Cryptops (C.) nepalensis Lewis, 1999

Schileyko, Arkady A. & Stoev, Pavel E., 2016, Scolopendromorpha of New Guinea and adjacent islands (Myriapoda, Chilopoda), Zootaxa 4147 (3), pp. 247-280 : 264-266

9. Cryptops (C.) nepalensis Lewis, 1999

Figs 45–47

Cryptops (C.) nepalensis: Lewis, 1999: 29 ; Cryptops (C.) nepalensis: Lewis, 2013: 19 .

Material. Papua New Guinea: 1 ad + 1 juv [spm 1, 2; no ult.legs], Western Province, [West Sepik District], Mt. Fugilil , 2700 m, 29.09.1975, leg. PB , No . 10 807 in NMNHS; 1 juv [spm 3; no ult.legs], [East New Britain Province] , New Britain [ Island], Kimbe Bay, 15.11.1975, leg. PB , No. 10 808 in NMNHS. Locus typicus: E Nepal, Taplejung District , NW Yamputhin, 2300–2500 m.

Short description of spm 1.

Body uniformly yellow, dark pigmentation of tergites and pleurons absent. Cephalic plate with very subtle (hardly recognizable at x87.5) rudimentary paramedian sutures at its posterior margin. Clypeus with two setae and two well-developed setose plates (Fig. 45)—large anterior and very small posterior. Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite with 2+3 submarginal setae.

Tergite 1 without sutures/sulci, covering the posterior margin of the head capsule ( Fig. 46 ). Sternal “cruciform” sutures not equally developed: transverse suture considerably more sclerotised than poorly developed median longitudian one ( Fig. 47 ).

Tarsus of legs 1–19 not divided in tarsus 1 and 2. Pretarsal accessory spines rudimentary, practically not recognizable at x87.5.

Coxopleural pore field short (not reaching to posterior margin of sternite 21), oval and narrow, consisting of ca. 25 pores of various sizes.

Range. Сentral and Eastern Nepal ; SW Papua New Guinea and New Britain Island .

Variability. Spm 2 and 3 accord well to this description, however both of them have clypeal setose plates much less recognizable and sternal transverse suture less differing from median one. We suppose these conditions to be the juvenile ones as the juveniles of С. anomalans Newport, 1844 have these characters also less developed than the adult specimens.

Spm 2 has anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite with 3+3 marginal and 1+1 submarginal setae. In juvenile spm 3 pretarsal accessory spines are not recognizable, coxopleural pore field small, consisting of large pores (juvenile condition).

Remarks. Studied exemplars demonstrate unique key-character of C. nepalensis —strongly sclerotised sternal transverse suture ( Fig. 47 ) (which is considerably shorter than sternal transverse thickening in subgenus Trigonocryptops ). However, as a geographical gap between Nepal (the only known area of C. nepalensis ) and New Guinea is considerable, we tried to confirm the identity of studied material to this species. Lewis (2011) has reasonably divided Cryptops s.str. in three groups of species: anomalans, hortensis and doriae group. As studied specimens lack sutures at tergite 1 they cannot belong to the first group. The other two groups differ from each other by the presence (in doriae ) vs absence (in hortensis ) of saw tooth/teeth at ultimate femur, but since ultimate legs were detached and lost this character is of no use here. However, Lewis (2011: 46) wrote: “ No members of the hortensis- group have been recorded as naturally occurring in Australasia…” (which fact is confirmed by our own data), so we consider our specimens to be closely related to C. doriae . Our specimens generally accord to the original description of C. nepalensis and to the paratypes (No. 7488) except for the unknown structure of ultimate legs. The presence of setose clypeal plates (which are “indistinct” in some cases, see Lewis (2005), p. 121) has been recorded for subgenus Trigonocryptops only, however Lewis (unpubl.) discovered these plates also in Cryptops (С.) anomalans. Some additional specimens of C. (С.) anomalans demonstrate clypeus with one small triangular (“heart-shaped” sensu Lewis (2005), see pp. 116, 121) plate which bears 4–7 setae ( Fig. 48) and is unclearly bordered by subtle sutures. Studied paratypes of C. nepalensis have no setose clypeal plates but have legs with normally developed pretarsal accessory spines (the last character is of minor taxonomic value; see also Remarks to Trigonocryptops ).

Lewis (2013) wrote (page 19): “The species [ C. doriae and C. nepalensis ] are sympatric and Lewis (1999) described intermediates” and (page 21): “It may be that they are a single variable species”. We like to note that these two species are really very similar being distinguishable by only one character (strongly sclerotised sternal transverse suture), which is quite subjective and is present (at least) in another representative of the nominal subgenus— С. (C.) anomalans (Fig. 49). Lewis (1999, 2013) recorded another difference—mono- vs bipartite structure of leg tarsus, but we consider this character as quite variable intraspecifically and in some cases depending on age, thus being of minor taxonomic value (see also Remarks to C. doriae ).

It should be also noted, that two of three studied specimens were collected at 2700 m in which respect they resemble C. nepalensis , which occurs the similar altitudes.

Figures

FIGURE 46 – 47. Cryptops (C.) nepalensis Lewis, 1999, Spm 1: head and leg-bearing segments 1 – 2, dorsal view. FIGURE 46. Spm 1: head and leg-bearing segments 1 – 2, dorsal view.