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1. Additions to the millipede family Caseyidae Verhoeff, 1909. IV. Two new genera and three new species (Chordeumatida, Striarioidea, Caseyidae)

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.3.7  

   Shear, William A; Marek, Paul E (May 2025, Zootaxa)

   Paropiona Shear & Marek, gen. nov. is described from northwestern and central Washington State, USA. It includes two new species, Paropiona gardneri Shear & Marek, sp. nov. from Pacific and Cowlitz Counties, and Paropiona aenigma Shear & Marek, sp. nov. from Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Thurston and Wahakiakum Counties. Opionoides Shear & Marek, gen. nov. is monotypic with only Opionoides cataracta Shear & Marek, sp. nov. from Coos Co. Oregon. The new genera are related to, but distinct from the genus Opiona Chamberlin, 1951. 

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2. Cave millipedes of the United States. XVII. A new troglobiotic Nevadesmus Shear, 2009 from an Arizona cave (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Macrosternodesmidae) with observations on associated fauna and ecology

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5722.3.8  

   Shear, William A; Pape, Robert B; Marek, Paul E (November 2025, Zootaxa)

   A third species of the macrosternodesmid millipede genus Nevadesmus Shear, 2009 is described from a cave in Tonto National Forest, Pinal Co., southern Arizona, USA. This new species, Nevadesmus superstitiona Shear, Pape & Marek, sp. nov. occurs significantly distant from the localities of the two other species, which occur in Nevada. The epigean and hypogean settings of the cave site and remarks on its natural history are provided. Thirty-two animal taxa are present in the cave, including the new millipede. Four other endemic troglobiotic species are present: a scorpion (Pseudouroctonus sp.: Vaejovidae), a terrestrial isopod (Brackenridgia sp.: Trichoniscidae), a silverfish (Speleonycta sp.: Nicoletiidae) and a thread-legged bug (Gardena cf. elkinsi: Reduviidae). A resident population of the tailless whip scorpion (Paraphrynus tokdod: Amblypygi: Phrynidae) is the first record of this family in an Arizona Cave. Tonto National Forest Cave #34 is the second most species diverse cave currently known in Arizona. 

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3. Revision of the millipede genus Apheloria Chamberlin, 1921 (Polydesmida, Xystodesmidae, Apheloriini)

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5701.3.4  

   Marek, Paul E; Means, Jackson C; Hennen, Derek A; Tingley, Carol (October 2025, Zootaxa)

   We revise the millipede genus Apheloria Chamberlin, 1921—a colorful and often encountered group of millipedes in eastern North America. With molecular phylogenetics, we estimate the evolutionary history of the genus, and use it in combination with morphology to understand species diversity. We describe a new species, Apheloria uwharrie sp. nov. from North and South Carolina, synonymize Apheloria tigana Chamberlin, 1939 syn. nov. with Apheloria virginiensis (Drury, 1770), and remove Apheloria luminosa (Kenyon, 1893) syn. nov. from the genus and place it in synonymy with Pleuroloma flavipes Rafinesque, 1820. Currently there are six species of Apheloria: Apheloria corrugata (Wood, 1864) stat. nov.; Apheloria montana (Bollman, 1887); Apheloria polychroma Marek, Means & Hennen, 2018; Apheloria uwharrie sp. nov.; Apheloria virginiensis (Drury, 1770); and Apheloria whiteheadi (Shelley, 1986). 

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4. A new species of Illacme from southern California (Siphonophorida, Siphonorhinidae)

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1167.102537  

   Marek, Paul E.; Hall, Charity L.; Lee, Cedric; Bailey, James; Berger, Matt C.; Kasson, Matt T.; Shear, William (June 2023, ZooKeys)

   The millipede fauna inhabiting deep soil are poorly known. They are small and threadlike, slow moving, lacking pigmentation, and rarely encountered due to their obscure underground way of life. One family, the Siphonorhinidae, encompasses four genera and 12 species in a fragmentary distribution in California, southern Africa, Madagascar, the Malay Archipelago, and Indo-Burma. The family is represented in the Western Hemisphere by a single genus, Illacme Cook & Loomis, 1928 from California, with its closest known relative, Nematozonium filum Verhoeff, 1939, from southern Africa. A new species of this family is documented from soil microhabitats in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Illacme socal Marek & Shear, sp. nov. Based on this discovery and the recent documentation of other endogean millipede species, we show that these grossly understudied subterranean fauna represent the next frontier of discovery. However, they are threatened by encroaching human settlement and habitat loss, and conservation of this species and other subterranean fauna is of high importance. 

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5. Cryptic diversity in Andrognathus corticarius Cope, 1869 and description of a new Andrognathus species from New Mexico (Diplopoda, Platydesmida, Andrognathidae)

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.786.27631  

   Shorter, Patricia L.; Hennen, Derek A.; Marek, Paul E. (September 2018, ZooKeys)

   Andrognathus is a genus of small, thin-bodied millipedes found in deciduous forests of North America. Poorly understood, these organisms inhabit decaying wood and have morphologically conserved and difficult-to-identify sexual characters that have limited study historically. Recent use of scanning electron microscopy has uncovered variation in male genitalia that was previously unknown in the genus. The distribution of Andrognathus and the extent of this variability across the continent, however, were undocumented, and a wealth of natural history collections remained uncatalogued. Here a new species of Andrognathus is described from New Mexico, Andrognathusgrubbsi sp. n. , natural history collections are utilized to create a comprehensive map of the genus, and a neotype established for the type species, Andrognathuscorticarius Cope, 1869. Analysis of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) for A.corticarius was completed for the type series and individuals across the species distribution, but little variation was found. Andrognathusgrubbsi sp. n. joins A.corticarius and A.hoffmani Shear & Marek, 2009 as the only members of the genus. 

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