Chelodesmid studies v: Some new, redefined, and resurrected Brasilian genera

Abstract

A semirevisionary treatment of four large and nomenclatorially important chelodesmid genera of southeastern Brasil, based upon material received from the Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, and the recent examination of many type specimens in European museums. Leptodesmus (de Saussure, 1859) is redefined in a more exclusive sense to include 21 species, with the new forms L. acuminatus (Goiás), L. cochranae (RJ), and L. defensus (Goiás); several established species are redescribed; the better-known forms are tentatively dispersed among six subgeneric groups. Goyazodesmus (Schubart, 1952) is regarded as a junior subjective synonym. Eurydesmus (de Saussure, 1860) is considered in a broad sense to include as synonyms Chelodesmus Cook, 1895, Pseudoeurydesmus Schubart, 1944, Pseudoeurydesmella Schubart, 1951, Peltoeurydesmus Schubart, 1956, and Aneurydesmus Schubart, 1956; variations in ozopore formula being dismissed as generic or subgeneric characters. The status of the old names E. angulatus and Leptodesmus biconicus is discussed in detail; Polydesmus zebratus Gervais is brought into Eurydesmus with E. ruidus Schubart as a junior synonym; the new name E. brolemanni is proposed for specimens from São Paulo incorrectly identified by Attems as E. angulatus. The 17 accredited names are tentatively arranged into four subgeneric groups. The subgeneric name Brasilodesmus (Brölemann, 1929) is revised as the valid designation, for a group of ten species chiefly from São Paulo with B. paulistanus as the type, the gonopods of this species and those of B. corrugatus and B. centropus are illustrated; taxonomic notes are provided for most of the recognized forms. A new generic name, Henrisaussurea, is proposed for a group of species related to the type H. corcovadis (Brölemann): the remarkable history of the latter is discussed in detail with L. biconicus Attems, L. cerasinus Attems, and L. jawlowskii Schubart considered as junior synonyms.