Ballophilidae

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Ballophilidae
Ballophilus hounselli.jpg
Ballophilus hounselli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Chilopoda
Order:
Geophilomorpha
Suborder:
Adesmata
Superfamily:
Himantarioidea
Family:
Ballophilidae

Ballophilidae is a monophyletic group of centipedes belonging to the order Geophilomorpha and superfamily Himantarioidea. [1] [2] Authorities now dismiss this group as a family, citing phylogenetic analysis, and instead refer to this clade as Ballophilinae, a possible subfamily within the family Schendylidae. [2] [3] Centipedes in this clade differ from others in the family Schendylidae by having bodies tapered toward the anterior tip, short heads, slender forcipules that are well apart, and an undivided lamina for the female gonopods. [4] Centipedes in this clade are found in most tropical regions. [4]

The number of legs in this clade varies within as well as among species and ranges from 37 to 113 pairs of legs. [4] Three species in this clade can have as few as 37 leg pairs, Ityphilus grismadoi , [5] Ballophilus pallidus, [6] and Leucolinum trinidadense, [7] and one species, Ityphilus grandis , can have as many as 113 pairs. [8] Species in this clade tend to have more leg-bearing segments and greater intraspecific variability in this number than generally found in the family Schendylidae. [9] Some species in this clade are notable for their small sizes, including I. grismadoi (reaching only 9 mm in length), [5] L. trinadadense (9 mm), [7] Caritohallex minyrrhopus (10 mm), [10] B. pallidus (11 mm), [6] and Taeniolinum panamicum (11 mm). [11] [12]

Genera

Genera: [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himantariidae</span> Family of centipedes

Himantariidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha and superfamily Himantarioidea, found almost exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere. Centipedes in this family feature a short head with a concave labral margin bearing a row of denticles, a single dentate lamella and some pectinate lamellae on each mandible, second maxillae with strongly tapering telopodites and slightly spatulate claws, and a stout forcipular segment with short forcipules and a wide tergite; the ultimate legs usually have no pretarsus, and the female gonopods are distinct and biarticulate.

<i>Geophilus hadesi</i> Species of centipede

Geophilus hadesi is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae. This centipede is a troglobite, spending its entire life cycle in a cave environment. This species and Geophilus persephones are the only two troglobites known in the order Geophilomorpha. The species G. hadesi is named after Hades, god of the underworld in Greek mythology and the husband of Persephone, the namesake of the first troglobite discovered among the soil centipedes. The species G. hadesi has been observed in a cave as far as 1,100 meters below the surface, the deepest underground that any centipede has ever been recorded.

<i>Geophilus</i> Genus of centipedes

Geophilus is a large, heterogeneous genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae largely considered to be synonymous with Brachygeophilus. The generic name first appeared in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopaedia in 1814 as Geophilus electricus. This genus has a Holarctic distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schendylidae</span> Family of centipedes

Schendylidae is a family of soil centipedes in the superfamily Himantarioidea and the order Geophilomorpha. These centipedes are found in the Americas, the Palearctic region, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and southeast Asia, and also on some Pacific islands. This family was first proposed by the American biologist Orator F. Cook in 1896.

<i>Ballophilus</i> Genus of centipedes

Ballophilus is the largest genus of centipedes in the clade Ballophilidae. Species in this genus are found in tropical and subtropical regions, mainly in Africa and southeast Asia.

Caritohallex is a monotypic genus of centipede with only one species, Caritohallex minyrrhopus, found in Panama and the Lesser Antilles. This species has slender antennae, no coxal pores, and a single tarsal article on the ultimate legs. The original description of this species is based on a male holotype measuring about 10 mm in length with 39 pairs of legs and a female paratype measuring 8 mm in length with 43 leg pairs.

Tasmanophilus spenceri is a species of centipede in the family Zelanophilidae. This centipede is found only in New Zealand and has only 39 pairs of legs, the minimum number recorded in the family Zelanophilidae. This species reaches only 23 mm in length and is the smallest centipede in this family.

Maoriella is a genus of centipedes in the family Geophilidae. It was described by Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems in 1903. Species in this genus are found in New Zealand, Australia, and Tahiti.

Pectiniunguis is a genus of centipedes in the family Schendylidae. This genus was described by American naturalist Charles Harvey Bollman in 1889. Centipedes in this genus feature second maxillae with claws fringed by two rows of filaments, transversally elliptical sternal pore-fields on almost all trunk segments, two pores on each coxopleuron, and ultimate legs without claws.

Ityphilus is a genus of centipedes in the clade Ballophilidae. It was described by American myriapodologist Orator Fuller Cook in 1899. Centipedes in this genus feature distinctly club-like antennae, well marked sclerotized lines on the forcipular coxosternite, and two pores on each coxopleuron. These centipedes range from about 1 cm to about 9 cm in length and have 37 to 113 pairs of legs. The miniature species Ityphilus grismadoi ranges from 7 to 9 mm in length and can have as few as 37 leg pairs, the minimum number found in this genus. The large species I. grandis can reach 93 mm in length and have as many as 113 leg pairs, the maximum number found in the clade Ballophilidae.

