Boyan Vagalinski

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Zygentoma is a small ancient order of primitive hexapods with over 500 described species, distributed worldwide. The original data about Bulgarian Zygentoma is scarce and refers to only four species: Atelura montana (Nicoletiidae), Coletina bulgarica (Nicoletiidae) (described from Bulgaria and known only from its first description), Ctenolepisma li...

Bulgaria is one of the smaller European countries, but it takes the leading place in faunal diversity, including cosmopolitan animal species and many Bulgarian and Balkan endemics. It is known that thermophilic and xerophilic Mediterranean animal species are found in the country's southern regions and along the Black Sea coast, and in the northern...

Branchiobdellidans dwelling on Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758) from 13 localities in Lithuania were collected in 2018 and 2020. Four Branchiobdella species were identified: B. astaci Odier, 1823, B. pen-tadonta Whitman, 1882, B. kozarovi Sucbhev, 1978 and B. bulgariensis Subchev & Rimcheska, 2021. Specimens of B. astaci were found only in two loca...

A new species of Catamicrophyllum Verhoeff, 1901, Catamicrophyllum beroni sp. nov., is described from Rila Mts, southwest Bulgaria. The new species is compared to its most similar congener, Catamicrophyllum caucasicum (Attems, 1901) known from the Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia, including descriptive notes and scanning electron micrographs of the la...

The European millipede genus Micropachyiulus Verhoeff, 1899 is revised based on type and non-type material, and on the available literature. The genus Hylopachyiulus Attems, 1904 is established as a junior subjective synonym of Micropachyiulus, syn. nov. Micropachyiulus ocellatus (Antić & Akkari, 2018) is thus listed as a new combination, comb. nov...

All cavernicolous species of the millipede family Trichopolydesmidae from the Carpathian-Balkan arch and the Rhodope Mountains have been reviewed. At present the family has been shown to comprise five or six genera with eight or nine species. Two new genera have been described, viz., Balkanodesminus gen. nov., with two new species: B. dentatoides s...

A new genus and species of the millipede tribe Pachyiulini, Bellatoiulus golovatchi gen. et sp. nov. , is described from the Lesser Caucasus, Azerbaijan. Cybertypes of the new species are created from the physical holotype male and from a paratype female. The distribution and ecological features of the new species, and the position of the new genus...

The blind and mostly endogean julid genus Stygiiulus Verhoeff, 1929 stat. nov. is reviewed to include ten species: S. ausugi (Manfredi, 1953) comb. nov., S. fimbriatus (Strasser, 1971) comb. et stat. nov., S. gentianae (Strasser, 1971) comb. et stat. nov., S. illyricus (Verhoeff, 1929) comb. nov., S. insularis (Strasser, 1938) comb. nov., S. maximu...

A new genus and species, Rhodopotyphlus mitovi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Western Rhodopi Mts., south-central Bulgaria. According to its morphology combined with previously published molecular data, the new species is supposed to represent a basal lineage in the julid tribe Typhloiulini. Some assumptions concerning the early evolutiona...

The diplopod tribe Brachyiulini is represented in the fauna of the Caucasus by eight genera and 32 species, of which one genus and 14 species are described as new: Colchiobrachyiulus montanus Vagalinski, sp. nov. , Iraniulus tricornis Vagalinski, sp. nov. , Omobrachyiulus armatus Vagalinski, sp. nov. , O. fasciatus Vagalinski, sp. nov. , O. faxifer...

Syrioiulus lohmanderi sp. nov. is described from material collected in Gilan Province, northwestern Iran. The new species is morphologically most similar to S. astrabadensis (Lohmander, 1932a) and S. persicus (Golovatch, 1983), also known only from the northern parts of Iran. A key to the species of SyrioiulusVerhoeff, 1914 recorded from this count...

This report presents the results of the mapping and assessment of soil biodiversity and its functions in cropland dominated landscapes in Bulgaria. We summarize the motivation for the assessment, highlighting the importance of assessing biodiversity-mediated processes in the soil, to complement soil condition indicators based on physical and chemic...

The true identity of the millipede Polydesmus rubellus Attems, 1902 is revealed more than a century following its original description. Its type material is examined for the first time after 117 years of shelf-life. A lectotype is designated and documented. Sphaeroparia simplex Golovatch, 2013 is shown to be a junior subjective synonym of P. rubell...

Mountain slopes covered with stone debris have been of special interest for zoologists since the pioneer work of Juberthie et al. (1980) who defined and described the Milieu Souterrain Superficiel , most popularly referred to in English as the Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS). Today this particular habitat is classified as one of the several types...

The first species of Omobrachyiulus is described from Israel and Lebanon: O. mesorientalis sp.n. This new and yet sole Near East species of the genus is distinguished from congeners both in certain morphological characters, primarily gonopodal ones, and in likely representing one of the southernmost outliers not only of its mostly Caucasian genus,...

In addition to the eleven previously known species of the Mediterranean genus Metonomastus, two more species are described: M. petrovi sp. n., from the Rhodopi Mts. and Bunardzhik Hill in Bulgaria, and M. radjai sp. n., from the island of Mljet in Croatia. The relationships between the congeners and their distributions are briefly discussed. All 13...

There are numerous chemotaxonomic studies on arthropods, but such are largely missing for millipedes. This appears curious since particularly in millipedes, the major taxa are clearly distinctive by different exocrine products, such as alkaloids (Glomerida), terpenoids (Polyzoniida), phenolics and cyanogens (Polydesmida), and benzoquinones (Julifor...

