Scolopendra viridicornis, Newport, 1844

Schileyko, Arkady, Iorio, Etienne & Coulis, Mathieu, 2024, A synthesis on the scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) of Martinique, with description of Cryptops (Trigonocryptops) amicitia n. sp. and new data on some Neotropical scolopendromorphs, Zootaxa 5486 (4), pp. 563-599 : 570-572

Scolopendra viridicornis Newport, 1844

Figs 7–11

Terra typica: “ Brazil ”.

Recent material from Martinique. Absent; no records from Martinique since data of Kraepelin (1904: 317).

Additional material. Brazil: 2 spms ( ZMMU, Rc 6682, 6994), Rondônia State ; 1 ad. ( ZMMU, Rc 6985), Amazonas State ; 8 ad. ( ZMMU, Rc 6986–6991, 6993, 6995), Pará State ; 1 spm ( ZMMU, Rc 6992), Goiás State .

Combined redescription (based on adult ZMMU Rc 6988).

Species of stout proportions ( Fig. 7 ) with relatively short ultimate legs; body length of ZMMU specimens up to 180 mm.

Antenna of 17 articles, of them 4 basal ones dorsally (and 3 ones ventrally) looking glabrous (covered sparsely with delicate and short transparent setae); the subsequent articles densely covered with much darker and clearly visible short setae, not organized in longitudinal rows. Cephalic plate ( Fig. 8 ) with complete paramedian sutures definitely diverging cephalad and a few branching transverse sutures crossing their most posterior ends.

Second maxillae: dorsal brush well-developed, second article of telopodite with well-developed distal spur; pretarsus with 2 long (visibly longer than 1/2 of pretarsus’ length) accessory spines.

Forcipular segment ( Fig. 9 ): anterior third of coxosternite with incomplete median suture, which meets complete transverse suture; chitin-lines rudimentary. Tooth-plates slightly wider than long; tooth-plate with 4 teeth of which a lateral one is definitely isolated and two medial ones are fused to a variable degree. Single short strong seta in small rounded depression just below tooth-margin. Basal sutures of the tooth-plates unusually long (!), in shape of an obtuse angle (ca 110–120°); together with both median and transverse sutures the basal ones form very characteristic pattern ( Fig. 9 ). Trochanteroprefemur with large and short process, the latter with 1 apical and 2 lateral tubercles; the process is slightly longer than a tooth-plate. Tarsungula of normal length; its interior surface with a single sharp longitudinal ridge.

Tergite 1 ( Fig. 8 ) with a well-developed anterior transverse suture (see Remarks below) and a complex of a few fine branching transverse sutures (we name it below as “anterior complex”) in front of it; this complex is covered by posterior margin of cephalic plate. Paramedian sutures bifurcate widely cephalad almost in center of tergite 1; posterior ends of these sutures bifurcate caudad ( Fig. 8 ). Anterior branches of paramedian suture cross anterior transverse suture, meet and anastomose with the “anterior complex”. Tergites 3–20 with complete paramedian sutures; tergite 2 very short, with several strongly anastomosing sutures; tergites 4–9 with oblique sutures. Tergites from 5 th with incomplete and from 10–13 with complete lateral margination ( Figs 10, 11 ).

Sternites 2–20 with complete paramedian sutures.

Leg 1 with one prefemoral, one femoral, one tibial and two tarsal spurs; legs 2–20 with one tarsal spur; pretarsus of legs 1–21 with two accessory spines. Prefemur of legs 2–19 with two (very rarely 1) minute spines on the place of prefemural corner spine ( Fig. 11 ), prefemur of leg 20 with a small but well-developed corner spine which bears 2–4 spines (which may be from minute to normally developed in size, Fig. 10 ).

