Mecistocephalus angusticeps

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Mecistocephalus angusticeps
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Geophilomorpha
Family: Mecistocephalidae
Genus: Mecistocephalus
Species:
M. angusticeps
Binomial name
Mecistocephalus angusticeps
(Ribaut, 1914)
Synonyms
  • Lamnonyx angusticepsRibaut, 1914

Mecistocephalus angusticeps is species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae. [1] This centipede is found in Kenya, Seychelles, and the Chagos Archipelago. [2] This species features only 47 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus . [3] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and distribution

The French zoologist Henri Ribaut first described this species in 1914 based on a single adult female specimen found in 1911 in one of the Shimoni caves at sea level on the coast of Kenya. [5] [3] Ribaut originally described this species under the name Lamnonyx angusticeps. [5] In 1920, the American biologist Ralph V. Chamberlain moved this species to the genus Mecistocephalus. [6] Since then, this species has been found on several islands in the Indian Ocean. Finds were recorded at a few coastal sites on three islands in Seychelles (at Baie Laraie on Curieuse island, on Picard island, and at Fond de l'Anse on Praslin island) [3] and on the Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. [2]

Phylogeny

A phylogenetic analysis of the family Mecistocephalidae based on morphology places this species in a clade with two other Mecistocephalus species with only 47 pairs of legs, M. tahitiensis and an undescribed species found on the Marquesas islands in French Polynesia. This analysis places a clade with only 45 leg pairs in the most basal branch of a phylogenetic tree of the genus Mecistocephalus, with a sister group formed by species in this genus with 47 or more leg pairs, and the clade with only 47 leg pairs in the second most basal branch, with a sister group formed by species in this genus with 49 or more leg pairs. This analysis indicates that the common ancestor of the species in this genus had 45 leg pairs, and that species with more leg pairs evolved through a process that added segments and increased the number of legs incrementally, first to 47 pairs, then (for most species in the genus) to 49 pairs. [7]

Description

This species has only 47 pairs of legs and reaches 50 mm in length. The body is mostly yellow, with fine dark pigmentation on the dorsal surface, but the head and most anterior segments are a reddish brown. The head is longer than wide, with a length/width ratio of about 1.7 or 1.8, and the antennae are three times as long as the head is wide. The second maxillae are slender, each with a claw that tapers uniformly to a pointed tip. The first article of the forcipules features a small proximal tubercle and a similar small distal tubercle, the intermediate articles each feature a small tubercle, and the ultimate article features only a shallow emergence at the base. The sternum of the last leg-bearing segment has a trapezoidal shape and is more wide than long, with a notch on each lateral margin. [3] [8]

This species shares many features with other species in the genus Mecistocephalus. For example, the head in this species is evidently longer than wide. Furthermore, each of the second maxillae in this species ends in a claw. Unlike most other species in this genus, however, this species features only 47 leg pairs rather than the 49 pairs usually found in this genus. [3] [4]

Although both this species and its close relative M. tahitiensis have 47 leg pairs, other features distinguish these two species. For example, the second maxillae in M. tahitiensis are unusually short, significantly shorter than in M. angusticeps. In M. tahitiensis, the second maxillae do not extend beyond the first maxillae, whereas in M. angusticeps, the second maxillae are of normal size for a species of Mecistocephalus, reaching beyond the first maxillae. [9] [3]

Related Research Articles

Nannarrup is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae; this genus includes a single species, Nannarrup hoffmani, also known as Hoffman's dwarf centipede. This centipede was discovered in Central Park in New York City and was the first new species to be discovered in that park in more than a century. This species is the smallest species in the family Mecistocephalidae, reaching only 10.3 mm in length, and has only 41 pairs of legs, the minimum number recorded in this family.

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

Mecistocephalidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha. It is the only family in the suborder Placodesmata. Most species in this family live in tropical or subtropical regions, but some occur in temperate regions. This family is the third most diverse in the order Geophiliomorpha, with about 170 species, including about 130 species in the genus Mecistocephalus.

<i>Tygarrup</i> Genus of Mecistocephalidae centipedes

Tygarrup is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, found mainly in southeast Asia and from the Seychelles to Hawaii. Although species in this genus can have either 43 or 45 leg-bearing segments, most of these species have 45 leg pairs. An undescribed Tygarrup species found in the Andaman Islands has 43 leg pairs. Centipedes in this genus are sometimes melanised in patches, and sternal glands are present the males of most species. These centipedes range from 2 cm to 6 cm in length. Tygarrup javanicus is one of the smallest of the mecistocephalid species and has become an invasive in greenhouses in Europe.

