Glomeris hexasticha, also known as the eastern six-striped pill millipede or the diagonal-striped pill millipede, is a species of pill millipede within the family Glomeridae and order Glomerida.[1] The pill millipede is widely distributed within many European countries,[2] with the species consisting of over twenty different subspecies.[1]
| Glomeris hexasticha | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Glomerida |
| Family: | Glomeridae |
| Genus: | Glomeris |
| Species: | G. hexasticha
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| Binomial name | |
| Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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Description
editThe body length of Glomeris hexasticha ranges from 6 to 17 mm long. Its exoskeleton displays a base colour ranging from brown to black, adorned with 7 rows (typically 6 in the eastern populations) of yellow-brown to red-brown spots. These lateral spots on the thoracic plate are large and always well-defined. The 2nd tergite of the species usually possesses a main furrow, accompanied by 0-1 pre-furrow and 2-4 subsidiary furrows. In males, the pre-anal tergite exhibits a prominent bulging of the rear margin, while in females, this bulge is less pronounced. Additionally, the male individuals exhibit a cross bulge above the rear margin.[3]
Distribution
editGlomeris hexasticha possess a widespread European distribution where it can be found in the countries of: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine.[2][4] The species is also native to Central European Russia, European Turkey and the transcontinental region of the Near East.[4]
Habitat
editGlomeris hexasticha mainly inhabitants forests located within montane and subalpine altitudes.[3] Forests can be both deciduous or coniferous, exhibiting tree species such as the common hornbeam (C. betulus) and black pine (Pinus nigra).[5] G. hexasticha has also been discovered to live on forest edges and within meadow habitat, where it is found living alongside wild wheat grasses (Agropyron sp.) and common rosehip (R. canina).[5] G. hexasticha is a detritivore feeding on decaying plant matter such as dead wood and leaves.[3]
Subspecies
editGlomeris hexasticha contains 27 distinct subspecies:[1]
- Glomeris hexasticha bavarica Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha boleti Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha bosniensis Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha calcivaga Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha chiemensis Verhoeff, 1941
- Glomeris hexasticha eimeri Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha hexasticha Verhoeff
- Glomeris hexasticha intermedia Latzel, 1884
- Glomeris hexasticha marcomannia Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha quercivora Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha rabensteinensis Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha ruscorum Verhoeff, 1929
- Glomeris hexasticha suevica Verhoeff, 1911
- Glomeris hexasticha szeklerana Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha theresiae Verhoeff, 1906
- Glomeris hexasticha trisulcata Rothenbühler, 1899
References
edit- ^ a b c "Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833". Millibase. 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ a b "Occurrences". Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ a b c "Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833 Schrägstreifiger Saftkugler". arthropodafotos.de. 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ a b "Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833". Fauna Europaea. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
- ^ a b Bachvarova D. (2019) New record of Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833 (Diplopoda: Glomerida: Glomeridae) from the Lilyaksko Plateau, North-Eastern Bulgaria. Acta Scientifica Naturalis, Vol.6 (Issue 2), pp. 55-61. doi:10.2478/asn-2019-0018