We redescribe the poorly known Chinese millipede Skleroprotopusmembranipedalis Zhang, 1985 recorded from Shi-Hua (Stone Flower) Cave, Fangshan County, Beijing. The species’ original description is in Chinese in an obscure outlet which significantly hampers its recognition from its congeners. Here, based on newly collected material, we provide the f...

A comprehensive taxonomic revision of the circum-Mediterranean julid tribe Brachyiulini is undertaken. A total of 13 genera and 103 species are assigned to the tribe. One new genus, one new subgenus, and 10 new species are described from Greece, Turkey or Iran: Byzantorhopalum (Byzantorhopalum) elephantum sp. n., B. (Ioniulus) clavamum subgen. n.,...

The paper presents the first contribution to the study of the centipedes and millipedes of the city of Plovdiv. A total of 20 species (8 chilopods and 12 diplopods) belonging to 16 genera, 11 families, and 8 orders are recorded from the city. All but one species, Megaphyllum unilineatum (C.L. Koch, 1838), are new to the city. Until now the myriapod...

The defensive secretion of the julid diplopod Typhloiulus orpheus contains methyl N-methylanthranilate (MNMA), an ester of N-methylanthranilic acid that comprises more than 99% of secretion of this species. MNMA is accompanied by small amounts of methyl anthranilate and two benzoquinones (2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and 2-ethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, resp...

The present paper records new and poorly known myriapods (Diplopoda, Chilopoda) collected in Bulgaria in the last 10 years. Four new species are reported as new to the Bulgarian fauna: Lithobius melanops Newport, 1845 (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha: Lithodiidae), Polydesmus collaris C.L. Koch, 1847, Polydesmus inconstans Latzel, 1884 and Polydesmus sch...

Cave animals live under highly constant ecological conditions and in permanent darkness, and many evolutionary adaptations of cave-dwellers have been triggered by their specific environment. A similar “cave effect” leading to pronounced chemical interactions under such conditions may be assumed, but the chemoecology of troglobionts is mostly unknow...

Two new species of the millipede genus Anamastigona are described, A. cypria sp. nov. and A. strasseri sp. nov., both from the island of Cyprus. The new species are considered to be most similar to A. terraesanctae Golovatch & Makarov, 2011 from Israel, the three of them forming a species group which is briefly characterized. An updated key to all...

The defensive chemistry of juliformian millipedes is characterized mainly by benzoquinones (”quinone millipedes”), whereas the secretions of the putative close outgroup Callipodida are considered to be exclusively phenolic. We conducted a chemical screening of julid secretions for phenolic content. Most species from tribes Cylindroiulini (15 specie...

The mostly cavernicolous and endogean millipede genus Typhloiulus Latzel, 1884 (Julida: Julidae) is hitherto known to comprise 33–36 species distributed in the Balkan and Apennine peninsulas, as well as the adjacent parts of the Alps and the Carpathian Arch. Here we describe three new species, T. bulgaricus sp. n., T. orpheus sp. n. and T. rhodopin...

The paper presents an annotated catalogue of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of Cyprus, based on literature scrutiny and on hitherto unpublished material. A total of 21 species belonging to 14 genera, 9 families and 7 orders are recorded from the island. Three species are regarded as new to science, but are not formally described, and the status of anot...

A new genus of the julid tribe Brachyiulini, Enghophyllum gen. nov., is described, comprising two species from Greece. The type-species, E. naxium (Verhoeff, 1901) comb. nov. (ex Megaphyllum Verhoeff, 1894), appears to be rather widespread in the Aegean: it is known from Antiparos Island and Naxos Island (the type locality), both in the Cyclades, a...

Megaphyllum sensu stricto, i.e. the nominotypical subgenus of the very complicated genus Megaphyllum Verhoeff, 1894, is redefined on the basis of examination of type and non-type material and literature data. Four species-groups including twenty species in all are listed, and the identity of M. austriacum (C. L. Koch, 1838) is clarified with a prop...

The subgenus Parancistrum Verhoeff, 1943 is redefined on the basis of the examination of type and non-type material. The subgenus is currently settled to comprise 6 species, of which Megaphyllum arcuatum sp. n. is described as new, while M. adanense (Verhoeff, 1943) syn. n. and M. palaestinum (Jawłowski, 1931) syn. n. are established as junior subj...

A Balkan checklist of the millipede genus Megaphyllum Verhoeff, 1894 has been compiled on the basis of literature data, new collections, and reexamination of type and non-type material. Forty-seven species and subspecies are represented in the peninsula, including four species new to science: M. chiosense Lazányi & Korsós sp. n. from Chios Island,...

The paper presents the first detailed research of the ants (Formicidae) of Plana Mountain (Western Bulgaria). A total number of 49 species were identified, 44 of which are new the studied area. Tetramorium hungaricum (Röszler, 1935) and Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846, reported from Plana by other authors, were not found during the current research....

VAGALINSKI B., STOEV P. 2007. An annotated catalogue of the millipede order Julida (Diplopoda) in Bulgaria. – Historia naturalis bulgarica, 18: 35-63. Abstract. The paper presents the first catalogue of the millipede order Julida (Diplopoda: Helminthomorpha) in Bulgaria. The order is currently known to comprise 3 families (Blaniulidae, Nemasomatida...