Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae: Tasmanodesmus

Tasmanodesmus hardyi Chamberlin, 1920

Tasmanodesmus hardyi resembles Tasmanopeltis grandis, but the ranges of these two endemic H+20 dalodesmids overlap only slightly. Both species are purplish-brown with prominent paranota and long, thin legs. Tasmanodesmus hardyi lacks the long paranotal seta found in T. grandis and is distinctly smaller, rarely exceeding 20 mm in length.

The gonopod drawings show the typical structure; there are slight variations, mainly in the drier parts of the northeast

This species was first collected by G.H. Hardy ca 1913-1915 and described from "Tasmania". Although widespread and common in eastern Tasmania, T. hardyi is largely absent from the northeast and its western range limit coincides with the biogeographical divide known as Tyler's Line. It occurs in a wide range of forest types, and generally shelters under logs and in the upper layers of forest floor litter.

The genus Tasmanodesmus is similar in gonopod structure and other features to Gephyrodesmus on the Australian mainland and Pseudoprionopeltis in New Zealand.

 

In the close-up of a paranotum corner, note the lack of a long corner seta and the finely toothed posterior edge

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