Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus) nudicornis (Gervais, 1837)

Zapparoli, Marzio & Iorio, Etienne, 2012, The centipedes (Chilopoda) of Corsica: catalogue of species with faunistic, zoogeographical and ecological remarks, International Journal of Myriapodology 7, pp. 15-68 : 17-18

2. Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus) nudicornis (Gervais, 1837)

Lithobius impressus Koch: Pocock 1894: 164. (1)

Lithobius impressus C.K. (= nudicornis Gervais?): Léger and Duboscq 1903: 308. (2)

Lithobius impressus corsicus Léger & Duboscq 1903: 308, 316, fig. 1 (sub Lithobius (Polybothrus) impressus corsicus ). (3)

Polybothrus impressus Koch: Verhoeff 1925a: 656. (4)

Polybothrus impressus corsicus Lég. [sic]: Verhoeff 1925a: 656. (5)

Lithobius impressus : Brölemann 1926: 232. (6)

Bothropolys impressus corsicus Léger et Duboscq: Jeannel 1926: 191. (7)

Polybothrus impressus Koch: Verhoeff 1926: 271. (8)

Bothropolys elongatus , subsp. corsicus ( Legér et Duboscq, 1903): Brölemann 1930: 249, fig. 390. (9)

Polybothrus elongatus corsicus Lég. and Dub.: Verhoeff 1943: 18. (10)

Bothropolys sp.: Manfredi 1956: 292. (11)

Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus) elongatus (Newport, 1849): Minelli 1978: 153. (12)

Bothropolys elongatus corsicus ( Léger et Duboscq, 1903): Demange 1981: 248. (13)

Eupolybothrus nudicornis (Gervais, 1837): Foddai et al. 1996: 360, Tab. I. (14)

Eupolybothrus nudicornis corsicus Léger et Duboscq, 1903: Iorio 2004a: 32. (15)

Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus) nudicornis (Gervais, 1837): Geoffroy and Iorio 2009: 674. (16)

Eupolybothrus (Allopolybothrus) nudicornis (Gervais, 1837): Iorio 2010b: 41, 93, 95, fig. 130. (17)

Literature records.

General. Sardinia-Corsica (12). Corsica (4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17). Epigeic. Corse-du-Sud, 2A - Aidone [= Aitone], 1050 m (10) [II]. Ajaccio (3, loc. typ. of Lithobius (Polybothrus) impressus corsicus Léger and Duboscq, 1903) [I]. Bonifacio (17) [I]. Ocana, canton d’Ajaccio (17) [I]. Villanova, canton d’Ajaccio (17) [I]. Haute-Corse, 2B - Cap Corse (3, loc. typ. of Lithobius (Polybothrus) impressus corsicus Léger and Duboscq, 1903) [I]. Casanova, Saint Pierre de Venaco (17) [I]. Corte (1, 3, loc. typ. of Lithobius (Polybothrus) impressus corsicus Léger and Duboscq, 1903) [I]. Corte, Lac de Melo, 1711 m, hygrophilous meadow around the lake (15) [IV]. Haute-Asco, near Mount Cinto, ca 1700 m, hygrophilous meadow (15) [IV]. Valdoniella [= Valdu Niellu] (10) [III]. Vizzavona (2, 8) [III]. Cave. Haute-Corse, 2B - [Lano], cave e’ Cherpinede, [800 m] (11) [II].

Material examined.

