Strigamia branneri (Bollman, 1888)

Bonato, Lucio, Dányi, László, Socci, Antonio Augusto & Minelli, Alessandro, 2012, Species diversity of Strigamia Gray, 1843 (Chilopoda: Linotaeniidae): a preliminary synthesis, Zootaxa 3593, pp. 1-39 : 11

Strigamia branneri (Bollman, 1888) *

References for morphology: Bollman 1888b; Chamberlin 1912a.

Taxonomic notes. Described originally as a species of Linotaenia , it was assigned subsequently to Scolioplanes or Tomotaenia, until it was included in Strigamia by Crabill (1955). Its validity was never questioned. However, S. branneri could turn out to be a junior synonym of S. chionophila , because no character is known for distinguishing effectively the two species. Putative differential characters given by Chamberlin (1912a), i.e. the shape of the posterior margin of the head and the elongation of the forcipular metatergite, are actually variable between conspecific specimens of Strigamia (our obs.); moreover, Chamberlin (1961) himself synonymized L. miuropus under S. chionophila (see below, under S. chionophila ) despite the fact that the type specimen of the former agrees with S. branneri in the shape of the posterior margin of the head.

Distribution: eastern part of North America, northwards at least to Illinois, possibly to Michigan and New York State, southwards to Georgia, westwards to Missouri and Arkansas.