Cryptops (Cryptops) neocaledonicus muchmorei Lewis, 1989

Schileyko, Arkady, Iorio, Etienne & Coulis, Mathieu, 2024, A synthesis on the scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) of Martinique, with description of Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) amicitia n. sp. and new data on some Neotropical scolopendromorphs, Zootaxa 5486 (4), pp. 563-599 : 577

Cryptops (Cryptops) neocaledonicus muchmorei Lewis, 1989

Figs 17–19

Locus typicus: Lesser Antilles, U.S. Virgin Islands, St John Island.

Recent material from Martinique. 1 spm, TE, Bellefontaine, Fond Boucher, SF, 100 m a.s.l., lat.14,66004, long. -61,15147, leg. MC, 19.09.2016 ( CAEC, 65); 1 spm, HC in beach sand, Le Robert, Pointe Savane , Pointe Banane, 2 m a.s.l., lat.14,7129, long. -60,91447, leg. MC, 15.15.09.2019 ( CBGP, FAUN 17331 ) ; 1 spm, HC in aerial deadwood, Le Lorrain, Morne du Lorrain, PF, 764 m a.s.l., lat.14,72846, long. -61,07824, leg. MC, 13.10.2019 ( CBGP, FAUN 17332 ) ; 4 spms, HC, Le Diamant, Rocher du Diamant, 10 m a.s.l., lat.14,44387, long. -61,03797, leg. MC, 22.10.2019 ( CAEC, 5190); 4 spms, HC, Le Diamant, Rocher du Diamant, 80 m a.s.l., lat.14,44351, long. -61,03832, leg. MC, 22.10.2019 ( CAEC, 5196); 1 spm, HC in epiphyte, Fond-Saint-Denis, Plateau Boucher, PF, 682 m a.s.l., lat.14,71862, long. -61,10059, leg. ML, 31.01.2020 ( CAEC, 5671); 1 spm, HC in epiphyte, Macouba, Maison du Moine, PF, 656 m a.s.l., lat.14,83371, long. -61,16368, leg. ML, 03.03.2020 ( CAEC, 9424); 1 spm, HC, Sainte-Marie, Ilet Saint Aubin, 20 m a.s.l., lat.-60,9641, long. 14,773 44, leg. MC, 20.09.2022 ( CBGP, FAUN 17333 ) ; 1 spm, HC, Sainte-Marie, Ilet Saint Aubin, 20 m a.s.l., lat.-60,9641, long. 14,773 44, leg. MC, 20.09.2022 ( CAEC, 16277) .

Diagnosis (after Lewis 1989: 1012, corrected). Cephalic plate lacks well-developed paramedian sutures ( Fig. 18 ). Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite with 3+3 short marginal setae and 1+1 long submarginal ones. Tergite 1 with V-shaped anterior transverse suture ( Fig. 19 ), lacking paramedian sutures. Legs 1–19 with monopartite tarsus. Ultimate legs ( Fig. 19 ) relatively short (femur twice as long as wide) and lacking any dorsodistal spinous processes; femur with one, tibia with four–five and tarsus 1 with two saw teeth.

Ecology in Martinique. In Martinique, C. neocaledonicus muchmorei typically inhabits dry, low-altitude and even coastal environments, but several collections have shown it to be found at higher altitudes (over 600 m), in which case it seems to prefer arboreal habitats.

Range. Endemic to Lesser Antilles: U.S. Virgin Islands (St John), Guadeloupe and St Barts; Martinique (our data).

Remarks. It should be noted that the only available morphological data on C. neocaledonicus since its original description by Ribaut (1923) are of Attems (1930: 233) who just repeated the original description; also Lewis (2011: 40) (very briefly) analyzed its difference from C. hispanus Brölemann, 1920 .

In 1981 Demange recorded “ C. neocaledonicus ” from Guadeloupe and St Barts (14 and 2 specimens respectively, p. 827), mentioning an atypical shape of the anterior transverse suture of tergite 1 (not semicircular but V-shaped; see fig. 2 in Demange 1981) but gave practically no other morphological data (p. 832). In 1989 Lewis described from St John ( U.S. Virgin Islands) a new subspecies C. neocaledonicus muchmorei which should differ from the nominate one by a V-shaped (vs semicircular) anterior transverse suture of tergite 1, more numerous (3+3 vs 2+2) marginal setae at forcipular coxosternite and by less numerous (4–5 and 2 vs 8 and 3) saw teeth on both the ultimate leg tibia and tarsus 1. The taxonomic status of C. neocaledonicus muchmorei is not entirely clear at the moment— we believe that this form (found only in the Lesser Antilles) is an independent species due to a large geographic gap between the range of this form and C. neocaledonicus s.str. (because so disjunct a distribution of C. neocaledonicus s.lat. seems to be quite unnatural).

If this form is only a subspecies of C. neocaledonicus , then it was undoubtedly introduced to the Lesser Antilles, where it seems to be well acclimatized.

Figures

FIGURES 12–19. Cormocephalus guildingii Newport, 1845. 12. General view of live specimen, dorsally. Otostigmus (Parotostigmus) salticus Schileyko, Iorio & Coulis 2018. 13. General view of live specimen, dorso-laterally. Rhysida longipes (Newport, 1845). 14. General view of live specimen, dorsally. Cryptops (C.) doriae Pocock, 1891, No 445 (ASU). Photos by Yurii Dyachkov. 15. Head + LBS 1 and 2, dorsally. 16. Right ultimate leg, medially. Cryptops (C.) neocaledonicus muchmorei Lewis, 1989. 17. General view of live specimen, dorsally. Photo by Baptiste Bentameur. No 65 (CAEC-CIRAD). 18. Head + LBS 1 and 2, dorsally. 19. Left ultimate leg, medially.