The first troglobitic Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) from South America and the description of a non-troglobitic species from Brazil

Abstract

Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) iporangensis n. sp., and C. (T.) hephaestus n. sp. are described from SE Brazil. C. (T.) iporangensis n. sp. presents highly troglomorphic characters and is described from a remarkable cave system located in Sao Paulo State, the Areias cave system, from were other 16 troglobitic species are also known. C. (T.) hephaestus n. sp. was described on specimens collected in three caves of the "Quadrilátero Ferrífero" (Iron quadrangle), in Minas Gerais State, but does not presents a clear specialization to subterranean habitat. The new troglobitic species can be separated from other species of Cryptops (T.) from Brazil and all troglobitc species of the genus Cryptops by presenting incomplete paramedian sutures on tergites, antennal article 1 with an inverted Y-shaped suture on its proximal part and distal spinose processes on ultimate leg. C. (T.) hephaestus differs from the other species of Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) from Brazil by presenting anterior oblique sutures on tergites 2-7 and posterior oblique sutures on tergites 1-3. Cryptops (Cryptops) galatheae Meinert, 1886 is moved here to the subgenus Trigonocryptops.

A synopsis of centipedes in Brazilian caves: hidden species diversity that needs conservation (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)

“…Additional records extend its distribution to three more caves in the Alto Ribeira karst area, suggesting that the species is not endemic to a single cave system or rare, as previously proposed (Ázara and Ferreira 2013). Troglobitic species.…”

“…Within the troglobitic Geophilomorpha order, the Geophilidae family is represented by two species: Geophilus persephones Foddai & Minelli, 1999 from France (Fodаai and Minelli 1999) and Geophilus hadesi Stoev, Akkari, Komericki, Edgecombe & Bonato, 2015 from Croatia (Stoev et al 2015), while the Ballophilidae family is represented by one species: Ityphilus cavernicolus Matic, Negrea & Fundora Martinez, 1977 from Cuba (Matic et al 1977, Lewis 1981). Most troglobitic scolopendromorphs belong to the genera Cryptops Leach 1815 (nine species) (Matic et al 1977, Zapparoli 1990, Negrea and Minelli 1994, Edgecombe 2005, 2006, Ázara and Ferreira 2013, 2014a) and Newportia (five species) (Negrea et al 1973, Chagas-Jr and Shelley 2003, Schileyko 2013, Ázara and Ferreira 2013, 2014b). One Cryptops species was recorded in Spain ( C. longicornis Ribaut, 1915), one in the Canary Islands ( C. vulcanicus Zapparoli, 1990), one in Italy ( C. umbricus Verhoeff, 1931), two in Australia ( C. roeplainsensis Edgecombe, 2005 and C. camoowealensis Edgecombe, 2006), and four in the neotropics ( C. cavernicolus Matic, Negrea & Fundora Martinez, 1977 and C. troglobius Matic, Negrea & Fundora Martinez, 1977 from Cuba; C. iporangensis Ázara & Ferreira, 2013 and C. spelaeoraptor Ázara & Ferreira, 2014 from Brazil).…”

The first two hotspots of subterranean biodiversity in South America

“…The database of the obligate cave fauna was obtained from published literature (Prates and Drumond 2007, Trajano and Bichuette 2010, Ázara and Ferreira 2013, Pel-legrini and Ferreira 2014, ISLA 2015 and after conducting five visits (four people/six hours inside the caves in each visit) to AS and eight visits (four people/six hours inside the caves in each visit) to TG to sample the cave fauna in microhabitats and on organic resources. Extensive visual searching and manual collections were made with the aid of soft forceps and brushes.…”

“…In fact, from the approximately 2,000 sampled caves in Brazil, only a few hundred are inhabited by obligate cave fauna. The recent discoveries of troglobitic species in Brazil are certainly due to an improvement on the sampling efforts in many previously non-prospected areas in Brazil (Prevorčnik et al 2012, Ázara and Ferreira 2013, Fišer et al 2013, Iniesta et al 2012, Iniesta and Ferreira 2013, 2013a, 2013b, Bastos-Pereira and Ferreira 2015, Vasconcelos and Ferreira 2016.…”

“…Since most of the karstic areas of the world are situated in temperate regions, a higher cave biodiversity can be expected in mid-latitudes because caves have served as refugia for many ancestors of obligate cave faunas during strong climate changes in the past (Bar 1968, Romero 2009). However, the high numbers of new species recently discovered in Brazilian caves (Prevorčnik et al 2012, Ázara and Ferreira 2013, Fišer et al 2013, Iniesta et al 2012, Iniesta and Ferreira 2013, 2013a, 2013b, Bastos-Pereira and Ferreira 2015, Vasconcelos and Ferreira 2016 and their high degree of troglomorphism indicate that the events of climatic changes in the Neotropics, even if not so severe as in temperate regions, could have led to the isolation of subterranean lineages. Alternatively, other mechanisms of isolation (e.g.…”