Newportia Gervais, 1847

Schileyko, Arkady A., 2014, A contribution to the centipede fauna of Venezuela (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha), Zootaxa 3821 (1), pp. 151-192 : 159

Genus Newportia Gervais, 1847

Type-species. Newportia longitarsis (Newport, 1845) (by monotypy).

Range. Neotropics: from Mexico to Paraguay, including Caribbean islands.

Remarks. Here I describe a new difference between clade Newportiinae (i.e. genera Newportia and Tidops Chamberlin, 1915 ) vs. Scolopocryptopinae and Ectonocryptopinae. The representatives of both Scolopocryptopinae and Ectonocryptopinae have a simple, pointed tip to the spinous processes of ultimate legs and coxopleural process. In the species of Newportiinae, however, as illustrated by Lewis (1989) in his description of Newportia longitarsis virginensis Lewis, 1989 , the apical part of these processes are curved caudad and have a harpoon-like tip ( Fig. 12 ). The latter is usually accompanied by a long seta (markedly longer than tip itself) (see fig. 28 in Lewis, 1989). This character is a new synapomorphy for Newportiinae; perhaps the adaptive role of these “harpoons” (at least those on the coxopleural processes) is connected with spinning the web on which the spermatophore is deposited in males or with the taking up of spermatophores in females.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 13. Scolopocryptops guacharensis Manfredi, 1957 (adult N 7167) 10 leg of midbody segment, lateral view 11 leg 22, lateral view; Newportia longitarsis stechowi Verhoeff, 1938 12 adult N 7304: harpoon-like tip of spinous process of prefemur of ultimate leg, lateral view; Newportia ernsti ernsti Pocock, 1891 13 adult N 7079: cephalic plate and segment 1, dorsal view; (utl) — undivided tarsus of leg, (t) — tibia of leg, (vsp) — ventral spinous process of ultimate prefemur, (ht) — harpoon-like tip of spinous process, (ats) — anterior transverse suture.