A systematic appraisal of the types of ten species of Otostigmus (Parotostigmus) (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae, Otostigminae)
Author
Chagas-Jr, Amazonas
text
Zootaxa
2016
4147
1
36
58
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4147.1.2
b0e2f296-95a9-4ffc-92d8-ca46a49997c2
1175-5326
262564
4CBE20C2-2851-4B16-8626-26C373413E1A
Otostigmus
(
Parotostigmus
)
casus
Chamberlin, 1914
(
Figures 5–10
)
Otostigmus casus
Chamberlin, 1914
: 177
;
Otostigmus
(
Parotostigmus
)
casus
Attems, 1930
: 164
;
Bücherl, 1940
: 232
; 1942: 63; 1974: 111.
Type
material examined.
Holotype
MCZ
IZ no.1481 (14278),
Brazil
,
Mato Grosso
, Madeira-Mamore, Railroad Camp 39, “Expedition: Stanford Expedition to
Brazil
1911, Coll:
W.M. Mann
, 1911 (
Figs 5–6
).
Redescription.
Length:
57 mm
from the anterior margin of the cephalic plate to the posterior margin of tergite 21. Antennae with 17 articles, two basal articles glabrous. Cephalic plate smooth, without sutures and depressions, but with median sulcus anteriorly (
Fig. 7
). Coxosternal tooth-plates, wider than long with 4+4 teeth and a strong seta on each plate. Coxosternite with a transverse suture at the base of the tooth-plates; this suture is laterally bifurcate (not described) (
Fig. 8
). Margin of the forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process with one small medial denticle.
FIGURES 5–6
.
Otostigmus
(
P
.)
casus
. Holotype Holotype MCZ IZ no.1481 (14278).
5
. Habitus, (dorsal view).
6
. Habitus, (ventral view). Scale bars 10 mm.
Tergites 1–6 smooth, from tergites 7–21 with tubercles, the number increasing gradually; the posterior tergites are densely tuberculate; tergites 12–20 more tuberculate laterally (keels and general surface scabrous). Tergites 5– 20 with complete paramedian sutures. Tergites 7–20 with a low median longitudinal keel (5 or 6); tergites 7–21 marginate (depressed from the fifth caudad, leaving the lateral margin distinctly elevated especially in the middle and caudal regions, but true margination only on tergite 21). Tergite 21 convex, its posterior margin with a shallow median longitudinal depression (last dorsal plate with the posterior edge moderately bowed out caudad and mesially truncate) (
Fig. 9
).
Sternites 2–18 with a rounded depression in the center, those of sternites 2 and 3 very shallow;(with three pitlike depressions arranged in a triangle as usual; there are also three other depressions along the caudal border). Sternite 21 with posterior margin concave (narrowed caudad, the sides convex at the anterior ends, but straight and meeting in the middle at a slightly reentrant angle). Sternites without sutures. Coxopleuron without spines. Porefield covers almost all the coxopleuron, only its posterior end poreless (
Fig. 10
).
Legs 1 with one tibial and two tarsal spurs in the tarsus; legs 2, 3, 6, 9, 17, and 18 with one tarsal spur (2 to 18 with a single tarsal spur). Ultimate legs missing (19 to 21 pairs of legs unknown).
Remarks.
Chagas-Jr (2012)
considered
O. casus
as one of the most problematic Brazilian
Otostigmus
to identify. His conclusion was preliminary, since he had not yet examined the
type
of
O. casus
. Even so, he compared the original description of
O. casus
with other Brazilian
Otostigmus
and observed that
O. casus
resembles
O. tidius
in the presence of both short paramedian sutures on the sternites and two tarsal spurs at legs 1–8 (
Chagas-Jr 2012
). After examining the
type
of
O. casus
, I noticed that there are no short paramedian sutures on sternites, and two tarsal spurs at legs 1 only. Besides, both the dorsal integument and body size in
O. casus
are more similar to the
types
of
O. suitius
,
O. rex
and
O. samacus
than to
O. tidius
. In
O. casus
,
O. rex
and
O. suitius
the tergites have complete paramedian sutures from tergites 5–20, in
O. samacus
from tergites 4–20. There is margination from tergites
7–21 in
O. casus
and
O. suitius
, and from tergites
6–21 in
O. rex
and
O. samacus
. The body length of
O. casus
,
O. rex
and
O. suitius
varies from
55 to 78 mm
, and in
O. tidius
from
13 to 22 mm
. The
holotype
of
O. tidius
was not found in the myriapodogical collection of the
Museum
of
Comparative Zoology
, but
Chagas-Jr (2012)
examined ten specimens of
O. tidius
from the states of
Tocantins
,
Mato Grosso
,
Goiás
, and
Distrito Federal
,
Brazil
.
As with in the case of
O. casus
,
O. rex
and
O. suitius
, which were collected from the same locality in northwestern
Mato Grosso
state, have been described in the same work, and share characters in common,
O. casus
is here considered as a junior synonym of
O. suitius
.