Geophilus

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Geophilus
Soil Centipede (22520553902).jpg
Geophilus sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Geophilomorpha
Family: Geophilidae
Genus: Geophilus
Leach, 1814

Geophilus is a large, heterogeneous genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae [1] [2] largely considered to be synonymous with Brachygeophilus . [3] The generic name first appeared in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopaedia in 1814 as Geophilus electricus . [4] This genus has a Holarctic distribution. [5]

Contents

Description

This genus is characterized by a claw-shaped ultimate pretarsus, complete or nearly complete coxo-pleural sutures at the prosternum, and incomplete chitin-lines. [6] Centipedes in this genus feature slightly elongate heads and labral intermediate parts with tubercles, the forcipules are usually poorly elongate with a single small tubercle at the base of each tarsungulum, and the anterior trunk metasternites usually have an anterior medial socket and a posterior transversally elongate pore-field. [5]

Centipedes in this genus range from about 1 cm to about 8 cm in length. [5] Several species in this genus are notable for their small sizes, including G. minimus (measuring 9.5 mm in length), [7] G. pinivagus (10 mm), [7] G. richardi (10 mm), [8] G. pusillus (11 mm), [7] and G. piae (11 mm). [9] Other species are notable for their large sizes, including G. procerus (measuring 72 mm in length) [7] and G. piedus (75 mm). [10]

Although centipedes in this genus can have as many as 89 pairs of legs (in G. caucasicus, [11] with 57 to 89 leg pairs [12] ), most species in this genus have a much smaller number of legs. [2] For example, two species in this genus include centipedes with only 29 leg pairs, the lowest number recorded in the family Geophilidae: G. persephones (29 in the only specimen, a male) and G. richardi (29 or 31 in males and 33 in females). [13] Several other species in this genus are known from specimens with notably few leg pairs in each sex, including G. ribauti (as few as 31 in males and 33 in females), [14] G. hadesi (33 in both sexes), [8] G. piae (as few as 35 in males and 37 in females), [15] G. bipartitus (35 in males and 39 in females), [16] and G. oligopus (37 or 39 in both sexes). [17]

Species

This genus is the largest in the family Geophilidae, with about 140 species: [5] [1] [3]

Related Research Articles

Pachymerium is a genus of centipedes in the family Geophilidae found mainly in the west Palearctic region and in south Africa. Centipedes in this genus feature an elongate head, scattered coxal pores, and sternal pores in a pair of anterior groups and a posterior transverse band; the forcipular coxosternite is broad, and the ultimate article of the forcipule has a prominent basal denticle.

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

Geophilidae is a family of soil centipedes in the superfamily Geophiloidea and the order Geophilomorpha. In 2014, a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological and molecular data found this family to be polyphyletic. To avoid this polyphyly, authorities dismissed the families Aphilodontidae, Dignathodontidae, Linotaeniidae, and Macronicophilidae, which are now deemed to be junior synonyms for Geophilidae. Authorities also moved some genera from Geophilidae to form the family Zelanophildae in order to avoid the polyphyly of the family Geophilidae. The family Geophilidae now includes more than 650 species in more than 120 genera. This family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species found almost worldwide.

<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.

<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>Strigamia</i> Genus of centipedes

Strigamia is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Linotaeniidae found in temperate parts of the Holarctic region. Members of this family can be identified by their anteriorly tapering bodies, the extra claw on the forcipules, scattered coxal pores, and the distinctly swollen ultimate legs of the males. The generic name is from Latin striga, "strip," referring to its strip of bristles.

Dignathodontidae is a monophyletic clade of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae found in the Mediterranean region, extending to Macaronesia, Caucasus, and western and central Europe. The clade is characterized by a gradually anteriorly tapered body, a short head with non-attenuated antennae, and a poorly sclerotized labrum with tubercles. The number of legs in this clade varies within as well as among species and ranges from 43 pairs to 153 pairs of legs. Species in this clade tend to have more leg-bearing segments and greater intraspecific variability in this number than generally found in the family Geophilidae.

Geophilus bosniensis is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae endemic to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It grows up to 30 millimeters and has 75 leg pairs, as well as sternites unseparated in the median but with a suture line, and sternal pore areas in the trunk segments only. Overall, the identity and phyletic position of this centipede are uncertain.

<i>Otostigmus</i> Genus of centipedes

Otostigmus is a genus of centipedes in the family Scolopendridae. It was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Oscar von Porat in 1876. The genus as a whole comprises around 157 species, found primarily in the Neotropics.

<i>Ribautia</i> Genus of centipedes

Ribautia is a genus of centipedes in the family Geophilidae. This genus was described by French myriapodologist Henry Wilfred Brolemann in 1909. Centipedes in this genus are found in South America, tropical Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian peninsula, Australia, New Zealand, and Melanesia.

Tuoba is a genus of 17 species of centipedes, in the family Geophilidae. This genus was described by American biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1920. These centipedes are found in coastal regions and islands in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Mecistocephalus is the largest genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, with about 140 species. This genus is among the most diverse and widespread of all the genera in the order Geophilomorpha. The British entomologist George Newport first proposed this genus in 1843 to contain a group of centipedes marked by an unusual elongation of the head.

