Scolopendromorpha of New Guinea and adjacent islands (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)

Abstract

The centipede fauna of the second largest island in the world, New Guinea, and its adjacent islands, is poorly known, with most information deriving from the first half of the 20^th century. Here we present new data on the order Scolopendromorpha based on material collected in the area in the last 40 years, mainly by Bulgarian and Latvian zoologists. The collections comprise eleven species of six genera and three families. The diagnosis of Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) is emended in the light of the recent findings. The old and doubtful record of Scolopendra multidens Newport, 1844 from New Guinea is referred to S. subspinipes Leach, 1815 and the species is here excluded from the present day list of New Guinean scolopendromorphs. Cryptops nepalensis Lewis, 1999 is here recorded from New Guinea for the first time. An annotated list and an identification key to the scolopendromorphs of the studied region are presented.

First records of a blind centipede, Cryptops navis Chamberlin, 1930 (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Cryptopidae), from Japan

“…The examined specimens were identified as Cryptops (Cryptops) navis based on the following features: 2 + 1 + 2 clypeal setae, one saw tooth on ultimate leg femur and ultimate leg tibia with bifid distal saw tooth, and locomotory legs with a single and comparatively long (nearly half as long as corresponding pretarsus) pretarsal accessory spine (Chamberlin 1930(Chamberlin , 1940Lewis 2013). Although the present specimens possess forcipular coxosternite with 3 + 3 submarginal setae and sternite 21 with broadly rounded corners, which are concordant with the descriptions of both Chamberlin (1930) and Lewis (2013), both the setal arrangement of forcipular coxosternite and shape of sternite 21 are variable in some Cryptops species (Lewis 2009(Lewis , 2013Schileyko and Stoev 2016).…”

Evolutionary biogeography of the centipede genus Ethmostigmus from Peninsular India: testing an ancient vicariance hypothesis for Old World tropical diversity

“…Detailed taxonomic studies have been conducted on Ethmostigmus from Australia (5 species, [24]) and peninsular India (5 species, [23]), describing endemic radiations. The distribution records for Africa [27] and Southeast Asia and Melanesia [25, 26] based on museum collections have also been assessed. Therefore, the current distribution and diversity patterns of the genus Ethmostigmus are reliable across the Old World tropics (Fig.…”

Checklist of the centipedes (Chilopoda) of Hispaniola

“…This primary (Chao, 2002) Haitian record has not being cited in other literature known to us. Waldock & Lewis (2014) and subsequently Schileyko & Stoev (2016) listed the Haitian record as coming from Chao (2008), the later version of the original master thesis.…”

“…Regarded as native to Hispaniola. Kraepelin (1904a) and Chamberlin (1918Chamberlin ( , 1944 have been forgotten and are absent from classic monographs (Attems, 1930;Bücherl, 1942) and from recent literature (Chagas-Júnior, 2008;Chagas-Júnior, 2010;Schileyko, 2014, Schileyko & Stoev, 2016. A "Haiti" literature record in Chagas-Júnior (2003a), evidently coming from Bücherl (1974), was not listed in Chagas-Júnior (2008).…”

“…Schileyko (2014) followed Chagas-Júnior (2010) and believed to be publishing the first island record: "I add to this list Dominican Republic (Island Haiti in Greater Antilles)", where Haiti means Hispaniola. Schileyko & Stoev (2016) (Linnaeus, 1767(Linnaeus, : 1063. Pocock, 1893: 463.…”