Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) loveridgei Lawrence, 1953

Lewis, J. G. E., 2005, A reassessment of Cryptops loveridgei Lawrence and C. kivuensis Lawrence, with observations on the subgenera Trigonocryptops Verhoeff and Paratrigonocryptops Demange (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha), African Invertebrates 46, pp. 115-115 : 116-120

Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) loveridgei Lawrence, 1953

Figs 1–13

Cryptops loveridgei Lawrence, 1953: 418 , fig. 2. Four syntypes [47 mm, 40 mm, 38 mm and 35 mm], Tanzania: Tanganyika Territory, Mbara , near Lindi, 400 ft., iv.1939 (Arthur Loveridge). TC 675, (MCZ) [examined].

Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) bokumensis Kraus, 1958: 13 , figs 6–11. Holotype ơ and 8 paratypes, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Bokuma , vii.1952 (Lootens) (MRAC) [not examined]. Syn. n.

Diagnosis: Clypeal setose plate containing three large setae. Head paramedian sutures complete. Tergite paramedian sutures complete from segment 1. Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternum with five to seven setae on each side. Pores occupy anterior 90% of coxopleuron. Ultimate leg prefemur with dorsomedial spinous process and ventral longitudinal area lacking spiniform setae. Femur with dorsolateral apical spinous process. Tibia with dorsolateral and dorsomedial apical spinous processes.

Description of syntypes of C. loveridgei :

Maximum length 47 mm. Colour: brown. (Lawrence gave reddish yellow to reddish brown.)

Antennae with 17+17 antennomeres. Antennomere I with long and medium setae; there is a gradual transition to antennomere V which has dense short setae and an irregular proximal whorl of long setae ( Fig. 1 ).

Head plate as long as wide with complete anteriorly diverging paramedian sutures ( Fig. 2 ). Posterior margin of head plate overlies anterior margin of T1, except in specimen 3 where they are not in contact.

Clypeus ( Fig. 3 ) with anterior heart-shaped area (‘plage en losange’ of Brolemann 1926) here termed the setose clypeal plate with three large setae, two lateral and one posterior median, in addition two or three small setae. The plate is flanked by a seta on each side ( Fig. 4 ). A pair of posterior diverging sutures, which do not reach the labrum, arise from the posterior apex of the plate. A large seta at the apex of these diverging sutures is present in specimen 3 but not in 2. Two small setae level with posterior end of plate and between these and the labrum five setae are arranged longitudinally, 1+2+2. A transverse row of 14 setae in front of the labrum in specimen 2, 17 in specimen 3.

Each side of anterior border of forcipular coxosternum bears a weakly convex ridge with five to seven long setae and with two or three setae lateral to the ridge on each side ( Fig. 5 ).A median longitudinal suture occupies the anterior 30 to 46% of the coxosternum.

Tergite 1 with complete paramedian sutures continuing to anterior border of tergite but becoming very fine anterior to the anterior transverse suture (ring suture) ( Fig 2 ). Tergites 2 to 4 or 5 with oblique (arcuate) sutures (Lawrence states indefinite on 2 and weak on 5). Paramedian sutures on tergites 2–20. Short lateral curved sulci (grooves) on tergite 4 ( Fig. 6 ), occupying anterior two thirds of tergite from 6–9 or 6–20. Fine lateral longitudinal sutures clear and occupying anterior two-thirds of tergites and divided into anterior and posterior halves from 2–20 in specimen 1 ( Fig. 7 ) but only on 1, 3 to 9, 14, 17 and 18 in specimen 2. Pretergites (intertergites) visible or not depending on state of contraction of the specimen so on 3–20 in specimens 1 and 2, only on 3, 4, 6, 13 and 14 in specimen 4. Posterior margin of tergite 21 triangular with rounded apex ( Fig. 8 ). With numerous fringing setae in specimen 1, sparsely setose in specimens 2 and 4. With or without 1–3 spiniform setae on posterior border. A shallow median posterior longitudinal depression occupies 50–78% of tergite.

Sternites with crossed sulci or grooves (‘Furchenkreuz’) from segment 2 or 3 to 18 or 19. The transverse sulcus deep, the bottom of the groove dark brown, presumably due to transverse skeletal thickening or apodeme between the coxae. The ends of the sulcus are curved forwards on anterior segments ( Fig. 9 ), but straight on posterior ones ( Fig. 10 ). The median longitudinal sulcus forms a shallow trough, the posterior part disappearing on posterior segments.

Endosternites clearly demarcated by a transverse groove or sulcus, this apparent on segments 3–17 in specimen 1 but only on 5 and 12, 13 and 14 in specimen 4 due to some telescoping of the trunk segments. (NB: the details of the endosternites were not observed as these large specimens were not cleared.)

The typical diagonal crossed sutures (‘fissures en croix’ of Brolemann 1926) forming three triangles just anterior to the endosternite ( Fig. 9 ) present on segments 2 or 3–16 or 17 but only on 5–9 in specimen 4. Now termed trigonal sutures to avoid confusion with the crossed sulci, sometimes known as cruciform sulci, and in German, ‘Furchenkreuz’. These trigonal sutures resolve into a posterior transverse suture on the more posterior tergites, seen only as a trace on segments 18 and 19 in specimen 3. In addition, some posterior sternites with a very fine anterior transverse suture about a quarter of the distance from the anterior margin of the sternite ( Fig. 10 ).

