Henia pulchella (Meinert, 1870)

Chipman, Ariel D., Dor, Neta & Bonato, Lucio, 2013, Diversity and biogeography of Israeli geophilomorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha), Zootaxa 3652 (2), pp. 232-248 : 236

Henia pulchella (Meinert, 1870)

Published records: “Chuldah bei Jaffa” [Hulda, near Jaffa] (Verhoeff 1925, sub H. bicarinata ); “Tel Dan” (Zapparoli 1995, sub H. gr. bicarinata ).

New records: Kalanit (1 specimen 2011); Nahal Oren (2 specimens 2011); Upper Nahal Deragot (1 specimen 2011)

Distribution in Israel: all localities are in the Mediterranean region, in the Galilee and the Upper Judean Desert, with average annual temperatures between 16–20˚C and annual precipitation between 500–750 mm. All new specimens were found in rough ground with steep slopes ( Figure 2 B).

Global distribution: the species is known from a few localities around the Mediterranean Sea.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes. Most of the recent authors maintain H. pulchella as a distinct species, differing from the similar H. bicarinata (Meinert, 1870) mainly in the darker body color and the lower number of legs. However, some doubts had been raised by Minelli (1982, 1983), so that the published records of H. bicarinata from Israel require reinterpretation.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Sampling locations and presumptive distribution sites for members of the Dignathodontidae and Himantariidae. A) Dignathodon microcephalus. B) Henia pulchella. D) Bothriogaster signata. D) Polyporogaster tunetana.