Mecistocephalus brevisternalis Takakuwa, 1934

Published, First, 2007, The Mecistocephalidae of the Japanese and Taiwanese islands (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha), Zootaxa 1396, pp. 1-84 : 41-42

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis Takakuwa, 1934

Fig. 52

[1] Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1934d — Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 24: 223, 224 (original descrip­

tion); fig. 2–3

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1934a — Annot. Zool. Japon. 14: 362 (redescription); fig. 11

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1934c — Bot. & Zool. Tokyo 2: 884

Mecistocephalus (Mecistocephalus) brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1936b — Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 26: 434 (key)

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Verhoeff 1937 — Bull. Raffles Mus. Singapore 13: 235

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Attems 1938b — Proc. Zool. Soc. London B 108: 365

[2] Mecistocephalus (Mecistocephalus) brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1938a — Annot. Zool. Japon. 17: 354

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Verhoeff 1939 — Zool. Jahrb. Syst. 72: 86

Mecistocephalus (Mecistocephalus) brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1940 — Fauna Nippon. 9: 68 (redescription, key); fig. 64

Mecistocephalus (Mecistocephalus) brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1942b — Micron. Sci. 5: 17

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Takakuwa 1943 — Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 13: 170

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Attems 1947 — Ann. Naturhistor. Mus. Wien 55: 101

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Chamberlin 1953 — Great Basin Nat. 13: 78 (key)

Mecistocephalus brevisternalis: Wang & Mauriès 1996 — Mém. Mus. natn. Hist. Nat. Paris 169: 89

Diagnosis. A Mecistocephalus species with 49 leg­bearing segments. Body length reaching at least 3 cm. Trunk without dark patches. Head about 1.5 times as long as wide. Areolate part of the clypeus without smooth insulae, each side with about 10 setae; clypeal ratio about 2,5–3,0. Anterior ala of the labrum subtriangular, with medial margin reduced to a vertex. Buccae with setae on the posterior half only. Sternal sulcus furcate, with a wide angle between the branches. Sternum of the last leg­bearing segment very short, 2 times as wide as long.

Type material. Syntypes: number, sex and age not stated; length up to 30 mm ( Takakuwa, 1934d), at least one adult male (age inferred from original drawings).

Type locality. ‘ Yaruto’ [= Jaluit Id.], Marshall Ids ( Takakuwa, 1934d) .

Depository of type material. The syntypes are probably lost (see Discussion).

Material examined. None.

Description. Body size reaching at least about 3 cm. Body colour yellow, without dark patches, head and forcipular segment darker. Head 1.5 times as long as wide. Clypeus: clypeal ratio about 2.5–3.0; areolate part without smooth insulae; about 10 setae on each side, irregularly distributed; plagulae without evident sensilla or setae. Labrum: anterior ala subtriangular, medial margin reduced to a vertex; posterior margin of each sidepiece with a small tooth close to the medial piece. Spiculum present, buccae with setae in the posterior half only. Mandible: about 6 well­developed lamellae; first lamella with 6 teeth; average intermediate lamella with 10–17 teeth, proximal teeth evidently smaller than distal teeth. Forcipules: article I with two, strong teeth; articles II and III each with a tubercle; tarsungulum without teeth. A total of 49 leg­bearing segments. Sternal sulcus furcate, with a right angle between branches. Last leg­bearing segment: sternum triangular about 2.0 times as wide as long; about 10 large coxal pores on each side.

Distribution in the considered area.

To be confirmed:

Taiwan: ‘Taiwan’ [2].

General distribution. Marshall Islands [1] and possibly Taiwan (see Remarks).

Remarks. M. brevisternalis was first described from the Marshall Islands and later found in Taiwan by Takakuwa (1938a). Due to the considerable distance between the type locality and Taiwan the presence of this species in the latter island requires confirmation.