Sterropristes Attems, 1934

Schileyko, Arkady A., Vahtera, Varpu & Edgecombe, Gregory D., 2020, An overview of the extant genera and subgenera of the order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda): a new identification key and updated diagnoses, Zootaxa 4825 (1), pp. 1-64 : 57

Sterropristes Attems, 1934

Figs 119–123

Synonyms. Malaccolabis Verhoeff, 1937

Type species. Sterropristes sarasinorum Attems, 1934 (by monotypy).

Diagnosis. As for tribe.

Number of species. 3 ( Muadsub et al. 2012).

Remarks. Treated as a genus in Edgecombe & Bonato (2011: 403), Muadsub et al. (2012: 36), Vahtera et al. (2013: 594), Vahtera & Edgecombe (2014: 2, 7).

Several “diagnostic” features of Sterropristes mentioned by Muadsub et al. (2012) are also shared with other genera of Otostigminae , an exception being the “saw-like internal margin of the forcipular tarsungula” which serves as the “unique distinguishing character of Sterropristes ” ( Muadsub et al. 2012: 36). Vahtera & Edgecombe (2014: 7) also wrote: “a close relationship between Sterropristes and Edentistoma cannot be definitely discounted”. In fact, within Otostigminae only two these genera (plus Digitipes , at least in part; see above) have an unusually small median tooth of the labrum (in Scolopendrinae , also shared with species of Cormocephalus (Campylostigmus) ; see Edgecombe & Koch 2008, fig. 10e) and very characteristic short and much enlarged ultimate legs (see above), in both cases having dorsal sulci on proximal podomeres ( Fig. 116 ). However they differ sharply from each other by: a. visibly thinned and elongated (in Edentistoma ; Fig. 114 ) vs. much shortened and enlarged (in Sterropristes ; Fig. 120) forcipular tarsungula, b. presence (in Edentistoma ; Fig. 116 ) vs. absence of tergal keels, c. spiracles without (in Edentistoma ; Fig. 115 ) vs. with a well-developed atrium (Fig. 119). On the other hand, we also note shared characters in the structure of the forcipular segment of Ethmostigmus and Sterropristes (compare Figs 102 and 121)—both of them have very similar shape of the tooth-plates and lack a well-developed forcipular trochantero-prefemoral process. However, molecular phylogenetics indicates that “monophyly (non-partitioned analyses) versus paraphyly (partitioned analyses) of Sterropristes + Ethmostigmus remains ambiguous” ( Siriwut et al. 2018: 1043).

It should be noted that Bonato et al. (2016) are obviously mistaken for not mentioning S. metallicus as the third valid species of Sterropristes ; its validity was confirmed by the molecular study of Siriwut et al. (2018: 1043) who wrote: “the mainland and insular species, S. metallicus and S. violaceus , have been verified as distinct species”.

Figures

FIGURES 113–118. Edentistoma octosulcatum Tömösváry, 1882; Voucher ZMUT_Chi01 113 left ultimate leg laterally; ZMB 3618 114 forcipular segment ventrally; Voucher ZMUT_Chi01 115 right pleuron of LBS 7 laterally 116 LBS 13–21+ right ultimate leg dorsally 117 LBS 20–21+ right ultimate leg ventrally 118 left ultimate leg medially; (20)—leg 20, (bl)—low blade-like lobe in place of forcipular tooth-plate, (bs)—basal suture of blade-like lobe, (cp)—spineless coxopleural process, (csp)—spineless “corner spine(s)” of ultimate prefemur, (cx)—coxopleuron, (im)—intersclerite membrane, (lsc)—sternal median longitudinal sulcus, (pf)—relatively short ultimate prefemur, (pts)—pretarsus, (rpr)—rudiment of trochantero-prefemoral process, (s)—open spiracle without atrium, (sh)—spiracle hump, (t1)—tarsus 1, (t2)—tarsus 2, (tk)—tergal longitudinal keels, (tr)—visibly elongated tarsungula, (ust)—ultimate sternite, (ut)—ultimate tergite.

FIGURES 102–107. Ethmostigmus rubripes spinosus (Newport, 1845); Juv. Rc 7174 102 forcipular segment ventrally; Ethmostigmus rubripes platycephalus (Newport, 1845); Ad. Rc 7514 103 left pleuron of LBS 3 laterally; Ad. Rc 7513 104 LBS 21 ventrally; Sad. СDT 105 coxopleural processes + prefemora of ultimate legs ventrally; Rhysida longipes (Newport, 1845); Ad. Rc 6683 106 anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite ventrally 107 coxopleural processes, legs 20 + ultimate legs laterally; (ap)—apical spine, (bs)—basal suture of forcipular tooth-plate, (cp)—coxopleural process, (csp)—corner spine of ultimate prefemur, (cx)—coxopleuron, (im)—intersclerite membrane, (lc)—lateral spines of coxopleural process, (pf)—ultimate prefemur, (pr)—trochantero-prefemoral process, (pts)—ultimate pretarsus, (rpf)—abnormally small (regenerated) right ultimate prefemur, (rpr)—rudiment of trochantero-prefemoral process, (s)—open spiracle without atrium, (scs)— spine at place of corner spine of ultimate prefemur, (su)—spines of ultimate prefemur, (t1)—ultimate tarsus 1, (tp)—forcipular tooth-plates, (ust)—ultimate sternite.