Ultimate LBS: tergite 21 ( Fig. 10 ) considerably wider than long, with wide, well-developed but incomplete (shortened caudally) longitudinal ridge ( Fig. 11 ). Sternite 21 much narrower than penultimate, practically as wide as long and distinctly narrowed towards slightly convex posterior margin. Coxopleuron (excluding coxopleural process) approximately 1.5 times as long as sternite 21, densely and virtually completely (i.e. with no posterior poreless area) covered with small pores of various sizes. Short conical coxopleural process poreless, with 1 large apical and 2–3 much smaller subapical spines.

Ultimate legs ( Figs 7, 11 ) short and stout (length of prefemur ca 8, width of prefemur 2.5– 3 mm). Prefemur definitely and femur slightly flattened dorsally, other articles cylindrical. Prefemur with 6 spines (in three rows, 2 + 2 + 2) ventrally, 1 spine medially and 4–5 dorso-medially ( Fig. 11 ); corner spine cylindrical, considerably elongated, with 3 apical and 1 subapical spines ( Figs 10, 11 ). Pretarsus practically as long as (or visibly longer than) tarsus 2.

Range. Guyana, historical coastal region “ Demerara ” (Newport 1844). According to the data of the first author this species is widely distributed in Northern and Central (and, probably, Eastern) Brazil ( Schileyko 2002; recent data). Bücherl (1942: 282, 1974: 108) mentioned it from Venezuela, throughout Brazil (mainly from Southern and Central States), Colombia (Medellin), Bolivia, Paraguay (Assunsion; Capiata) and Argentina (Palmar); Shelley (2006: 8) mentioned it also from Surinam and removed Bücherl’s (1974) locality of “ Havana, Cuba ”.

Remarks. This large (21 cm and longer sensu Bücherl 1974) scolopendrid seems to be well known ( Bücherl 1939, 1942, 1974; Shelley 2006; Chagas-Jr 2000; Schileyko 2002), but no adequate descriptions are available since those of Attems (1930: 43) and Bücherl (1939: 235). Thus, we consider it important to re-describe such a widespread and abundant Neotropical species based on the typical specimens from ZMMU; moreover, S. viridicornis combines a few morphological peculiarities that are rather rare among scolopendromorphs, being characteristic only of the genus Scolopendra . The most unusual (and main diagnostic) peculiarity of this species is the presence of small spines in place of the corner spine on the prefemur of practically all legs ( Fig. 11 ).

We also like to state, that the mentioned above “anterior transverse suture” of tergite 1 is much deeper and considerably more sclerotized ( Fig. 8 ) compared to any other (cephalic, tergal or sternal) sutures. Thus, in our opinion, it actually looks like as a mark of the former joint of two neighboring sclerites (segments?) than any ordinary suture (see Discussion below). It is interesting, that in a few ZMMU specimens (for example Rc 6988) the oblique sutures on long tergites are considerably less developed than on short tergites.

This (one of the most common) South American species may well have been introduced to the Antilles (at least as a result of human activities). S. viridicornis was mentioned from Martinique by Kraepelin (1904) and from “Antillen” by Attems (1930: 44), but the latter author probably just repeated Kraepelin’s data. However, since then it has never been found on Martinique, despite numerous studies by the third author over several years in various habitats (especially in those where introduced species are common: man-made habitats, farmland, gardens, etc.). Thus, we doubt a permanent presence of S. viridicornis on this island.

Figures

FIGURES 6–11. Scolopendra alternans Leach, 1816, Rc 6324 (ZMMU). 6. LBS 20 and 21 + ultimate legs, dorsally. Scale bar: 5 mm. Scolopendra viridicornis Newport, 1844, Rc 6988 (ZMMU). 7. General view, dorsally. Scale bar: 10 mm. 8. Cephalic plate + LBS 1–4, dorsally. Scale bar: 5 mm. 9. Head + LBS 1, ventrally. Scale bar: 5 mm. 10. LBS 20 and 21 + prefemora and femora of ultimate legs, dorsally. Scale bar: 5 mm. Rc 6986 (ZMMU). 11. LBS 16–21 + ultimate legs, dorsally. Scale bar: 5 mm.