Agnostrup paucipes (Miyosi, 1955)

Published, First, 2007, The Mecistocephalidae of the Japanese and Taiwanese islands (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha), Zootaxa 1396, pp. 1-84 : 26

Agnostrup paucipes (Miyosi, 1955)

Figs. 30–31

[1] Taiwanella paucipes Miyosi 1955b — Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 16–19: 172; fig. 4 (original description, key) Taiwanella paucipes: Murakami 1993 — List Species Anim. Japan 5: 105

Krateraspis paucipes: Shinohara 1999 — Pictorial Keys Soil Anim. Japan: 709

‘Taiwanella’ paucipes: Bonato et al. 2002 — Zootaxa 86: 2

Agnostrup paucipes: Bonato et al. 2003 — Syst. Entom. 28: 550, 551

Agnostrup paucipes: Foddai et al. 2003 — J. Nat. Hist. 37: 1255

Diagnosis. An Agnostrup species with a body length reaching at least 2 cm. Clypeal ratio about 1.2; plagulae with an irregular anterior margin and bearing about 8 pairs of setae. Posterior alae of labrum without longitudinal stripes. Forcipular article I about as long as wide. Forcipular articles articles II and III untoothed.

Type material. Holotype: male, about 20 mm long, adult ( Miyosi, 1955b).

Type locality. ‘Oze, Gunma­Ken’, Honshu ( Miyosi, 1955b).

Depository of type material. Originally deposited at Matsuyama Kita Koto Gakko, Matsuyama ( Miyosi, 1955b), but apparently lost (K. Ishii, pers. comm.).

Material examined. None.

Description. Body length of adults reaching at least 2 cm. Body colour yellow, without dark patches. Head 1.5 times as long as wide; frontal line present. Clypeal setae present both on the areolate part (3 on each side) and on the plagulae (about 8 on each side). Clypeal ratio about 1.2; clypeal plagulae with an irregular anterior margin. Labrum: anterior ala triangular, medial margin reduced to a vertex; posterior margin of each side­piece straight, not crenulate and without hair­like projections. Mandible: about 5 well developed lamellae; first lamella with 5 teeth; average intermediate lamella with about 7–8 teeth. First maxillae: anterior corners of coxosternum not projecting; each medial projection about 2.5 times as long as wide, with a long seta, the distal lobe clavate; each telopodite about 3.5 times as long as wide, with a long seta, the distal lobe attenuated. Second maxillae: article I of the telopodite about 2 times as long as wide; article III about 2.5 times as long as wide, with a few setae; apical claw absent. Forcipular segment: width to length ratio of exposed part of coxosternum about 0.9; Forcipules: article I about as long as wide, with a well developed tooth; articles II and III without teeth; tarsungulum with a long basal tooth. A total of 41 leg­bearing segments. Last leg­bearing segment: sternum sub­triangular, about as long as wide; about 7 pores on each coxopleuron.

Distribution in the considered area.

Honshu: ‘Oze,’ [1] (type locality); ‘Titibu, Hakone’ [1].

General distribution. Honshu.

Remarks. The genus Agnostrup currently includes three poorly known species. Of these, only A. paucipes occurs in the area here considered, whereas A. striganovae ( Titova, 1975) occurs in the nearby Sihote­Alin mountains ( Russia). Based on their original descriptions, these two species can be distinguished mainly by the pattern of the forcipular teeth: the second and third articles bear small teeth in A. striganovae , but no teeth in A. paucipes ( Fig. 31). Other putative differences are in the clypeal ratio (higher in A. striganovae ), the elongation of the first forcipular article and the elongation of the telopodite of the second maxillae (all higher in A. striganovae than in A. paucipes ).