Cryptops (C.) venezuelae Chamberlin, 1939

Schileyko, Arkady A., 2014, A contribution to the centipede fauna of Venezuela (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha), Zootaxa 3821 (1), pp. 151-192 : 184-186

Cryptops (C.) venezuelae Chamberlin, 1939

Figs 62–64

Cryptops venezuelae: Chamberlin, 1939: 63 .

Terra typica: Venezuela (without precise locality).

Material. [Miranda State, Municipio Sucre, Parque Rómulo Gallegos (Petare),] [loc.12], 3. Rio Caurimare (Caracas) Formicoi[?], under bark, 1 ad + 1 sad, 25.09.1969, leg [C.] Bordón, N 7359; Miranda [State, Municipio Acevedo], [loc.10], Guatopo [National Park], los Alpes [del Tuy], bosque humedo tropical, 600[m], leg MGP: 1 ad, N 31, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7357; 1 ad, N 34, BR, 0 2.1987, N 7358; [Miranda State, Municipio Plaza], [loc.14], Izcaragua [Country] Club, 38.4, TU, rotted wood on soil, 3 sad, 22.12.1985, leg MGP, N 7356. Aragua, [loc.4], [Henri] Pittier Natn. Park, [Sector] Rancho Grande, 1200 m, selva nublada, leg MGP: 1 juv, N 0 1, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7326; 1 ad. + 1 juv, N 0 4, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7327; 1 juv, N 0 4, TF, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7328; 1 sad, N 0 5, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7329; 2 ad, N 0 5, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7340; 2 sad, N 0 8, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7325; 1 sad, N 0 8, TF, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7324; 2 juv, N 0 9, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7342; 1 sad, N 0 9, TF, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7341; Troudrivivi[?], sotto muscio, 1 ad, 29.08.1980, N 7360; 16 sad + 34 juv, 1400–1500m., 30., litiera, Miriopode, 12.11.1982, N 7361; [loc.4],Rancho Grande, 32, frunzar[?], 5 sad + 3 juv, 12.11.1982, leg T.Org., N 7362; Aragua [State], [loc.2], P[ark]. Pittier, Pico Rancho Grande, 44.3, MLT, possible damage for transport[?], 1450, TU, 3 sad + 1 juv, 27.12.1985, leg MGP, N 7354; Aragua [State], [loc.5], P.[ark] Pittier, [Road] Limón-Guamita, 51.2, TU, 750[m], litter, top soil litter sorting, 1 juv, 28.12.1985, leg MGP, N 7355; Aragua [State], [loc.3], Parque Pittier, [Passo de] Portachuelo, leg MGP: 1 sad, N 11, selva nublada, 1250, TF, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7343; 1 juv, N 11, selva nublada, 1250, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7344; 2 sad, N 12, selva nublada, 1250, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7345; 1 sad, N 13, selva nublada, 1250, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7346; 1 juv, N 15, pl.[?] 87, selva nublada, 1250, TF, soil, N 7347; 1 juv, N 15, selva nublada, 1250, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7348; 1 sad, N 16, selva nublada, 1250, TF, soil, 0 2.1987, N 7349; 2 sad, N 17, selva nublada, 1250, TF, litter, 0 2.1987, N 7350; 1 sad, N 18, selva nublada, 1250, 0 2.1987, N 7351; 1 sad + 1 juv, 56.2, Bds, litter, 20–20, TU, 29.12.1985, N 7352; 1 juv, 56.5, 20–20, TU, 1250, soil (h.14), 17, hand sorting, 29.12.1985, N 7353. 96 specimens in all.

Diagnosis. Cephalic plate and tergite 1 without sutures. Sternites 2–19 with well-developed cruciform sulcus. Coxopleuron with 10–11 coxal pores. Both prefemur and femur of ultimate legs with numerous spine-like setae; femur with one, tibia with four and tarsus 1 with two saw teeth.

Re-description (adult N 7360). Length of body ca 7 mm (maximal length 12 mm in N 7359). Color in ethanol: uniformly yellow; body with sparse very small setae, the distal leg articles more setose.

Antennae: short, reaching the anterior margin of tergite 2 when reflexed ( Fig. 62 ), composed of 17 short (i.e. wider than long) articles. 4–4.5 basal articles with very few long setae, remaining articles much more pilose. Basal articles cylindrical.

Cephalic plate without sutures and nearly round in shape ( Fig. 62 ), slightly covering the anterior margin of tergite 1.

Labrum with a single median tooth.

Forcipular segment: coxosternite without sutures, its anterior margin weakly bilobed. Tarsungula very thin, pointed.

Tergite 1 without sutures, with small shallow depression approximately in the middle. Tergites (3)4–20 with both paramedian and lateral crescentic sulci. Tergite 21 wider than long, not narrowed towards the obtusely angled posterior margin; its sides slightly curved. Only tergite 21 distinctly margined laterally.

