Scutigeromorpha

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Scutigeromorpha
House centipede 17-05-06 14 crop 2.jpg
Close-up of a common scutigeromorph
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Subclass: Notostigmophora
Order: Scutigeromorpha
Families

Scutigeromorpha is an order of centipedes also known as house centipedes. [1] These centipedes are found in the temperate and tropical parts of every continent except Antarctica, with their distribution significantly expanded by the introduction of the Mediterranean species Scutigera coleoptrata throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. [2] [3] The common species S. coleoptrata is a typical representative of this order, lying in wait for other arthropods, then seizing prey using great speed, and all species in this order reflect adaptations for this mode of life. [4]

Contents

Description

House centipedes are hemianamorphic, [5] and adults in this order have 15 leg-bearing segments. [6] Adults have bodies that measure 2 to 3.5 cm in length, but some can reach 8 cm in body length. [2] Species in this order can be readily recognized by their long legs and antennae. [4] The antennae end in annulated flagella that are each divided into two or three segments. [2] [4] The ultimate legs are much longer than the others and resemble the antennae. [2] These centipedes also feature compound eyes, which are divided into ommatidia with crystalline cones. [2]

The trunk of these centipedes features eight tergites: [2] The first trunk segment corresponds to a short first tergite, then seven large tergites follow. The first large tergite covers the second trunk segment, but the second covers segments 3 and 4, the third covers segments 5 and 6, the fourth covers segments 7, 8, and 9, and the remaining three each cover two segments per tergite. [4]

An especially striking feature that distinguishes this order from all other centipedes is the arrangement of spiracles. In this order, spiracles are arranged in a series down the middle of the centipede's back, whereas spiracles in all other centipedes are on the sides of their bodies. [7] This distinction places this order in its own subclass, Notostigmomorpha, [8] [9] [6] whereas all other centipedes are placed in the subclass Pleurostigmomorpha. [10] Centipedes in this order have a single spiracle opening through a slit at the posterior of each of the seven large tergites. [4] The dorsal placement of spiracles reflects the adaptation of species in this order to life in the open rather than under stones or bark, where other centipedes live. [7]

Fossil record

The earliest known fossil centipedes have been identified as belonging to the order Scutigeromorpha based on the morphology of their legs and their maxillipeds. [11] These Paleozoic fossils date the crown group of Chilopoda to at least the late Silurian, 418 million years ago. [11] These fossils place scutigeromorphs among the earliest terrestrial arthropods. [6] These older fossils differ enough from extant species to be assigned to the scutigeromorph stem group, but younger fossils may be similar enough to extant species to date the crown group of Scutigeromorpha to at least the Early Cretaceous. [11]

Families

There are 88 species and 27 genera of Scutigeromorph centipedes distributed among three families: Pselliodidae, Scutigeridae, and Scutigerinidae. [1] Most scutigeromorph species belong to the largest family, Scutigeridae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. [6] The family Scutigeridae includes two subfamilies: Scutigerinae and Thereuoneminae. [12] The small family Pselliodidae contains several species [13] and includes the genus Sphendononema, found in the Neotropics and tropical Africa. [2] The smallest family, Scutigerinidae, contains only a few species and includes the genera Scutigerina and Madagassophora, [14] found in South Africa and Madagascar. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centipede</span> Many-legged arthropods with elongated bodies

Centipedes are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals. Centipedes are elongated segmented (metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful stings, injecting their venom through pincer-like appendages known as forcipules or toxicognaths, which are actually modified legs instead of fangs. Despite the name, no species of centipede has exactly 100 legs; the number of pairs of legs is an odd number that ranges from 15 pairs to 191 pairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauropoda</span> Class of arthropods

Pauropoda is a class of small, pale, millipede-like arthropods in the subphylum Myriapoda. More than 900 species in twelve families are found worldwide, living in soil and leaf mold. Pauropods look like centipedes or millipedes and may be a sister group of the latter, but a close relationship with Symphyla has also been posited. The name Pauropoda derives from the Greek pauros and pous or podus, because most species in this class have only nine pairs of legs as adults, a smaller number than those found among adults in any other class of myriapods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphyla</span> Class of many-legged arthropods

Symphylans, also known as garden centipedes or pseudocentipedes, are soil-dwelling arthropods of the class Symphyla in the subphylum Myriapoda. Symphylans resemble centipedes, but are very small, non-venomous, and only distantly related to both centipedes and millipedes. More than 200 species are known worldwide.

<i>Scutigera coleoptrata</i> Species of arthropod

Scutigera coleoptrata, also known as the house centipede, is a species of centipede that is typically yellowish-grey and has up to 15 pairs of long legs. Originating in the Mediterranean region, it has spread to other parts of the world, where it can live in human homes. It is an insectivore; it kills and eats other arthropods, such as insects and arachnids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myriapoda</span> Subphylum of arthropods

Myriapods are the members of subphylum Myriapoda, containing arthropods such as millipedes and centipedes. The group contains about 13,000 species, all of them terrestrial.

