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A new species of Eupolybothrus Verhoeff, 1907 discovered in caves of Velebit Mountain in Croatia is described. E. liburnicus sp. n. exhibits a few morphological differences from its most similar congeners, all of which are attributed to the subgenus Schizopolybothrus Verhoeff, 1934, and two approaches to species delimitation using the COI barcode region identify it as distinct from the closely allied E. cavernicolus Stoev & Komerički, 2013. E. spiniger (Latzel, 1888) is redescribed and a lectotype is designated for it as well as E. caesar (Verhoeff, 1899) to stabilize their respective taxonomic status. The subspecies E. acherontis wardaranus Verhoeff, 1937, previously suspected to be a synonym of E. caesar (Verhoeff, 1899), is redescribed and its taxonomy revised after the study of type material whereas the identity of E. acherontis (Verhoeff, 1900) described from a female from southwest Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina) remains unknown. Type material of E. stygis (Folkmanova, 1940) is confirmed to be lost and future designation of neotypes from topotypic specimens is necessary to stabilize its taxonomy. The importance of setal arrangement on the intermediate and 14th tergites and the sexual modifications on the male 15th prefemur for species identification is discussed in the light of present findings, and a review of the species of E. (Schizopolybothrus) that display these traits is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high-resolution X-ray microtomography (microCT) to enhance the standard morphological description of a recently described centipede, Eupolybothrus liburnicus Akkari, Komerički, Weigand, Edgecombe and Stoev, 2017. The 3D images of the holotype and paratype specimens are considered here as cybertypes for the species–a universal and virtual representation of the type material. This ‘avatar’ of the holotype is the first published male centipede cybertype. The microtomographic data of both types revealed further characters of systematic value and allowed us to hypothesise on the function of some of the male secondary structures and the mating behaviour of the species. Additionally, we compared part of the female reproductive system of E. liburnicus to species from the same genus, including E. cavernicolus Stoev & Komerički 2013, its closest congener. The high-resolution 3D image data have been uploaded to an open repository () to serve in any subsequent study on the species and genus, as we believe this would catalyse biosystematic research on this and other arthropod groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dinaric Karst is a global hotspot for subterranean diversity, with two distinct peaks of species richness in the northwest and southeast, and an area of a lower species richness in the central part. In this article, we present a species list and describe the ecological conditions of the Lukina jama–Trojama cave system, located in the central part of the Dinaric Karst. This cave system is the deepest and one of the most logistically challenging cave systems sampled so far in the Dinaric Karst. Repeated sampling resulted in a list of 45 species, including 25 troglobionts, 3 troglophiles, 16 stygobionts, and 1 stygophile. Most of the recorded species are endemic to the Velebit Mountain, while three species are endemic to the Lukina jama–Trojama cave system. Within the system, species richness peaks in the deepest third of the cave, most likely reflecting the harsh ecological conditions in the upper parts, including ice, cold winds, and occasional waterfalls. Milder and more stable deeper parts of the cave contain a rich subterranean species community, part of which is associated with two very distinct aquatic habitats, the cave hygropetric and the phreatic zone. The newly recognized hotspot of subterranean biodiversity in the central Dinaric Karst, which has emerged between the two known centers of biodiversity, further highlights the species richness in large cave systems, but also challenges the diversity patterns in the Dinaric Karst overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]