Review of the genus Tylopus Jeekel, 1968, with descriptions of five new species from Thailand (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

The genus Tylopus currently contains 41 species, all keyed and mapped, including five new from northern Thailand: Tylopus bispinosussp. n., Tylopus grandissp. n., Tylopus extremussp. n., Tylopus veligersp. n. and Tylopus parajeekelisp. n. Species of Tylopus are predominantly forest-dwellers, especially in montane habitats where up to 9-10 species can coexist per faunule. We expect many more congeners to be discovered in future, in particular from poorly or relatively poorly prospected regions such as Laos (only two species recorded), Cambodia (no species yet), Vietnam (a few species), Myanmar (a few species) and southern China (one species only). Because the genus is so species-rich and as yet so poorly sampled, a phylogenetic analysis of Tylopus would be premature.