First report of the millipede genus Cryptocorypha Attems, 1907 in the Americas (Polydesmida: Pyrgodesmidae)

Abstract

The family Pyrgodesmidae, one of the most diverse polydesmidan families, is distributed throughout much of the tropics. While the subtropical southeastern United States has relatively low pyrgodesmid diversity compared to the tropics, several native and adventive species have managed to establish. Cryptocorypha Attems, 1907, despite being nearly pantropical—with an established range that covers tropical Africa, Asia, and many Pacific islands—has never before been documented in the Americas. Representatives matching Cryptocorypha ornata (Attems, 1938) have been collected from coastal Georgia, USA. These were originally identified as being unusual through the community science platform iNaturalist. Cryptocorypha ornata is the ninth pyrgodesmid documented in the continental United States. This new record demonstrates the efficacy of community science platforms such as iNaturalist for surveillance for undocumented taxa.