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

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...
Read more

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...
Read more

Blood lily (Scadoxus multiflorus)

Blood lily or Haemanthus multiflorus ( Scadoxus multiflorus ) is a species of plant in the Amaryllidaceae, a bulbous shrub that produces rhizomes. Leaves and flowers may appear together or leaves may be produced later. The base of the leaves and stems are tightly wrapped to form a pseudo-stem or false stem, 5-60 cm long. Flowers in umbels at the top of the stem, leafless, 12-75 cm long. Pseudostems and scapes are often covered with reddish brown to dark purple spots. The flower umbel is in the shape of a globe with 10-200 individual flowers. Each flower has a stalk, 15-45 mm long. The tepals and filaments of the stamens are red. The base of the tepals is fused to form a cylindrical tube, 4-26 mm long, the free end of the tepals 12-32 mm long, narrow and spreading. The fruit is a berry having a diameter of 5-10 mm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Amaryllidaceae Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae Tribe: Haemantheae Ge...
Read more