Scolopocryptops mushashiensis Shinohara, 1984

Lee, Sue Yeon, Yoo, Jung Sun & Kim, Seung Tae, 2017, Two Scolopocryptops Newport, 1844 (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) new to the Korean fauna, Journal of Species Research 6, pp. 215-219 : 218

2. Scolopocryptops mushashiensis Shinohara, 1984

AEĪḀm네 (ṵḍ)

( Fig. 2 A-F)

Synonyms. Scolopocryptops mushashiensis Shinohara, 1984: p. 40 , figs. 8-13.

Material examined. Specimen 1 (adolescent, sex undeterminable, NIBRIV0000812482) and specimen 2 (adolescent, sex undeterminable, NIBRIV0000812483): Mannyeon-ri , Docho-myeon, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea. 34°70 ʹ 46.3 ʺ N 125°97 ʹ 99.8 ʺ E, 41 m, sea side near, pine tree and brush, soil and litter layers, 30. Aug. 2011, leg. Yong-Gun Choi , specimen 3 (juvenile, NIBRIV 0000812484): same locality, 02. Jun. 2011, leg. Yong-Gun Choi.

Description of the Korean specimens. Body-lengths 16, 19 and 20 mm. Antennae, cephalic plate, forcipules, and posterior end of the body ochraceous ( Fig. 2A, B, E), other body-parts pale ( Fig. 2B, D). Cephalic plate slightly longer than wide, laterally marginate ( Fig. 2A), posterior border covering first tergite. Basal two antennal artices sparsely hirsute dorsad, substantially less hirsute than 3rd antennomere ( Fig. 2F). Forcipular coxostenite with two dental margins convex on anterior edge ( Fig. 2B); forcipular trochanteroprefemur with a small medial tooth. All tergites with 3 short paramedian dorsal sutures on posterior margin ( Fig. 2D), without long ridges. Incomplete lateral margination on tergites 7-22 ( Fig. 2D); ultimate tergite completely marginate. Ventral plates without sutures; last sternite with lateral margins converging caudally and posterior margin slightly concave. Coxopleural process with a long spine ( Fig. 2E). All legs with two claw spines. Legs 1-20 with two tibial spines and one tarsal spine each; leg 21 with one tibial spine and one tarsal spine; leg 22 with one tibial spine and without tarsal spine; ultimate leg without spine. Ultimate leg with densely hirsute tibia and tarsi ( Fig. 2C, E); prefemur with a single large ventral spur and a small lateral spur ( Fig. 2E).

Remarks. Scolopocryptops mushashiensis is very similar to Scolopocryptops ogawai Shinohara, 1984 but S. ogawai is without the 3 short longitudinal sulci on the tergites. The ultimate legs’ hairy tibia and tarsi differentiates S. mushashiensis from other two Korean species, Scolopocryptops capillipedatus ( Takakuwa, 1938) with hairy 23th femur, and Scolopocryptops spinicaudus Wood, 1862 with glabrous 23th leg. The Korean specimens fit well S. mushashiensis by the differential characters. The species is only separated from two related species only by the hairiness of the ultimate legs’ articles, a character known to vary intraspecifically in some North American species ( Shelley, 2002). However, the different stages of this character seem to be stable within S. capillipedatus and S. spinicaudus in Korea (orig. obs.), thus the characteristic intermediate form seems to separate mushashiensis reliable.

Distribution. Scolopocryptops mushashiensis was known only from its type locality in Japan [Ichikawa (Ichikawa-shi), Chiba Prefecture, ~ 35°43.315 ʹ N 139° 55.863 ʹ E] till now. New to the fauna of the Korean Peninsula.

Deposition. Specimen 1 (NIBRIV0000812482), specimen 2 (NIBRIV0000812483), specimen 3 (NIBRIV 0000812484) have been deposited in the National Institute of Biological Resources, Korea (NIBR).