Otostigmus ruficeps Pocock, 1890

Lewis, John G. E., 2014, A review of the orientalis group of the Otostigmus subgenus Otostigmus Porat, 1876 (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), Zootaxa 3889 (3), pp. 388-413 : 406

Otostigmus ruficeps Pocock, 1890

Otostigma ruficeps Pocock, 1890 , 247, Plate 12, Figs 2 & 2 b. Madras, India. O. (O.) ruficeps: Attems, 1930 , 141.

O. ruficeps: Khanna, 1994 , 466.

O. (O.) ruficeps: Lewis, 1996 , 828, Figs 20 –23. (Incorrectly synonymised under O. multidens ). O. ruficeps: Joshi & Edgecombe 2013 , 119, Figs 68–77 (revised species diagnosis). Karnataka and Kerala, India.

Diagnosis. (From Joshi & Edgecombe 2013). Otostigmus with 21 elongate antennal articles, the basal 2–2.5 glabrous dorsally; forcipular tooth-plates with 4+4 large teeth, small (fifth) inner tooth variably present; four teeth along margin of forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process; longitudinal median depression on posterior half of tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment; two apical spines on coxopleural process, dorsal spine rarely present; lateral spine mostly lacking; two tarsal spurs on legs 1–4 to 1–19 (usually 1–17 to 1–19), one on leg 20; a tibial spur typically on legs 1–6 to 1–8; ultimate leg prefemur with 2 VM spines and 2–3 VL spines. (The leg shown in Joshi & Edgecombe’s Fig. 74 has three rows each of two prefemoral spines).

Remarks. Lewis (1996) synonymised Pocock’s O. ruficeps from India under multidens based on an examination of the holotype which has only 5+5 coxosternal teeth and the last four pairs of legs missing. Its distribution when compared to O. multidens , is disjunct. The redescription of the species by Joshi & Edgecombe (1913) is based on new material from the Western Ghats.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Otostigmus ateles Holotype. 1. Antennal articles 1 – 3 dorsal. 2. Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates. 3. Sternite 17. 4. Ultimate segments ventral. FIGURES 5 – 11. Otostigmus australianus 5. Sternite 12 Lectotype. 6. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment spm. 2 Belenden Ker (after Lewis, 2003). 7. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment spm. 3 Belenden Ker (after Lewis, 2003). 8. Right forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process and tooth-plates spm. 7 Malanda. 9. Sternite 6 spm. 7 Malanda. 10. Sternite 12 spm. 7 Malanda after (Lewis, 2003). 11. Ultimate segments ventral spm. 7 Malanda. Scale bars = 1.0 mm except Figs 1 & 2 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 12 – 20. Otostigmus brevilabiatus Holotype. 12. Antennal article 3 dorsal. 13. Distal articles of left second maxillary telopodite. 14. Pretarsus of right second maxillary telopodite. 15. Pretarsus of left second maxillary telopodite. 16 Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates. 17. Right forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process. 18. Left forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process. 19. Right coxopleural process. 20. Prefemur left ultimate leg ventral. FIGURES 21 – 26. Otostigmus foveolatus Holotype. 21. Antennal articles 1 – 3 ventral. 22. Antennal article 3 dorsal. 23. Pretarsus of second maxillary telopodite. 24. Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates and right forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process. 25. Right coxopleural process. 26. Ultimate leg prefemur. Scale bars = 0.5 mm except Figs 22 & 27 = 1.0 mm and Figs 15, 16, 20, 21 & 24 = 0.1 mm.