Mecistocephalus ocanus

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Mecistocephalus ocanus
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. ocanus
Binomial name
Mecistocephalus ocanus
Chamberlin, 1946 [1]

Mecistocephalus ocanus is a species of centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. It was described in 1946 by American myriapodologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin. [1] [2]

Contents

Description

The original description of this species is based on a specimen measuring about 15 mm in length with 49 pairs of legs. [1]

Distribution

The species occurs in Micronesia. The type locality is Oka Point, Guam. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Vary Chamberlin</span> American biologist (1879–1967)

Ralph Vary Chamberlin was an American biologist, ethnographer, and historian from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a faculty member of the University of Utah for over 25 years, where he helped establish the School of Medicine and served as its first dean, and later became head of the zoology department. He also taught at Brigham Young University and the University of Pennsylvania, and worked for over a decade at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, where he described species from around the world.

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

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<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>Bothropolys</i> Genus of centipedes

Bothropolys is a genus of centipedes in the family Lithobiidae.

<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.

Chileana is a genus of soil centipedes in the clade Linotaeniidae and family Geophilidae found in southern Chile. This genus currently includes only one species, C. araucanensis. Females of this species are about 30mm long, with a pale yellow body and a red head; bearing 12–15 pleural pores; long, tapering antennae with sparse basal sections and rather hairy distal sections; and a labrum with four median tubercles bearing a few cilia on the sides. Males have 10 pleural pores, thick ultimate legs armed with claws, and 43 leg pairs.

<i>Strigamia</i> Genus of centipedes

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<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.

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

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Pachymerinus australis is a species of centipede in the Geophilidae family. It is endemic to Australia, and was first described in 1920 by American biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin.

Sepedonophilus hodites is a species of centipede in the Geophilidae family. It is endemic to Australia, and was first described in 1940 by American biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin.

Tasmanophilus is a genus of centipedes in the family Zelanophilidae. This genus was described by American biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1920. Centipedes in this genus are found in Australia and New Zealand. This genus contains only two species.

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.

<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.

Australobius scabrior is a species of centipede in the Lithobiidae family. It was first described in 1920 by American biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin.

Endoptelus is a monotypic genus of centipedes in the family Oryidae. This genus was described in 1939 by American myriapodologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin. Its sole species is Endoptelus papuicolens Chamberlin, 1939.

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 3 Chamberlin, RV (1946). "A new millipede and two new centipedes from Guam". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 59: 161–163 [162].
  2. 1 2 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). Rosario Dioguardi and Giuseppe Cortese, University of Padua. Retrieved 11 April 2023.