Selenocheir arcuata

Selenocheir arcuata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Myriapoda
Class:	Diplopoda
Order:	Polydesmida
Family:	Xystodesmidae
Genus:	Selenocheir
Species:	S. arcuata
Binomial name
Selenocheir arcuata Shelley, 1994

Selenocheir arcuata is a species of Xystodesmid millipede found in Northern California. ^{[1] [2]} The species was first described by Rowland M. Shelley in 1994 based on samples collected by C. Smith, J. Clover, and F. Ennik in 1972. ^[3]

Description

At the time of writing the species description in 1994, Shelley only had preserved specimens available and so the color in life was unknown and the description was incomplete. ^[3]

Selenocheir arcuata is typically brown to black in ground color with yellow paranota. The legs are reddish to grey in color. ^[2] The caudolateral corners of the paranota of the mid-segments are rounded. ^[3] The shape of the paranota distinguishes S. arcuata from Harpaphe haydeniana which is also present in most of its distribution; H. haydeniana has been described to have acutely angled caudolateral corners. ^[4]

Distribution

S. arcuata is found in the foothills northwest of the Sacramento Valley and down into the northern Coast Range as far south as Mendocino County. ^[3]

References

1. "Selenocheir arcuata Shelley, 1994". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 2024-09-10.
2. Citizen science observations for Selenocheir arcuata at iNaturalist
3. Shelley, Rowland M. (1994). "The Chonaphini, a biogeographically significant milliped tribe in eastern and western North America (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae)". Brimleyana. 20: 111–200.
4. Buckett, John S (1968). Revision of the milliped genus Harpaphe Cook from western North America (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae). Sacramento: Bureau of Entomology, Dept. of Agriculture.