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Brachoria hoffmani Keeton 1959

Hoffman’s Mimic Millipede

Paul Marek
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Containing group: Brachoria

Characteristics

Brachoria hoffmani individuals are about 45.6 mm long and 10.6 mm wide (females 46.37 mm X 11.0 mm).  Color: Striped yellow (1.25Y 8/14 – 2.5Y 8/14, shown above) or orange; 3-spotted yellow or orange; and combined striped/3-spotted yellow.

 

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Brachoria hoffmani genitalia - left male gonopodal acropodite (with setae removed): (Left) medial view and (Right) magnified apical view. © Paul Marek

 

 

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Brachoria hoffmani, combined striped/3-spotted yellow color morph. © Paul Marek

 

Habitat

Brachoria hoffmani individuals have been collected in Appalachian mixed mesophytic deciduous forests comprising predominately maple, tulip poplar, and oaks (Vansant and Norton localities).  However, I frequently encounter them in damp rhododendron cove habitats.  Individuals from Breaks Interstate Park (Geology Tr. and Cold Spring Tr.) were collected during the day, 9:00 – 10:00, in moist rhododendron, birch, and hemlock forests in close proximity to streams.  Individuals were found beneath layers of decomposing leaf material on spongy porous humus.  Other xystodesmids encountered sympatrically at these localities are: Pleuroloma flavipes, Apheloria virginiensis corrugata, B. cedra, B. dentata, and B. insolita.  Note:  Individuals of B. hoffmani may be confused in the field with all of the abovementioned species due to similarity in color patterns.

Distribution

Brachoria hoffmani is known from about seven localities in Wise, Norton City, Dickenson, and Buchanan counties in Virginia and Pike County in eastern Kentucky.  Brachoria hoffmani occurs in the Cumberland Mountain section of Virginia, from Wise County northeast to Buchanan County, and Kentucky in Pike County.  Brachoria hoffmani co-occurs with B. cedra, B. dentata, and B. insolita forming a component of a Müllerian mimicry ring with them.

Conservation status

Brachoria hoffmani is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture (especially growing demand for paper products), coal mining, development, and the invasion of exotic species.

References

Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.

Keeton W.T. 1959. A revision of the millipede genus Brachoria (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) Proc. US Nat. Mus. 109: 1-58.

Hoffman R.L. 1999. Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication. No. 8. Martinsville: Virginia Museum of Natural History.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Brachoria hoffmani
Location USA, Virginia, Dickenson Co.
Reference Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex m
Life Cycle Stage adult
View dorsal
Collection FMNH
Collector Paul Marek
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Paul Marek
Scientific Name Brachoria hoffmani
Location USA, Virginia, Wise Co.
Reference Marek P.E. 2010. A revision of the Appalachian millipede genus Brachoria Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Apheloriini). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 817-889.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex m
Life Cycle Stage adult
View dorsal
Collection FMNH
Collector Paul Marek
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Paul Marek
About This Page
Work on the millipede Tree of Life pages was supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to Paul Marek and Jason Bond (DEB 0607996) and a Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy Grant to Petra Sierwald, Jason Bond, and William Shear (DEB 0529715).

Paul Marek
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Paul Marek at

Page: Tree of Life Brachoria hoffmani Keeton 1959. Hoffman’s Mimic Millipede. Authored by Paul Marek. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Marek, Paul. 2010. Brachoria hoffmani Keeton 1959. Hoffman’s Mimic Millipede. Version 16 September 2010 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Brachoria_hoffmani/144221/2010.09.16 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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