Sternites punctate from 6 or 7 in specimen 1, from 10 in specimen 2, from 8 in specimen 3 but puncti not seen in specimen 4; tuberculate from 10 or 11 to 19, 20 or 21 in specimens 1, 2 and 4 (Lawrence states: fairly thickly and regularly covered with minute granules, more so on the posterior ones giving them a shagreened appearance). Tubercles absent in specimen 3. Tubercle detection crucially dependent on illumination. Sternites 17–20 with or without three or four spiniform setae on anterior corners and with four or five spiniform setae on the procoxae of the same segments. Sternite 21 a little wider than long with posterior margin rounded and moderately setose, with three or four lateral spiniform setae ( Fig. 11 ), none in specimen 4.

With numerous small pores occupying the anterior 88–92% of the coxopleuron. Two or three spiniform setae behind pore field, none in specimen 2, four on posterior margin.

Two long and slender ultimate legs loose in tube; these could have come from any of the four specimens. One ( Fig. 12 ) with prefemur with spiniform setae medial, ventral and lateral, a very narrow ventral longitudinal strip lacking these (Lawrence gives: with numerous black spine-like hairs below and at the sides, femur with similar but fewer spines) and with dorsomedial spinous process. Femur similar but with fewer spiniform setae and dorsolateral spinous process. Tibia with 14 small saw teeth (mucrones) (Lawrence gives: with a row of 12–14 minute serrate denticles below arranged in a slightly sigmoid curve and lateral and medial spinous processes). Tarsus I with six small saw teeth.All podomeres with moderately dense fine setae, more common dorsally on prefemur, longer on tarsus I. The second ultimate leg also with 14+6 saw teeth but prefemur with a more obvious ventral longitudinal spine-free strip. A number of terms have been used for what are here termed spinous processes, viz. Endzahn ( Attems 1930; Kraus 1958), tubercles unciformes (Brolemann 1930), crochets ( Demange 1963), and apical tooth and apical spine ( Lawrence 1953).

Prefemora of legs 1–19 with spiniform setae on the anterior and ventral surfaces, distal only on posterior surface. These setae present on the ventral surface of the femora with a few distodorsally on the posterior surface. They are restricted to the ventral surface of the tibia. The spiniform setae occur in rows. Tarsus with fine setae and a few short setae ventrally, with a very faint division from leg 1 in specimens 1 and 2 ( Fig. 13 ), very weak or absent in specimens 3 and 4. Two accessory spurs (claw spines), the anterior being the longer. Leg 19 densely setose ventrally on prefemur, femur and tibia. Leg 20 with spiniform setae on dorsal, posterior and ventral surfaces. Tibia and tarsus without spiniform setae. Fine setae occur densely on the ventral surface of prefemur, very densely on the ventral surface of femur and all surfaces of the tibia, less so on the tarsus.

Katopleure divided vertically. Spiracles elongated horizontally.

Remarks: Lawrence (1953) stated that C. loveridgei agrees well with Cryptops aloysiisabaudiae Silvestri, 1907 (from Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda), except in the structure of the porose area and the dentition of the ultimate legs, but this is not the case as C. aloysiisabaudiae does not appear to be a Trigonocryptops . It is, moreover, only 12 mm long and may be a juvenile. It needs to be re-examined.

In Demange’s (1968) key to the African species of Trigonocryptops , C. loveridgei runs down to C. bottegii bottegii Silvestri, 1886 (Demange ‘rectified’ the specific name to C. bottegoi ) from Kenya, and S. bokumensis Kraus, 1958 , from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species were not separated in the key. Characterised by the presence of paramedian sutures on tergite 1 and of the ultimate leg prefemora with a single apical spinous process, they may be separated by the number of setae on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternum viz. 14+ 14 in C. b. bottegii and 7+ 7 in C. bokumensis .

Cryptops loveridgei and C. bokumensis are very similar. The latter is characterised by smooth tergites and sternites. However, although three of the syntypes of C. loveridgei have tuberculate posterior tergites, one does not. The tubercles are difficult to see and easily overlooked.

Cryptops (T.) bokumensis is here regarded as a junior synonym of C. (T.) loverigei .

Figures

Figs 1–8. Cryptops (T.) loveridgei: (1) left antenna, basal five antennomeres, specimen 1, dorsal view; (2) head plate and tergite 1, specimen 1, antrs anterior transverse suture; (3) clypeus, specimen 2 (area obscured by forcipules is shaded), clpl setose clypeal plate, divs diverging suture; (4) setose clypeal plate, specimen 3; (5) anterior margin of forcipular coxosternum, specimen 1; (6) head plate and anterior four segments, specimen 2, obls oblique suture, pms paramedian suture, lcsulc lateral crescentic sulcus; (7) tergite 3, specimen 1, viewed obliquely, pt pretergite, lls lateral longitudinal suture; (8) tergite 21, specimen 2. Scale bar = 0.5 mm except Fig. 4 = 0.25 mm.

Figs 9–13. Cryptops (T.) loveridgei: (9) sternite 5, specimen 2, mlsulc median longitudinal sulcus, tsulc transverse sulcus, trigs trigonal sutures; (10) sternite 18, specimen 4, tsulc transverse sulcus, fats fine anterior transverse suture, pts posterior transverse suture; (11) terminal segments, specimen 2, ventral view; (12) ultimate leg, fine setae not shown, dmsp dorsomedial spinous process, dlsp dorsolateral apical spinous process, a detail of setae on femur, b tibial saw teeth, c tarsal saw teeth; (13) tarsus of leg 11, specimen 1, acs anterior accessory spur, td division of tarsus. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.