Marsikomerus is a genus of centipedes in the family Schendylidae. This genus was described by Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems in 1938. Species in this genus are found in Mexico and in the United States.

Steneurytion hawaiiensis is a species of centipede in the Geophilidae family. It was described in 1953 by American myriapodologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin. This species is known from a single male specimen measuring 28 mm in length with 39 pairs of legs.

Mecistocephalus waikaneus is a species of centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. It was described in 1953 by American myriapodologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin. This species is yellow, has 49 pairs of legs, and can reach 30 mm in length.

Mecistocephalus spissus is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. The American biologist Horatio Curtis Wood first described this species in 1862 based on type material found in Kauai or Oahu in Hawaii. This centipede has only 45 pairs of legs, the minimum number recorded in the genus Mecistocephalus. This species was the first in this genus to be discovered with such a modest number of legs.

Mecistocephalus angusticeps is species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae. This centipede is found in Kenya, Seychelles, and the Chagos Archipelago. This species features only 47 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus.

Arctogeophilus is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophildae. These centipedes are found in subarctic and temperate regions of Asia, North America, and western Europe. The taxon Arctogeophilus was first proposed in 1909 by the Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems as a subgenus within the genus Geophilus. The French zoologist Henri Ribaut elevated Arctogeophilus to the rank of genus in 1910.

Arctogeophilus glacialis is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophildae. This centipede is found in Russia, Alaska, and Canada. This species was first described in 1909 by the Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems as the type species for the taxon Arctogeophilus, which was originally described as a subgenus of the genus Geophilus but was elevated to the status of genus in 1910 by the French zoologist Henri Ribaut.

Escaryus is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Schendylidae. These centipedes are notable as schendylids adapted to colder temperatures and restricted to cool climates and high latitudes. With more than 30 species, this genus is easily the largest group of such centipedes in the family Schendylidae. Most schendylids are limited to tropical or subtropical regions.

Escaryus kirgizicus is a species of soil centipede in the family Schendylidae. As the species name suggests, this centipede is found in Kyrgyzstan. This species is known only from high mountains and is notable for being found at one of the highest altitudes recorded for any centipede in the order Geophilomorpha in Central Asia.

Mecistocephalus nannocornis is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. This centipede has only 45 pairs of legs, the minimum number recorded in the genus Mecistocephalus. This centipede was the second species in this genus to be discovered with such a modest number of legs.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ballophilidae". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bonato, Lucio; Drago, Leandro; Murienne, Jérôme (2014). "Phylogeny of Geophilomorpha (Chilopoda) inferred from new morphological and molecular evidence". Cladistics. The International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society. 30 (5): 485–507. doi: 10.1111/cla.12060 . PMID   34794246. S2CID   86204188.
  3. ↑ Bonato, L.; Chagas Junior, A.; Edgecombe, G.D.; Lewis, J.G.E.; Minelli, A.; Pereira, L.A.; Shelley, R.M.; Stoev, P.; Zapparoli, M. (2016). "ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda)". chilobase.biologia.unipd.it. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  4. 1 2 3 Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Zapparoli, Marzio (2011). "Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview". In Minelli, Alessandro (ed.). The Myriapoda. Volume 1. Leiden: Brill. pp. 363–443. ISBN   978-90-04-18826-6. OCLC   812207443.
  5. 1 2 Pereira, Luis Alberto (2018). "A new miniature species of geophilomorph centipede from the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Ballophilidae)". Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 53 (2): 91–106. doi:10.1080/01650521.2017.1412687. hdl: 11336/84213 . ISSN   0165-0521.
  6. 1 2 Attems, C. (1938). "Die von Dr. C. Dawydoff in französisch Indochina gesammelten Myriopoden". Mémoires du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris. Nouvelle Série (in German). 6 (2): 187–353 [323] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  7. 1 2 Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1945). "Two new centipeds from Trinidad". Entomological News. 56: 171–174 [174] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  8. ↑ Turk, F. A. (1955). "The chilopods of Peru with descriptions of new species and some zoogeographical notes on the Peruvian chilopod fauna". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 125 (3–4): 469–504. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1955.tb00612.x. ISSN   0370-2774.
  9. ↑ Minelli, Alessandro; Bortoletto, Stefano (1988-04-01). "Myriapod metamerism and arthropod segmentation". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 33 (4): 323–343. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00448.x. ISSN   0024-4066.
  10. ↑ Crabill, Ralph E. (1960). "Centipedes of the Smithsonian-Bredin Expeditions to the West Indies". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 111 (3427): 167–195 [175]. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.111-3427.167 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  11. ↑ Chamberlin, Ralph V. (Ralph Vary) (1940). "On Some Chilopods from Barro Colorado Island". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 47 (2–3): 66–74 [69]. doi: 10.1155/1940/840186 . ISSN   0033-2615.
  12. ↑ Bonato, Lucio; Minelli, Alessandro; Drago, Leandro; Pereira, Luis Alberto (2015-09-25). "The phylogenetic position of Dinogeophilus and a new evolutionary framework for the smallest epimorphic centipedes (Chilopoda: Epimorpha)". Contributions to Zoology. 84 (3): 237–253 [249]. doi:10.1163/18759866-08403004. hdl: 11577/3146565 . ISSN   1875-9866.


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