Epigeic. Corse-du-Sud, 2A - Evisa, falls of Aitone, Pinus laricio wood, 900 m: 17.IV.2004, MZ, 7 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [II]. Evisa, falls of Aitone, 1000 m: 3.VIII.1997, MZ, 4 exx MZ det. (CMZ) [II]. Porto, between Col de la Croix and Plage de Tuara, low maquis, 200-250 m: 14.IV.2004, MZ, 1 ♀ imm. MZ det. (CMZ) [I].Propriano, St. Maria Sichè, [500 m]: 3.I.2007, LF, 1 ♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [I]. Zonza, surroundings: 13.VIII.1997, MZ, 1 ♀ imm. MZ det. (CMZ) [II]. Haute-Corse, 2B - Asco River valley, 1000 m: 6.VIII.1997, MZ, 1 ♂ imm., 4 ♀♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [II]. Cap Corse, Col St. Lucia, Tour de Seneca, Quercus ilex wood, 450 m: 11.IV.2004, MZ, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [I]. Col de Vergiu, eastern slope, 1150 m: 15.IV.2004, MZ, 6 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [III]. Corte, Restonica Valley, Pinus laricio wood, 1080 m: 15.IV.2004, MZ, 2 ♀♀ MZ det. (CMZ) [II]. Macinaggio, Route du Douanier, low maquis, 30 m: 9.IV.2004, MZ, 1 ♂ imm. MZ det. (CMZ) [I]. Nebbio, Col Verzu, maquis, 300 m: 12.IV.2004, MZ, 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ imm., 1 imm. MZ det. (CMZ) [I]. Vizzavona, Fagus sylvatica wood,1600 m: 2.IV.1991, RA, 1 ex MZ det. (CMZ) [III].

General distribution.

Europe: France (mainland, Corsica), Italy (mainland, Sicily, Sardinia), Malta, Spain; North Africa: Algeria (north), Libya ( north–west), Morocco ( north–east), Tunisia (north, central) ( Stoev et al. 2010).

Chorotype.

W-Mediterranean.

Ecological notes.

30-1700 m; a species recorded from localities in all the vegetation belts, from the Mesomediterranean to the Subalpine and Oromediterranean, in a wide range of habitats, in Pinus laricio woods (2 sites), Fagus sylvatica woods (1 site), Quercus ilex woods (1 site), maquis (2 sites), low maquis (1 site), montane hygrophilous meadows (2 sites); also in caves (1 site; trogloxene species). See Rémy (1950), Manfredi (1956), Iorio (2004a).

Remarks.

This is the only species of the genus present in the study area. Records from Corsica published under Eupolybothrus impressus (C.L. Koch, 1841) by Pocock (1894), Léger and Duboscq (1903), Verhoeff (1925a, 1926) and Brölemann (1926), or under Eupolybothrus elongatus (Newport in Lucas, 1849) by Minelli (1978) (also in Lithobius , in Bothropolys Wood, 1862 or in Polybothrus Latzel, 1880), are referred to this species according to Stoev et al. (2010).

Eupolybothrus nudicornis corsicus ( Léger & Duboscq, 1903) is currently considered a junior synonym of Eupolybothrus nudicornis nudicornis (Gervais, 1837) because, apparently, no distinctive morphological charactes are recognizable between the two forms (e.g., Jeekel 1967, Iorio 2008). Although the hooked spine on male prefemur 14 (DpP) presumed as distinctive of Eupolybothrus nudicornis corsicus has been observed in almost all the mature and intact male specimens examined here (5 ♂♂, Col de Vergiu, 1150 m; 2 ♂♂ Evisa, falls of Aitone, 900 m), specimens with 14 DpP normal (1 ♂) or asymmethric (hooked on one side, normal on the other side: 2 ♂♂) have been also found in one locality (Evisa, falls of Aitone, 900 m). Molecular studies are currently in progress to clarify previous taxonomic interpretations and to detect cryptic diversity in the Eupolybothrus nudicornis group of species. Preliminary results show that Sicilian and Sardinian populations are well separated from the remainder of the species hitherto referred to as Eupolybothrus nudicornis with genetic distances similar to those exhibited among distinct species in the genus ( Stoev et al. 2010, Porco et al. 2011).

The generic record of a single immature specimen from the cave of Cherpinede, probably belonging to Bothropolys elongatus corsicus according to Manfredi (1956), is also referred to this species. To this material in part refers the generic quotation of “Chilopodes” published in Rémy (1950: 27) from the same cave (collection date 1948).

The subgeneric assignment is according to Jeekel (1967), but see Stoev et al. (2010).