Otostigmus sucki Kraepelin, 1903

Lewis, John G. E., 2014, A review of the orientalis group of the Otostigmus subgenus Otostigmus Porat, 1876 (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), Zootaxa 3889 (3), pp. 388-413 : 408

Otostigmus sucki Kraepelin, 1903

(Figs 63–67)

O. sucki Kraepelin, 1903 , 118, Fig. 54. Borneo [Kalimantan]. O. sucki: Attems, 1930 , 140.

Diagnosis. Length 38–55 mm. Antennae articles 20 or 21, the basal 2.33–2.66 glabrous dorsally. Forcipular coxosternal teeth 3+3. Tergites with complete paramedian sutures from 5, marginate from 9 (12) with weak lateral corrugations and spinules on posterior tergites. Sternites with very short anterior paramedian sutures and 1–3 shallow depressions. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment quadratic with concave posterior margin and median longitudinal depression. Coxopleural process with two apical and one lateral spine. Legs 1–4, 5 or 6 with two tarsal spurs, 5, 6 or 7–21 with one. Ultimate leg prefemoral spines VL 4 or 5, VM 2, M 2, DM 0 or 1, CS 1.

Material examined. ZMUH. Three syntypes [half of holding] Borneo Bendjermasin [Banjarmasin, Kalimantan] Fr. Sück leg et ded 23.12.1895. Kraepelin det et pübl. 1903.3.118.

Description. (Kraepelin’s (1903) description in parentheses where relevant). Lengths 50+, 38 and 40 (55) mm. Antennae with 20+21 articles, the basal 2.66 (2 1/3) glabrous (Fig. 63). Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates with 3+3 main teeth, sometimes each with a very small lateral and, or medial subsidiary tooth (Fig. 64) (3+3). Forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process with two medial denticles.

Tergites with complete paramedian sutures from 5, marginate from 9 but from 12 in spm. 3. Lateral corrugations from 9 or 10, with spinules from 13, 14 or 15 to 18, 19 or 20. Ultimate tergite with posterior median depression (Fig. 65). Sternites with very short anterior paramedian sutures or none (spm. 3) the apparent length of the sutures may be dependent on the degree of intucking of the sternite anterior margin. A weak posterior median depression and, in the mid body region, two very weak lateral depressions in spm. 1. A median posterior depression on S5–S18 and three weak depressions transversely on S8–S 11 in spm. 2. No depressions were seen in spm. 3. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment quadratic or almost so, with concave posterior margin and median longitudinal depression (Fig. 66). Coxopleural process with two (2–3) apical spines and a lateral spine. Spm. 3 has a dorsal spine unilaterally.

Legs 1–3 or 4 with a tibial spur, 1–4 or 6 (1–5) with two tarsal spurs, 5 or 7–21 (6–21) with one. Ultimate leg prefemoral spines VL 4 or 5, VM 2, M 2, DM 0 or 1, CS 1 (Fig. 67).

Remarks. Otostigmus sucki is very similar to O. metallicus from which it differs in the shape of the sternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment and tergites with spinules (minute spinules are present, however, in specimens from Sulawesi assigned above to O. metallicus ). As noted in the discussion of O. loriae this latter character is variable in other species and also the shape of the sternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment may change during ontogeny as is the case in O. astenus ( Kohlrausch, 1878) (see Lewis, 2010a). Otostigmus sucki may well be a junior synonym of O. metallicus but is here retained pending reassessment as more material becomes available.