Scolopocryptops nigrimaculatus Song, Song and Zhu, 2004

Lee, Sue Yeon, Yoo, Jung Sun & Kim, Seung Tae, 2017, Two Scolopocryptops Newport, 1844 (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) new to the Korean fauna, Journal of Species Research 6, pp. 215-219 : 215-217

1. Scolopocryptops nigrimaculatus Song, Song and Zhu, 2004

( Fig. 1 A-H) ḓüḀm네 (ṵḍ)

Synonyms. Scolopocryptops nigrimaculatus Song, Song and Zhu, 2004: p. 82 , fig. 2A-H.

Material examined. Korea, Seongsan Ilchubong Tuff Cone, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si , Jeju-do, 33°27 ʹ 36.3 ʺ N 126°56 ʹ 16.4 ʺ E, 66 m, soil and litter layers of Euonymus japonicus , 29. Sep. 2016, leg. Yong Hong

Description of the Korean specimen. Body 32 mm long. Antennae and cephalic plate reddish-brown without dark spots ( Fig. 1A); all tergites dark brown with dark spots ( Fig. 1A, E, G, H); all legs orangish yellow with very few, small and faint blue spots. Cephalic plate about as long as wide, laterally marginate ( Fig. 1A), posterior border covering first tergite. Basal two antennal articles sparsely hirsute dorsad, substantially less hirsute than 3rd antennomere ( Fig. 1C). Forcipular coxostenite moderately and strongly punctate, with two dental margin convex on its anterior edge ( Fig. 1B); forcipular trochanteroprefemur with a small medial tooth. Paramedian dorsal sutures complete from tergites 6-20 ( Fig. 1G), incomplete on tergite 21 ( Fig. 1H). Incomplete lateral margination from tergites 5-22 ( Fig. 1G, H); ultimate tergite completely marginate, with a fine medial longitudinal depression on the 2/5 of its length ( Fig. 1E). Sternites with puncti, without sutures; last sternite with lateral margins converging caudally and posterior margin slightly concave. Coxopleuron with considerable pores and coxopleural process with a long spine ( Fig. 1D). All legs with two claw spines. All legs almost glabrous, only with sparse and very short hairs. Legs 1-19 with two tibial spines and one tarsal spine each; leg 20 with one/two tibial spine(s) asymmetrically and with one tarsal spine, leg 21 with one tibial spine and one tarsal spine each ( Fig. 1F); leg 22 with one tibial spine and without tarsal spine; ultimate legs without spine. Ultimate legs almost glabrous; prefemur with a large ventral spur and a small lateral spur ( Fig. 1D).

Remarks. Based on the presence of complete paramedian sulci on the tergites, Scolopocryptops nigrimaculatus is very similar to another species, Scolopocryptops rubiginosus L. Koch, 1878 , but differs from that by having dark pattern on the tergites (without dark pattern in rubiginosus ) and by the two basal antennal articles being less hirsute than the third one (second article similarly hirsute like the third in rubiginosus ). The Korean specimen fits well the species by the differential characters of tergites having dark pattern and the two basal antennal articles being less hirsute than the third one. It cannot be ruled out that some of the earlier Korean data of Scolopocryptops rubiginosus referred to S. nigrimaculatus .

Distribution. Scolopocryptops nigrimaculatus was known only from China till now (type locality: Donghu Lake, Wuhan, China, ~ 30°33.311 ʹ N 114°23.473 ʹ E); other known localities: Wugai Mountain, Chenzhou area of Hunan province, China (~ 25°44.511 ʹ N 113°13.306 ʹ E); Tanjiaqiaozhen, Huangshan, Anhui, China (~ 30°9.521 ʹ N 118°15.830 ʹ E) ( Song et al., 2004). New to the fauna of the Korean Peninsula.

Deposition. Specimen (NIBRIV0000812481) has been deposited in the National Institute of Biological Resources, Korea (NIBR).