Skip to main content

Chu centipede (Mecistocephalus chuensis) and Luqi Huang centipede (Mecistocephalus huangi) from China

Dlium Chu centipede (Mecistocephalus chuensis) and Luqi Huang centipede (Mecistocephalus huangi) from China

NEWS - Species delimitation using Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Poisson Tree Processes, phylogenetic and morphological analyses revealed 10 species, including 2 new species, Chu centipede (Mecistocephalus chuensis Jiang & You, sp. nov.) and Luqi Huang centipede (Mecistocephalus huangi Jiang & You, sp. nov.).

Mecistocephalus Newport 1843 is the most diverse genus in Mecistocephalidae Bollman 1893 which includes almost 70% of mecistocephalid species. About 135 species have been officially reported distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia with a small number from Africa, America and temperate regions.

The earliest species found in China is Mecistocephalus smithii Pocock 1895 from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Up to now 14 species have been reported in China, but research and knowledge in China are incomplete. Now researchers describe two new species from China and redescribe M. smithii.

Mecistocephalus chuensis is a species in the Mecistocephalidae with 49 leg pairs. Head length-to-width ratio 1.77, each side of clypeus with five or six smooth insulae, clypeal ratio (areolate part/non-areolate part) of 1.22, sensilla on plagulae absent, posterior 1/2 of cephalic pleurite bearing a group of setae, forcipular cerrus composed of two paramedian rows of setae, mandible with ~ 8 well-developed lamellae, and first lamella with seven teeth. Sternal sulcus furcated at an obtuse angle.

Mecistocephalus megittii Verhoeff 1937, Mecistocephalus stenoceps Chamberlin 1944, Mecistocephalus enigmus Chamberlin 1944 and Mecistocephalus chuensis are similar in the number of leg-bearing segments, sternal furcate sulcus and clypeus ratio. However, M. megittii has large teeth on the tarsungulum (vs. only small teeth at the base of the tarsungulum in M. chuensis) and one or two setae on each side of the clypeus (vs. 3 setae on each side of the clypeus in M. chuensis).

M. chuensis can be distinguished by the location of the setae and the presence or absence of teeth on the forcipular femur. The clypeus of Mecistocephalus stenoceps Chamberlin has three setae in a transverse row on each side further anteriorly (vs. no femoral teeth in M. chuensis and Mecistocephalus enigmus).

Mecistocephalus huangi is a species in Mecistocephalidae with 49 leg pairs. Head length-to-width ratio 2, each side of clypeus with two or three smooth insulae, clypeal ratio (areolate part/ non-areolate part) ~ 1, plagulae without sensilla, posterior 1/2 of cephalic pleurite bearing a group of setae, mandible with ~ 6 well-developed lamellae and first lamella with ~ 6 teeth. Sternal sulcus furcated at an obtuse angle. Metasternite trapezoid and with a pillow-like protrusion.

The new species resembles Mecistocephalus lanzai Matic & Dărăbanțu (1969) in the furcated sternal sulcus, three pairs of setae on the clypeus and a group of setae located exclusively on the posterior 1/2 of the cephalic pleurite. However, a distinguishing feature of M. lanzai is the absence of basal teeth on the tarsungulum.

M. huangi shows clear morphological similarities to M. chuensis. However, it has five to six smooth insulae on the first clypeus and cushion-like protuberances on the metasternites that are common to the paratype and nontype material of M. huangi. Both were found to form two distinct, though closely related, clades in phylogenetic analysis.

Original research

Pan Y-Y, Fan J-B, You C-X, Jiang C (2024). Identification of two new species of Mecistocephalus (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Mecistocephalidae) from southern China and the re-description of Mecistocephalus smithii Pocock, 1895. ZooKeys 1218: 1-23, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1218.130709

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Quail grass (Celosia argentea)

Boroco or quail grass ( Celosia argentea ) is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae, a shrub with erect stems, maroon or green in color, requiring full sun, widely used as ornamental plants and flowers by the distinctive form of erect spikes. C. argentea has a strong stem with many branches from the lowest base to the apex to form a dense plant, but it opens and tapers upwards to a height of up to 1.5 meters, is maroon or green in color and the surface has vertical grooves. Single leaf 5-15 cm long, base and tip pointed, oval or lance-shaped and strongly veined, a main vein linear and straight with several minor veins towards the sides and curved, slightly wavy margins, upper surface maroon or green. Abundant flowers growing at the tips of branches above the leaves, sturdy, erect cylindrical, 2-15 cm long and depending on the cultivar, pointed tip, white on the underside and maroon on the top or one of these and often develop a silver sheen. Flowers are visited by bees, wasps, but...
Read more

Brown-woolly fig (Ficus drupacea)

Brown-woolly fig ( Ficus drupacea ) is a species of plant in the Moraceae, a tropical tree, cylindrical and 10-30 meters tall. The leaves are oval, up to 16 cm long, up to 6 cm wide, with petioles up to 2 cm long. The fruit is round-oval, up to 3 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, young yellow and old red. The fruit is eaten by pigeons, and pollinated by Eupristina belgaumensis . Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Moraceae Tribe: Ficeae Genus: Ficus Species: Ficus drupacea
Read more

Wild durian (Cullenia exarillata)

Wild durian ( Cullenia exarillata ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae, a tall tree with smooth, greyish-white bark, peeling on older trees, a straight trunk, horizontal branches and often with a series of knob-like tubercles for flower and fruit attachment. C. exarillata has young branches and the underside of the leaves is covered with golden brown peltate or shield-like scales. The leaves are single, alternate, glabrous, glossy green on the upper side and covered with silvery or orange peltate scales on the underside. Hermaphroditic flowers are tubular and also covered with golden brown scales, 4-5 cm long and cream or reddish brown in color. Flowers have no petals, formed of tubular bracteoles and tubular calyxes, 5-lobed. Fruit is round, 10-13 cm in diameter, covered with thorns and clustered along the branches. Many seeds, reddish brown, 4-5 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The seeds are enclosed by a fleshy, whitish aril. The fruit splits open when ripe and dries to release the s...
Read more