Sternites trapeziform; sternites 2–19 with well-developed and practically complete median longitudinal and transverse sulci. Sternite 21 short and wide, narrowed towards the slightly convex posterior margin. Endosternites absent.

Legs: with a few short setae. Legs 1-19 with undivided tarsus; pretarsi short and pointed, accessory spines absent (?).

Coxopleuron with 10–11 coxal pores; pore-field oval, longer than sternite 21, with a wide posterior poreless area. Posterior margin of coxopleuron with 3 large setae.

Ultimate legs ( Figs 63, 64 ): ca 2 mm long, width of prefemur 0.1–0.2 mm. All articles, except for tarsus 2, short and enlarged; prefemur as long as femur, tibia shorter. All articles rounded in cross-section. Both prefemur and femur covered by short thick spine-like setae which are more dense ventrally and medially. Femur with one saw tooth, tibia (which is practically as long as tarsus 1) with four saw teeth and tarsus 1 with two short saw teeth.

Range. Venezuela, Aragua State, Municipio Mario Briceño Iragorry, Henri Pittier National Park. Miranda State: Municipio Plaza, Izcaragua Country Club; Municipio Acevedo, Guatopo National Park, Los Alpes del Tuy; Municipio Sucre, Parque Rómulo Gallegos (Petare). Venezuela (without locality).

Variation. (1) most specimens (for example NN 7349, 7362, 7361) have posterior margin of cephalic plate covered by tergite 1, but in some specimens (for example NN 7360, 7359) an anterior margin of tergite 1 is slightly covered by cephalic plate;

(2) adult N 7359 seems to have anterior transverse suture at tergite 1, but in subadult of the same sample this suture is not recognizable;

(3) number of basal antennal articles with a few long setae varies from 3 (NN 7341, 7362) or 4–4.5 (NN 7360, 7361) to 5 (NN 7359, 7349);

(4) juvenile specimens (for example NN 7349, 7341) have anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite practically straight and not divided by median diastema;

(5) some specimens (NN 7340, 7343, 7344, 7361, 7362) have some accumulations of dark pigment under dorsal integument (mainly in anterior segments);

(6) subadult and juvenile specimens have 7–8 vs. 10–11 coxal pores in adults. Usually these pores are barely visible in subadults and juveniles (because of their small sizes and poorly-sclerotized integument), however in juveniles NN 7353, 7350 they are clearly visible;

(7) number of saw teeth of the tibia of ultimate leg varies from 4 (see above; Fig. 63 ) to 5–6;

(8) endosternites are usually well-developed in the anterior part of the trunk of Cryptops .

Discussion. Chamberlin (1939) described C. venezuelae from a single specimen “taken at quarantine in Washington, D.C., July 22, 1936 ” (not “intercepted in quarantine at New Orleans, Louisiana” as stated in Chilobase). Chamberlin wrote that specimen was “From Venezuela ” without more precise locality; this information was reiterated by Bücherl (1974) and Shelley (2002). There is no other literature data on Venezuelan representatives of the family Cryptopidae . The original description is short and lacks illustrations, however some important taxonomic details have been described. Both Chamberlin’s C. venezuelae and specimen described above have cephalic plate and tergite 1 without sutures, sternites with cruciform sulcus, the same number of coxopleural pores, prefemur and femur of ultimate legs with numerous spine-like setae and the same number of saw teeth at femur, tibia and tarsus 1 of ultimate legs. Thus I consider all specimens from Venezuelan material as C. venezuelae .

According to the only general identification key for Cryptops ( Attems, 1930) C. venezuelae seems to be similar to C. (C.) australis from which it can be readily distinguished by 4–6 (vs. 8–11 in australis ) saw teeth on the tibia of ultimate leg, presence of numerous spine-like setae on prefemur and femur of ultimate legs and a New World distribution. Thus, in Attems’ identification key C. venezuelae would come between couplets 16 and 17.

I note that the “cruciform sulcus” (=“cruciform depression”) which is often present in the sternites of Cryptops , is according to the Bonato at al. (2010, p.39) “cruciform suture /sutures[!] (of sternite): [Sco] the pair of transverse and median longitudinal sulci on a sternite”. In fact these depressions are not sutures but sulci.

Figures

FIGURES 61 – 64. Otostigmus (Parotostigmus) goeldii Brölemann, 1898 (♂ N 6674) 61 anterior half of prefemora of ultimate legs, dorsal view; Cryptops (C.) venezuelae Chamberlin, 1939 (adult N 7360) 62 cephalic plate + segments 1 – 3, dorsal view 63 left ultimate leg, medial view 64 right ultimate leg, medial view; (utg) — tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, (dp) — males digitiform process, (tg 1) — tergite 1, (ut 1) — tarsus 1 of ultimate leg, (ut 2) — tarsus 2 of ultimate leg, (ut) — tibia of ultimate leg, (up) — prefemur of ultimate legs, (stu) — saw teeth of ultimate leg, (sup) — spine-like setae of ultimate leg.