A review of the species in the genus Cryptops Leach, 1815 from the Old World related to Cryptops (Cryptops) hortensis (Donovan, 1810) (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha
Author
Lewis, John G. E.
text
International Journal of Myriapodology
2011
4
11
50
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/ijm.4.1116
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/ijm.4.1116
1313-2970-4-11
Cryptops hortensis atlantis Pocock, 1891
Figs 45-54
Cryptops atlantis
Pocock, 1891
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist [6] 8: 155, Pl. 12, fig. 12.
Cryptops hortensis atlantis
:
Kraepelin, 1903
Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg 20: 57.
Material examined.
BMNH. Holotype. Madeira: Grant, W. R. O. BMNH(E) # 20001 Chilo. 1891.3.8.10. Original label missing.
Diagnosis.
Length 20.5 mm. Without dark subcutaneous pigment. Cephalic plate with very short longitudinal sutures extending only a short way back from the bases of the antennae. Clypeus with a pair of post-antennal setae, 12 somewhat irregular clypeals and 9 prelabrals. Labral sidepieces not notched. Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite barely protuberant, with 4 to 6 fine setae on each side on the anterior margin. Poison gland calyx cylindrical, situated mainly in posterior part of the tarsungulum. Posterior margin of sternite 21 slightly concave. Coxopleural pore field not extending to posterior margin, without setae. Prefemur of ultimate leg with ventral median longitudinal groove. Tibia with 15-17 well separated minute saw teeth, tarsus with 5-6 close set teeth. Pretarsal accessory spurs of legs 1-20 very small.
Description.
(
Pocock's
(1891)
data in parentheses where relevant).
Male (contains 3 spermatophores). Length 20.5 mm (21.5 mm). Colour reddish brown (antennae, head, first two and last two somites and anal legs ochraceous; rest of legs testaceous: rest of somites ochraceo-fuscous).
Antennnal articles 15[r]-12[d], article 1 with long and medium setae, 2 with in addition a few short setae, 3 intermediate, 4 with small setae and basal whorl of long and medium setae. Cephalic plate with extremely short weak oblique anterior paramedian sutures at bases of antennae. Tergite 1 overlying posterior margin of cephalic plate.
Clypeus with a pair of post-antennal setae, about 12 clypeals of varying size approximately forming an elongated triangle (Fig. 45). A row of 9 prelabral setae. Labrum not visible.
Anterior wall of forcipular coxosternite slightly convex on each side with 6 + 4 fine marginal setae (Fig. 46). Poison gland calyx situated in tibia and posterior part of tarsungulum, cylindrical and of moderate length (Figs 47, 48).
Tergite sutures not seen, paramedian sutures difficult to observe in this darkly pigmented specimen but apparently wanting on tergites 2 and 3, occupying anterior 75% on tergite 4, complete on 14, almost complete on 19 and 20. Very weak arcuate sutures on tergites 4 to 8. (The first three wholly without sulci, the fourth obsoletely sulcate posteriorly and laterally, the rest, except the last, with four sulci; two internal complete, two external incomplete and oblique, the oblique sulci almost obsolete on the seventeenth to twentieth tergites).
Pocock's
(1891)
terms internal complete and external incomplete and oblique sulci clearly referred to the paramedian and lateral crescentic sulci.
Detail of sternites 1 to 20 not observed (medially and longitudinally sulcate, the transverse sulcus scarcely perceptible). Sternite 21 with sides converging posteriorly and hind margin slightly concave (Fig. 49). Coxopleuron with relatively few pores (19-20) occupying anterior 70% of pore field. No setae in pore field and none between pore field and posterior margin which bears 6 or 7 setae.
Ultimate leg (Fig. 50) prefemur with spinous setae on ventral and posterior (median) surface, dorsal and lateral surfaces with a few setae. A glabrous ventromedia
l
groove. Femur with fewer spinous setae ventrally and medially but more fine setae especially distally. A poorly defined glabrous ventromedian strip. Tibia flattened dorsally, and in distal half with a few short fine setae dorsally and laterally and dense fine setae ventrally and medially: with 15 or 17 well-separated minute saw teeth on inferior edge of flattened medial surface (Fig. 51). The attendant setae parallel-sided and pointed (Fig. 52). Tarsus 1 bulbous distally with dense medium to long setae, with 5 or 6 close set saw teeth (Fig. 53), larger than those of the tibia and set on a pronounced hump. Tarsus 2 with a few scattered setae. Pretarsal claw simple, Pretarsal accessory spurs of legs 1-20 small (Fig. 54). The twentieth pair of this male with dense fine setae ventrally on prefemur, femur and tibia.
Distribution.
Madeira and possibly the Azores and the Canary Is.
Remarks.
Kraepelin (1903)
stated that
Cryptops atlantis
was differentiated from
Cryptops hortensis
only by the large number of saw teeth on the femora of the ultimate legs and stated that in correspondence
Pocock (1891)
had said that he considered it only a variety of
Cryptops hortensis
.
Kraepelin (1903)
accordingly listed it as
Cryptops hortensis atlantis
. Confusingly, he stated that he had before him specimens from the Azores and the Canaries (presumably of what he considered atlantis) with 6-7 tibial and 1-3 tarsal saw teeth. He suggested that further work might allow the identification of geographically separated forms.
Attems (1930)
may have been referring to
Kraepelin's
(1903)
statement when he gave the distribution of
Cryptops hortensis atlantis
as Madeira, Azores, Canaria, Tenerife. I regard these records as uncertain. Material is required from the Azores and the Canaries.
Attems (1930)
noted that there was also the var. hortensis from S. Miguel, Azores, with 5+3 saw teeth.
The differences in the number and type of the saw teeth between
Cryptops hortensis atlantis
and
Cryptops hortensis
are major and I consider them more than sufficient to return
Cryptops atlantis
to full specific status. It is worth noting that
Lewis (2010b)
suggested that the characteristics of the saw teeth of the ultimate legs in
Cryptops
may allow species recognition before paring takes place.
Figures 39-44.
Cryptops hortensis hortensis
. 39 Anterior margin of forcipular coxostrernum (St Helena specimen 1) 40 Left forcipule and coxosternite (La Guardia, Spain specimen C17) 41 Terminal segments, left coxopleuron and part of left prefemur of ultimate leg (Bournemouth, U.K.) 42 Tibial saw teeth of ultimate leg (after
Brolemann 1930
) 43 Tarsal saw teeth of ultimate leg (after
Brolemann 1930
) 44 Pretarsus leg 12 (Bournemouth, U.K.). Scale lines = 0.5 mm except Figs 39 = 0.1 mm, Fig. 44 = 0.05 mm.
Figures 45-54.
Cryptops hortensis atlantis
holotype. 45 Clypeus 46 Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite 47 Right forcipule 48 Detail of poison gland calyx 49 Sternite 21 and right coxopleuron (sternite setae omitted) 50 Left ultimate leg 51 Ultimate leg tibial saw teeth 52 Detail of saw teeth and setae 53 Ultimate leg tarsal saw teeth 54 Pretarsus of ambulatory leg. Scale lines= 0.5 mm except Figs 48, 51, 53, 54 = 0.1 mm.