Otostigmus taeniatus Pocock, 1896

Lewis, John G. E., 2015, On Verhoeff’s Otostigmus subgenus Malaccopleurus, the nudus group of Otostigmus subgenus Otostigmus Porat, 1876, and Digitipes Attems, 1930, with a description of the foetus stadium larva in O. sulcipes Verhoeff, 1937, (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), Zootaxa 4039 (2), pp. 225-248 : 239-240

Otostigmus taeniatus Pocock, 1896

( Figs 46–50 )

Otostigmus taeniatus Pocock, 1896: 435 . Mombasa, Merifano and Leikipia, Kenya.

Otostigmus taeniatus: Kraepelin, 1903: 108 .

Otostigmus ( O.) taeniatus: Attems, 1930b: 149 .

Otostigmus ( O.) taeniatus: Lewis, 1996: 831 , Figs 30–36 .

Diagnosis. Length up to 63 mm. Antennal articles 17, the basal four or five glabrous dorsally. Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates longer than wide, with 4+4 teeth. Tergites with complete paramedian sutures from 5 or 6– 20, marginate from 7, 8 or 9, with traces of a keel and lateral corrugations. Sternites with complete paramedian sutures, with a median longitudinal depression on 4/8–19 and a small round posterior median depression. Coxopleural process with two apical spines. Coxopleural pore-field oval, not widened anteriorly. Legs without tarsal spurs. Ultimate leg with prefemur, femur and tibia with very weak longitudinal grooves or none, prefemoral spines VL 2–4, VM 2–3, M 0, DM 1(2), CS 0 (three rows, 8–9 spines in toto).

Description. (Based on Lewis (1996)). Three specimens, length, 45, 55 and 63 mm. Colour (recorded by Pocock, (1896)): “green or almost ochre-yellow, with head-plate and maxillipedes castaneous: the terga marked with four fine deeper green lines, one on each margin and one on each sulcus; antennae greenish or ochre-yellow; legs pale green or yellow, or yellow obscurely banded with green.” Cephalic plate longer than wide ( Fig. 46 ). Antennal articles 17, the basal four glabrous dorsally except for the inner anterior region of the fourth in the holotype (spm. 1) (Pocock gave three). The basal five glabrous dorsally, the sixth sparsely setose in spm. 2, the basal four glabrous dorsally, the fifth with a glabrous median dorsal strip in spm. 3. Forcipular coxosternal toothplates longer than wide with 4+4 small teeth ( Fig. 47 ). A prominent median longitudinal suture on anterior part of coxosternite. Forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process with one or two small medial denticles or none.

Tergites with complete paramedian sutures from 5/6–20, marginate from 7, 8 or 9. Without, or with very weak lateral corrugations and with or without a trace of a median keel in posterior tergites. Tergite of ultimate legbearing segment without a posterior median depression.

Sternites with complete paramedian sutures in sulci from 2–19, with a median longitudinal depression on 4/8– 19 and a small round posterior median depression from 3, or 7/8 to 19 ( Fig. 48 ). Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment as long as wide with sides converging posteriorly, with the posterior margin only slightly concave and a very short posterior median depression or none. Coxopleural process very short, with two apical spines, no lateral or dorsal spines. The pore-field oval, not widened anteriorly ( Fig. 49 ).

Legs without tarsal spurs. Spinulation of prefemora of ultimate legs VL 2–4, VM 2–3, M 0, DM 1(2), CS 0 (three rows, 8–9 spines in toto). The spines borne on prominent swollen bases. The dorsal surface of the prefemur, femur and tibia with a very weak longitudinal grooves in the holotype ( Fig. 50 ), absent in the two smaller specimens (length 45 and 55 mm).

Remarks. Otostigmus taeniatus is most similar to O. nudum . It differs from O. nudum principally in having the first four or five rather than three basal antennal articles glabrous and the prefemoral spines of the ultimate legs borne on prominent swollen bases.

Figures

FIGURES 46 – 50. Otostigmus taeniatus. 46. Head and tergite 1 Holotype (after Lewis, 1996). 47. Forcipular coxopleural tooth-plates Holotype (after Lewis, 1996). 48. Sternite 12, Holotype (after Lewis, 1996). 49. Right coxopleuron and part of ultimate leg prefemur Leikipia spm., lateral view. 50. Right ultimate leg Merifano spm., dorsal view.

FIGURES 27 – 31. Otostigmus geophilinus Holotype. 27. Head and tergite 1. 28. Forcipular coxopleural tooth-plates and right forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process. 29. Sternite 13. 30. Coxopleuron and sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, ventral view. 31. Detail of right coxopleural process. Scale bars = 1 mm except Fig. 28 = 0.5 mm.