Mecistocephalus yanagiharai (Takakuwa, 1936)

Published, First, 2007, The Mecistocephalidae of the Japanese and Taiwanese islands (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha), Zootaxa 1396, pp. 1-84 : 50-51

Mecistocephalus yanagiharai (Takakuwa, 1936)

Fig. 57

[1] Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa 1936b — Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 26: 436 (original description, key); fig. 1–3

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa 1938a — Annot. Zool. Japon. 17: 356

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa 1938b — Bot. & Zool. Tokyo 6: 2032 (key)

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa 1940 — Fauna Nippon. 9: 86 (key); fig. 88–89

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa 1943 — Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 13: 196

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Attems 1947 — Ann. Naturhistor. Mus. Wien 55: 106 (key)

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Takakuwa & Takashima 1949 — Acta Arachn. 11: 57

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Miyosi 1955b — Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 16–19: 173 (key)

Taiwanella yanagiharai: Wang & Mauriès 1996 — Mém. Mus. natn. Hist. Nat.169: 89

Mecistocephalus yanagiharai: Bonato et al. 2002 — Zootaxa 86: 9

Diagnosis. A Mecistocephalus species with 49 leg­bearing segments. Body length reaching at least 3.5 cm. Trunk without dark patches. Head about 2 times as long as wide. Areolate part of the clypeus without smooth insulae, each side with about 8 setae; clypeal ratio about 1.2. Anterior ala of the labrum subtriangular, with medial margin reduced to a vertex. Forcipular article I with one tooth only. Sternal sulcus furcate.

Type material. Syntypes: number, sex and age not stated ( Takakuwa, 1936e).

Type localities. ‘ Taito , Byori , Kibi , Hakuhyo, Getubi’, Taiwan ( Takakuwa, 1936e) .

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

Material examined. None.

Description. Body size reaching at least 3.5 cm. Body colour yellow, without dark patches; head and forcipular segment darker. Head about 2 times as long as wide. Clypeus: clypeal ratio about 1.2; areolate part without smooth insulae, a small subcircular area in the middle covered with smaller scutes; about 8 setae on each side of the clypeus, aligned along a pair of foreward convergent rows; plagulae without evident sensilla or setae. Labrum: anterior ala triangular, medial margin reduced to a vertex; posterior margin of each sidepiece straight, a small tooth close to the medial piece. Spiculum apparently absent. Mandible: about 3 welldeveloped and 2 rudimentary lamellae; first lamella with 5 teeth; intermediate lamella with about 7 teeth. First maxillae: distal lobe of the medial projection clavate, subtriangular; distal lobe of the telopodite attenuate. Second maxillae: article I of telopodite about 4.5 times as long as wide, with a distal external projection; article III subconic, with an apical claw. Forcipules: article I about 1.9 times as long as wide, with a single distal tooth; article II, III and tarsungulum each with a tooth. A total of 49 leg­bearing segments. Sternal sulcus furcate, with a right angle between the branches. Last leg­bearing segment: about 15 coxal pores on each side.

Distribution in the considered area.

Taiwan: ‘ Taito , Byori , Kibi , Hakuhyo, Getubi’ [1] (type localities) .

General distribution. Taiwan.

Remarks. This species was originally described, together with Taiwanella sculptulata Takakuwa, 1936 (now Proterotaiwanella sculptulata (Takakuwa, 1936)) , as a member of the genus Taiwanella , a name invalidly proposed by Takakuwa (1936e) ( Bonato et al., 2002). In spite of the putative absence of the spiculum, it was recognised as most probably belonging to Mecistocephalus by Bonato et al. (2002). Unfortunately, the type material was lost and no other specimens have been recorded to date.