Co.
Reference Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex m
Life Cycle Stage adult
View dorsal
Collection FMNH
Collector Paul Marek
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Paul Marek
Scientific Name Brachoria blackmountainensis
Location USA, Kentucky, Harlan Co.
Reference Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex m
Life Cycle Stage adult
View dorsal
Collection FMNH
Type holotype
Collector Paul Marek
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Paul Marek
About This Page
Work on the millipede Tree of Life pages was supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to Paul Marek and Jason Bond (DEB 0607996) and a Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy Grant to Petra Sierwald, Jason Bond, and William Shear (DEB 0529715).

Paul Marek
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Paul Marek at

Page: Tree of Life Brachoria blackmountainensis Marek 2010. The Black Mountain Mimic Millipede. Authored by Paul Marek. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Marek, Paul. 2010. Brachoria blackmountainensis Marek 2010. The Black Mountain Mimic Millipede. Version 16 September 2010 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Brachoria_blackmountainensis/144810/2010.09.16 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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