eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v12i2.310Submitted date: 28 September 2022
Accepted date: 9 November 2023
Published date: 18 November 2023
Pp. 94–95, pl. 25.
On the report of a new world millipede (Rhinotus purpureus) from IndiaM.D. Aswathy & A.V. Sudhikumar*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: spidersudhi@gmail.com
The Indian millipede fauna is diverse with many families and genera but remains seriously underexplored. Among the families of the order polyzoniida, Siphonotidae is the only family to have reports from the southern hemisphere. The tropical tramp species of this family,
Rhinotus purpureus (Pocock, 1894) shows a cosmopolitan distribution. It has been repeatedly described as a new species leading to more than a dozen synonyms. It is designated as a common tramp species as it is frequently found in green houses and other synanthropic habitats from many different parts of the world including Kew Gardens in England, green houses in Germany, Central America and Southern USA, Comoro Islands, Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands. The present study provides the first record of
R. purpureus, from the Indian subcontinent.
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