Centipedes and Millipeds (Arthropoda: Diplopoda, Chilopoda) from Saba Island, Lesser Antilles, and a Consolidation of Major References on the Myriapod Fauna of “ Lesser ” Caribbean Islands Rowland M. Shelley
Author
Shelley, Rowland M.
Author
Sikes, Derek S.
text
Insecta Mundi
2012
2012-04-06
2012
221
1
9
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.10108462
1942-1354
10108462
Scolopendra alternans
Leach, 1813
Published record
.
Saba
in general (Shelley 2006); Windward Side (
Shelley 2002a
).
New localities
. None.
Remarks
. The most common Antillean scolopendrid,
S. alternans
is the only indigenous New World species of
Scolopendra
lacking an “anterior transverse suture” on the first tergite, a feature shared with the equivalently sized and nearly as common introduced species,
S. subspinipes
Leach, 1815
. They are readily distinguished by the number of ventral spines on the ultimate prefemora, 0–3 arranged linearly in
S. subspinipes
versus numerous, scattered ones in
S. alternans
, and by the presence (
S. alternans
) versus absence (
S. subspinipes
) of short spines, sometimes elevated on a slight tubercle, on the dorsal distomedial margins of the penultimate and antepenultimate prefemora.
Scolopendra alternans
is known from a host of Caribbean islands and island groups including
Antigua
,
Bahamas
(
Andros
, Cat,
Exuma
, Little
Inagua
, New Providence, North and South
Bimini
, Salt Cay, San Salvador),
Barbuda
,
British Virgin Islands
(Caiba, Guana, Pete’s I.,
Tortola
),
Dominica
,
Guadeloupe
, Montserrat,
St. Barthélemy
,
St. Eustatius
,
St. Kitts
,
St. Lucia
, and
US Virgin Islands
(St. Croix, St. Thomas) (records summarized in
Shelley 2002a
). It also inhabits the Keys and southernmost peninsular
Florida
,
USA
. Rafting from
Cuba
, as documented for the similarly distributed tree snail,
Liguus fasciatus
(Müller)
(
Roth and Bogan 1984
, Deisler-Seno 1994,
Shelley 2002a
), is the most plausible explanation for its occurrence in this corner of North America. Rafting may also explain its occurrence on
Saba
.