Schendyla is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Schendylidae. These centipedes are found in the west Palearctic region. This genus was described by Danish entomologists Vilhelm Bergsøe and Frederik Vilhelm August Meinert in 1866. This genus now includes more than 20 species.

<i>Lamyctes</i> Genus of centipedes

Lamyctes is a genus of centipedes in the family Henicopidae. It was described by Danish entomologist Frederik Vilhelm August Meinert in 1868.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otostigminae</span> Subfamily of centipedes

Otostigminae is a large subfamily of centipedes, containing nearly half of all species in the family Scolopendridae. Members of this subfamily are abundant and widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mostly in Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Schendylops is the largest genus of centipedes in the family Schendylidae, containing more than 60 species. This genus was first proposed by the American biologist Orator F. Cook in 1899 for the type species originally named Schendyla grandidieri in 1897. Most species in this genus are found in the Neotropical region, but a dozen species are found in Africa and Madagascar. These species live in diverse habitats, ranging from sea level to high altitudes, e.g., at 4,500 m (14,800 ft) above sea level in the Andes mountains.

Geophilus oligopus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae. This centipede is found in several European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovenia, and Romania. Although this centipede has been described as having an Alpine-Dinaric distribution, this species has also been found in the Carpathian mountains and may be more widespread than previously thought.

Dicellophilus carniolensis is a species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae. This centipede is well known and found in central Europe. This species features 43 pairs of legs, a number rarely found in the family Mecistocephalidae and recorded in only one other genus in this family: In the genus Tygarrup, an undescribed species found in the Andaman Islands also has 43 leg pairs.

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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Geophilus Leach, 1814". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bonato, Lucio; Zapparoli, Marzio; Drago, Leandro; Minelli, Alessandro (2016). "An unusually elongate endogeic centipede from Sardinia (Chilopoda: Geophilidae)". European Journal of Taxonomy (231): 1–19. doi: 10.5852/EJT.2016.231 . hdl: 11577/3189380 . S2CID   58911978.
  3. 1 2 "Geophilus Leach, 1814". ChiloBase 2.0. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Brewster, David (1814). "Crustaceology". Edinburgh Encyclopaedia. 7 (2): 409. doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.30911 . Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Zapparoli, Marzio (2011). "Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview". In Minelli, Alessandro (ed.). The Myriapoda. Volume 1. Leiden: Brill. pp. 363–443 [414]. ISBN   978-90-04-18826-6. OCLC   812207443.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ↑ Crabill, Ralph E. (1954). "A conspectus of the northeastern North American species of Geophilus (Chilopoda Geophilomorpha Geophilidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 56: 172–188 [174]. Retrieved 24 October 2021– via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Attems, Carl (1929). Attems, Karl (ed.). Lfg. 52 Myriapoda, 1: Geophilomorpha (in German). De Gruyter. pp. 200, 325, 355. doi:10.1515/9783111430638. ISBN   978-3-11-143063-8.
  8. 1 2 Stoev, Pavel; Akkari, Nesrine; Komericki, Ana; Edgecombe, Gregory; Bonato, Lucio (2015-06-30). "At the end of the rope: Geophilus hadesi sp. n. – the world's deepest cave-dwelling centipede (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae)". ZooKeys (510): 95–114. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.510.9614 . PMC   4523767 . PMID   26257537.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1930). "On some centipeds and millipeds from Utah and Arizona". Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 6 (3): 111-121 [114] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  11. ↑ 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). "Geophilus caucasicus Sseliwanoff, 1884". ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  12. ↑ Bonato, Lucio; Iorio, Étienne; Minelli, Alessandro (2011). "The centipede genus Clinopodes C. L. Koch, 1847 (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae): reassessment of species diversity and distribution, with a new species from the Maritime Alps (France)" (PDF). Zoosystema. 33 (2): 175–205 [184]. doi:10.5252/z2011n2a3. ISSN   1280-9551.
  13. ↑ Pereira, Luis Alberto (2013-01-01). "Discovery of a second geophilomorph species (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) having twenty-seven leg-bearing segments, the lowest number recorded up to the present in the centipede order Geophilomorpha". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 53 (13): 163–185. doi: 10.1590/S0031-10492013001300001 . hdl: 11336/3449 .
  14. ↑ Iorio, Etienne; Labroche, Aurélien (2015). "Les chilopodes (Chilopoda) de la moitié nord de la France: toutes les bases pour débuter l'étude de ce groupe et identifier facilement les espèces" (PDF). Invertébrés Armoricains (in French). 13: 1–108 [65].
  15. ↑ Minelli, Alessandro (1982). "On Sardinian centipedes (Chilopoda)". Bolletino di Zoologia. 49 (1–2): 1–16. doi: 10.1080/11250008209439365 .
  16. ↑ Takakuwa, Yosioki (1937). "The Geophilus-species of Japan". Zoological Magazine, Tokyo (in Japanese). 49 (8): 282–286. Retrieved 1 February 2022– via NDL Digital Collections.
  17. ↑ Stojanović, Dalibor Z.; Mitić, Bojan M.; Gedged, Amna M.; Antić, Dragan Ž; Makarov, Slobodan E. (2019-08-23). "Geophilus serbicus sp. nov., a new species from the Balkan Peninsula (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Geophilidae)". Zootaxa. 4658 (3): 556–570 [561]. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4658.3.7. ISSN   1175-5334.
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