Anarrup is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, native to Europe and Asia as far as Indonesia. Centipedes in this genus feature a clypeus with areolation and setae limited to a short anterior marginal band; the second maxillae have swollen and densely setose telopodites and a coxosternite divided mid-longitudinally. These centipedes range from 6 cm to 8 cm in length. All species in this genus have 41 leg-bearing segments.

<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.

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.

Mecistocephalus lifuensis is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. This species was first described in 1898 by zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock based on type material found on is Lifou Island in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in Melanesia. This centipede is notable for featuring 51 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus.

Mecistocephalus tahitiensis is a species of centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. It was described in 1862 by American myriapodologist Horatio Wood.

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.

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 gigas is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. This genus was described in 1887 by German entomologist Erich Haase. This centipede features 51 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus.

Mecistocephalus glabridorsalis is a species of centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. It was described in 1900 by Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems. This species has 49 pairs of legs, can reach 85 mm in length, and is yellow with anterior segments and a head that are reddish brown.

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.

Krateraspis is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae. Centipedes in this genus are found in Central Asia. This genus contains only two species, K. meinerti, with 45 pairs of legs, and K. sselivanovi, with 53 leg pairs. The species K. sselivanovi is notable for featuring 53 leg pairs without any intraspecific variation. This number of legs is rarely observed in the family Mecistocephalidae and also appears to be the maximum number evidently fixed by species in the class Chilopoda.

Mecistocephalus evansi is a species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae. This centipede is notable for featuring 51 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus. This species was first described by the French myriapodologist Henry W. Brolemann in 1922. He based the original description of this species on a single female specimen found in the Maysan governorate on the Tigris river in Iraq.

Krateraspis sselivanovi is a species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae. This centipede is found in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This species is notable for featuring 53 leg pairs without any intraspecific variation. This number of legs is rarely observed in the family Mecistocephalidae and also appears to be the maximum number evidently fixed by species in the class Chilopoda.

Alloschizotaenia is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae. This genus contains only three valid species. Centipedes in this genus are found in central and east Africa.

Alloschizotaenia bipora is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae. This centipede is found in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This species was first described in 1952 by the Austrian myriapodologist Carl Attems.

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. ↑ 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). "Mecistocephalus angusticeps (Ribaut,1914)". ChiloBase 2.0 – A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  2. 1 2 Popovici, George; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Hall, Daniel W. (2024). "New Chilopoda from the Chagos Archipelago". Journal of Natural History. 58 (41–44): 1885–1915 [1900]. doi: 10.1080/00222933.2024.2395903 . ISSN   0022-2933.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bonato, Lucio; Minelli, Alessandro (2010). "The geophilomorph centipedes of the Seychelles (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha)". Phelsuma. 18: 9-38 [13-15].
  4. 1 2 Bonato, L.; Minelli, A. (2004). "The centipede genus Mecistocephalus Newport 1843 in the Indian Peninsula (Chilopoda Geophilomorpha Mecistocephalidae)". Tropical Zoology. 17 (1): 15–63 [20, 56]. doi:10.1080/03946975.2004.10531198. ISSN   0394-6975. S2CID   85304657.
  5. 1 2 Ribaut, H. (1914). "Myriapodes. I. Chilopoda". Voyage de Ch. Alluaud et R. Jeannel en Afrique Orientale (1911–1912). Résultats Scientifiques (in French). 16: 3-35 [23-25] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. ↑ Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1920). "On chilopods of the family Mecistocephalidae". The Canadian Entomologist. 52 (8): 184–189 [185]. doi:10.4039/Ent52184-8. ISSN   1918-3240.
  7. ↑ Bonato, Lucio; Foddai, Donatella; Minelli, Alessandro (2003). "Evolutionary trends and patterns in centipede segment number based on a cladistic analysis of Mecistocephalidae (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha)". Systematic Entomology. 28 (4): 539–579. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2003.00217.x. ISSN   0307-6970.
  8. ↑ Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory; Lewis, John; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis; Shelley, Rowland; Zapparoli, Marzio (2010-11-18). "A common terminology for the external anatomy of centipedes (Chilopoda)". ZooKeys (69): 17–51. Bibcode:2010ZooK...69...17B. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.69.737 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   3088443 . PMID   21594038.
  9. ↑ Attems, Carl (1929). Attems, Karl (ed.). Lfg. 52 Myriapoda, 1: Geophilomorpha (in German). De Gruyter. pp. 128, 130–131. doi:10.1515/9783111430638. ISBN   978-3-11-143063-8.
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