Authorities disagree regarding the proper spelling of the name of this species, with some using the name C. raulinsii rather than C. rawlinsii.[7][8] This species was first described in 1814 by the English zoologistWilliam Elford Leach using the spelling C. raulinsii.[9] He named this species explicitly in memory of his late colleague Richard Rawlins, who discovered the first specimen under stones near Edinburgh in Scotland.[9] Leach used the spelling C. rawlinsii in another 1814 description that was not published until 1815.[10][5] Some authorities deem C. raulinsii to be the correct spelling based on the earlier publication.[5][11][12] Nevertheless, the spelling C. rawlinsii has been widely used and is accepted by other references as the correct spelling, citing the later publication.[6][1][2][3]
This species is extremely variable, and authorities have described many subspecies and varieties.[12] References list several accepted subspecies, including C. rawlinsii rawlinsii, the subspecies originally described by Leach.[1][2][3] Some authorities have deemed some of these subspecies to be separate species.[12] All records of this species in the British Isles are specimens of the subspecies C. rawlinsii rawlinsii.[7]
Description
The adults of this species range from 15 mm to 16 mm in length and from 1.2 mm to 1.7 mm in width.[6][13] The body is a rich reddish brown with a dark line down the middle of the back and narrow dorsal bands on either side, but with light amber areas around the paranota.[6] The paranota are smoothly rounded lobes on the sides of the body.[6][7] The paranota give the body the shape of a rounded trapezoid in cross section. Each tergite features three pairs of setae. The ocelli are well developed and form roughly equilateral triangles.[6]
As in most species in the orderChordeumatida, adults of this species feature 30 segments (counting the collum, the telson, and the segments in between), with 50 pairs of legs in the females and 48 leg pairs in the males, excluding leg pairs 8 and 9, which become gonopods in adult males.[6][13][14][15] The anterior gonopods in this species feature a more distal element (telopodite) on each side with the more basal (coxal) piece in between, and the posterior gonopods feature six processes projecting from a broad base. The sizes and shapes of these processes can vary in this species, and these variations give rise to the many subspecies and varieties described from continental Europe.[6]
This millipede is found mainly in woodland (for example, among Alnus), often in sandy soil, and favors high humidity.[12][7] This species is sometimes found in coniferousforests or more open habitats.[12] In the British Isles, this millipede is usually found in moist litter or under stones or bark, often near water or in an area that can otherwise provide reliable moisture.[6] In Switzerland, this millipede has been recorded at an elevation of 1,540 meters.[12] This species is found year round, but adults are usually found during the winter.[7][6]
Subspecies
This species includes the following subspecies:[1]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Blower, J. Gordon (1985). Millipedes: keys and notes for the identification of the species. Linnean Society of London, Estuarine and Brackish-water Sciences Association. London: Published for the Linnean Society of London and the Estuarine and Brackish-Water Sciences Association by E.J. Brill. pp.23, 68–73. ISBN90-04-07698-0. OCLC13439686.
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