Tidops Chamberlin, 1915

Chagas-Junior, Amazonas, 2011, A review of the centipede genus Tidops Chamberlin (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopocryptopidae, Newportiinae), International Journal of Myriapodology 5, pp. 63-82 : 64

Tidops Chamberlin, 1915

Tidops Chamberlin, 1915: 495. Attems, 1930: 284. Bücherl, 1941a: 341. Schileyko & Minelli, 1999: 293. Schileyko, 2002: 483. Schileyko & Stagl, 2004: 125.

Kartops Archey, 1923: 113.

Type species.

Tidops simus Chamberlin, 1915 (by monotypy).

Diagnosis.

Small Newportiinae , cephalic plate with two short incomplete sutures at the posterior border; forcipular coxosternum with short tarsungula, only the apices overlap in closed position; coxosternal tooth plates dentiform; 7th pedal segments without spiracles; first tergite with anterior transverse sulcus giving rise to paired furcate sutures extending posteriorly in a “W-shaped” configuration, with two paired sutures arising from base of former, angling slightly laterally to posterior margin; tibia of the ultimate legs without spines or spinous process, very much thicker than the tarsus 1, somewhat clavately widening distad and at ventral corner of distal end bearing a cylindric process; tarsus 1 with or without a distal ventral expansion.

Included species.

Tidops simus , Tidops collaris , Tidops balzanii and Tidops nisargani sp. n.

Distribution.

Grenada, Guyana, Venezuela (new record), Brazil, Bolivia (new record) and Paraguay.

Remarks.

The presence or absence of a pair of spiracles on the seventh pedal segment is traditionally used in the diagnosis of some genera of Scolopendromorpha. Di et al. (2010) presented arguments for why the taxonomic value of this character is exaggerated, and concluded that the segment 7 spiracle is a reliable character to the species level, but probably not at the generic level. Chamberlin (1915), in the description of the genus Tidops , quoted eleven pairs of elliptical spiracles, a pair on the seventh pedal segment, the same condition as in the sister group Newportia . Schileyko and Stagl (2004) noted that, in a large number of specimens of Tidops collaris , spiracles are absent on the seventh pedal segment. I was not able to check this character in the holotype of Tidops simus because the specimen was mounted on a slide, however, according to all specimens examined in this study, no spiracles are present on the seventh pedal segment. Chamberlin (1915) also described "a conspicuous cylindric process at ventroectal corner of distal end of the tibia of the ultimate legs" in Tidops simus (cf. Chamberlin (1915) plate 1, fig. 6). This cylindric process was also observed in a specimen from Brazil identified in this study as Tidops simus , and for the first time in some specimens of Tidops balzanii . In addition, the tarsus of the ultimate legs of Tidops simus and Tidops balzanii are strongly clavate. In Tidops nisargani and in Tidops collaris the cylindric process on the tibia was not present, but in Tidops nisargani there is a small expansion on the ventral end of the tarsus 1 in a few specimens. This distal cylindrical process on the tibia and the ventral expansion of the distal portion of the tarsus 1 in Tidops simus and Tidops balzanii may be a character of the males of these species, though more specimens are needed to confirm this hypothesis.