Escaryus is a genus of soil centipedes in the familySchendylidae.[1] These centipedes are notable as schendylids adapted to colder temperatures and restricted to cool climates and high latitudes.[2] With more than 30 species,[3] this genus is easily the largest group of such centipedes in the family Schendylidae. Most schendylids are limited to tropical or subtropical regions.[2]
This genus was first proposed in 1891 by the American biologistsOrator F. Cook and Guy N. Collins.[5] They described this genus to contain two species, including E. phyllophilus, which they described as a new species based on specimens collected in Syracuse, New York.[5] The name Escaryus is an anagram of Syracuse.[2] Cook would later designate E. phyllophilus as the type species for this genus,[6] but E. phyllophilus is now deemed to be a junior synonym of E. urbicus.[7] When Cook first proposed Schendylidae as a family in 1896, he listed Escaryus as one of five genera included in the newly described family.[6]
Description
Species in this genus feature heads that are slightly longer than wide and antennae that taper gradually. The middle part of the labrum features distinct denticles. Lappets project from the lateral margins of the first maxillae.[8][9] The second maxillae end in claws fringed by two rows of filaments.[3] The forcipulartergite is narrower than the following tergite. The sternites lack ventral fields of pores. The basal part of the ultimate legs features many scattered pores.[8][9] Each of the ultimate legs features seven segments and ends in a claw.[2][9] In both sexes, each gonopod features two joints.[8]
Centipedes in this genus range from about 1cm to about 7cm in length.[3] These centipedes can have as few as 31 pairs of legs (in the North American species E. cryptorobius, with as few as 31 in at least the males)[2] or as many as 67 leg pairs (in the Central Asian species E. kusnetzowi, with as many as 67 in the females).[4][3] The Russian species E. molodovae, which reaches only 14mm in length,[10][8] and the North American species E. paucipes, which measures only 14mm in length, are both notable for their small sizes.[2] The North American species E. missouriensis can reach 73mm in length and is notable for its large size.[2]
↑ Titova, L.P. (1973). "New species of the genus Escaryus Cook et Collins (Schendylidae, Chilopoda)". In Ghilarov, M.S. (ed.). Ekologiya pochvennykh bespozvonochnykh (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka Publisher. pp.94–119 [95].
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