<i>Scutigera</i> Genus of centipedes

Scutigera is a centipede genus in the scutigeromorph family Scutigeridae, a group of centipedes with long limbs and true compound eyes. It compose of more than 30 species, including the most common and well-studied Scutigera coleoptrata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geophilomorpha</span> Order of centipedes

Geophilomorpha is an order of centipedes commonly known as soil centipedes. The name "Geophilomorpha" is from Ancient Greek roots meaning "formed to love the earth." This group is the most diverse centipede order, with 230 genera. These centipedes are found nearly worldwide but are absent in Antarctica and most Arctic regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scolopendromorpha</span> Order of centipedes

Scolopendromorpha is an order of centipedes also known as tropical centipedes or bark centipedes. This order includes about 700 species in five families. These centipedes are found nearly worldwide, with tropical and subtropical regions providing the richest diversity in species. This order includes the only known amphibious centipedes, Scolopendra cataracta, Scolopendra paradoxa, and Scolopendra alcyona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craterostigmomorpha</span> Order of centipedes

The Craterostigmomorpha are the least diverse centipede clade, comprising only two extant species, both in the genus Craterostigmus. Their geographic range is restricted to Tasmania and New Zealand. There is a single ocellus on each side of the head capsule. They have a distinct body plan; their anamorphosis comprises a single stage: in their first moult, they grow from having 12 trunk segments to having 15. Adult centipedes in this order, like those in Scutigeromorpha and Lithobiomorpha, have 15 leg-bearing segments. Their low diversity and intermediate position between the primitive anamorphic centipedes and the derived Epimorpha has led to them being likened to the platypus. They represent the survivors of a once diverse clade. Maternal brooding unites the Craterostigmomorpha with the Epimorpha into the clade Phylactometria which includes Craterostigmomorpha, Scolopendromorpha, and Geophilomorpha. This trait is thought to be closely linked with the presence of sternal pores, which secrete sticky or noxious secretions, which mainly serve to repel predators and parasites. The presence of these pores on the Devonian Devonobius which is included in own order Devonobiomorpha permits its inclusion in this clade, allowing its divergence of Lithobiomorpha from Phylactometria to be dated to 375 million years ago.

<i>Allothereua maculata</i> Species of arthropod

Allothereua maculata is a species of centipedes found in Australia known as the house centipede – a name applied elsewhere to other species.

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

Scutigeridae is a family of centipedes that are known as house centipedes. It includes most species of house centipedes, including Scutigera coleoptrata and Allothereua maculata.

<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">Oryidae</span> Family of centipedes

Oryidae is a monophyletic family of soil centipedes belonging to the superfamily Himantarioidea.

<i>Thereuonema tuberculata</i> Species of centipede

Thereuonema tuberculata is a centipede species in the family Scutigeridae. It is native to China, the Korean peninsula, and Japan, and has recently been identified as an introduced species in North America where it is found primarily in the eastern United States, but has been found as far west as Nebraska. In its introduced range it is commonly confused with Scutigera coleoptrata.

Dendrothereua is a genus of house centipedes in the family Scutigeridae. There are at least three described species in Dendrothereua, found in the southern United States and the Neotropics.

<i>Plutonium zwierleini</i> Species of centipede

Plutonium zwierleini, in the monotypic genus Plutonium, is one of the largest scolopendromorph centipedes in Europe, and one of the few potentially harmful to humans. Nevertheless, it has been rarely reported, only from the southern part of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, Sardinia and Sicily.

Gonibregmatidae is a family of soil centipedes belonging to the superfamily Geophiloidea. In 2014, a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological and molecular data found this family to be paraphyletic with respect to the families Neogeophilidae and Eriphantidae, which authorities now deem to be junior synonyms for Gonibregmatidae. This family now includes more than 20 species in at least 10 genera.

Gonibregmatus is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Gonibregmatidae. This genus was described by British entomologist George Newport in 1843. These centipedes are found from the Philippines and the Malay archipelago to Fiji.

Gonibregmatus plurimipes is a species of soil centipede in the Gonibregmatidae family. This centipede is found in Fiji. This species is notable for featuring 191 pairs of legs, which is the maximum number found in any centipede.

Mesoschendyla cribrifera is a species of soil centipede in the family Schendylidae. This centipede is found in South Africa. This species features 55 pairs of legs in each sex and measures 34 mm in length.

References

  1. 1 2 "ITIS - Report: Scutigeromorpha". itis.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Minelli, Alessandro, ed. (2011). "Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview". Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Myriapoda, Volume 1. pp. 363–443. doi:10.1163/9789004188266_020. ISBN   978-90-04-15611-1.
  3. ↑ Ricks, Winston. "Scutigera coleoptrata". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ax, Peter (2000). "Lithobiomorpha — Scutigeromorpha". Multicellular Animals. pp. 222–227. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-10396-8_61. ISBN   978-3-642-08681-6.
  5. ↑ Fusco, Giuseppe (November 2005). "Trunk segment numbers and sequential segmentation in myriapods". Evolution & Development. 7 (6): 608–617. doi:10.1111/j.1525-142X.2005.05064.x. PMID   16336414.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pérez-Gelabert, Daniel E.; Edgecombe, Gregory D. (October 2013). "Scutigeromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scutigeromorpha) of the Dominican Republic, Hispaniola". Novitates Caribaea (6): 36–44. doi: 10.33800/nc.v0i6.105 .
  7. 1 2 Snodgrass, R. E. (1952). Textbook of Arthropod Anatomy. Cornell University Press. JSTOR   10.7591/j.ctvn1tb6g.[ page needed ]
  8. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Notostigmophora". itis.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  9. ↑ Stoev, Pavel; Geoffroy, Jean-Jacques (10 September 2004). "An annotated catalogue of the scutigeromorph centipedes in the collection of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (France) (Chilopoda: Scutigeromorpha)". Zootaxa. 635 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.635.1.1.
  10. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Pleurostigmophora". itis.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  11. 1 2 3 Shear, William A.; Edgecombe, Gregory D. (March 2010). "The geological record and phylogeny of the Myriapoda". Arthropod Structure & Development. 39 (2–3): 174–190. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2009.11.002.
  12. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Scutigeridae". itis.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  13. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Pselliodidae". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  14. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Scutigerinidae". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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