Review of the millipede genus Propyrgodesmus Silvestri, 1920, with the description of a new species from a sacred grove in Kerala, India (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Pyrgodesmidae).

The endemic Indian genus Propyrgodesmus is reviewed, rediagnosed and shown to presently comprise three species, all illustrated, keyed and mapped, including P. bulbogonopus sp. nov., from a sacred grove supporting a semi-evergreen vegetation in Kerala, southern India. The new species differs from their congeners, P. lobulatus Silvestri, 1920 (the type species) and P. frater Carl, 1932, mainly by tergal ornamentations and, when known, some significant details of gonopodal structure.

Review of the millipede tribe Polydrepanini, with the description of a new species from Kerala state, southern India (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae, Alogolykinae).

The tribe Polydrepanini is rediagnosed through an elongate, mostly slender, sometimes twisted/helicoid gonofemorite and a more or less thin, mostly flagelliform, suberect, apical or subapical solenomere often forming a conspicuous loop/curve near the base. The tribe presently encompasses seven genera, all redefined, illustrated and keyed: Dasypharkis Attems, 1936, stat. revalid., Delarthrum Attems, 1936, Grammorhabdus Carl, 1932, stat. revalid., Pocockina Jeekel, 1965, Polydrepanum Carl, 1932 (= Gyrodrepanum Carl, 1932 and Hindomorpha Golovatch, 1984, both syn. nov.), Telodrepanum Carl, 1932, and Xiphidiogonus Carl, 1932. The genus Polydrepanum is shown to currently comprise only four described species, all also redefined, depicted and keyed: Polydrepanum tamilum Carl, 1932 (the type species), P. horridum Golovatch, 1984, P. granuliferum (Attems, 1936), comb. nov. ex Hindomorpha, and P. lamprum (Chamberlin, 1920), comb. nov. ex Gyrodrepanum. Grammorhabdus fissus (Sankaran Sebastian, 2018) is formally transferred from Polydrepanum, comb. nov. Because Polydrepanum implicatum Carl, 1941 shows a strongly shortened gonopodal femorite, coupled with a distal and flagelliform solenomere, this species is considered as not only somewhat intermediate between the tribes Alogolykini and Polydrepanini as redefined here, but it is formally assigned to Alogolykini as the type species of Carlogonopus gen. nov. (masculine), with C. implicatus (Carl, 1941), comb. nov. ex Polydrepanum, as well as a comb. nov. ex Telodrepanum. A somewhat similar situation concerns Manikidesmus suriensis Bhakat, 2021, a still invalid genus and species from West Bengal, eastern India that likewise shows a clearly shortened gonofemorite. However, this being even more important, Manikidesmus suriensis is a nomen nudum not available yet for zoological nomenclature. The large and mainly Himalayan genus Delarthrum is briefly reassessed, mainly in connection with a new species, D. anomalans sp. nov., described from Kerala, southern India and placed in a species-group of its own. Some general considerations concerning the diversity and distribution of the subfamily Alogolykinae are presented.

The millipede genus Klimakodesmus Carl, 1932, with the description of a new species from Kerala state, southern India (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Pyrgodesmidae).

Klimakodesmus Carl, 1932 is briefly redescribed, rediagnosed, and shown to be an oligotypic genus endemic to southern India and distinct from the particularly similar genus Pyrgodesmus Pocock, 1892, monobasic and endemic to Sri Lanka, by several important features of peripheral and, especially, gonopodal structure. A new species, Klimakodesmus bilobocaudatus sp. nov., is described from Kerala state, India, differing from the sole accepted, and type species K. gravelyi Carl, 1932, from Tamil Nadu state, primarily by the laterally trilobate paraterga, the caudally more deeply bilobate mid-dorsal keel on ring 19, and certain minor details of the gonopodal structure.