Otostigmus metallicus Haase 1887
Creators: name: Lewis, John G. E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Chilopoda
Scolopendromorpha
Scolopendridae
Otostigmus
Otostigmus metallicus

description: Otostigmus metallicus Haase, 1887
(Figs 38–40)
Otostigma metallicum Haase, 1887, 70, Tab.4, Fig. 68 a–d. Sangir Island [between Sulawesi and the Philippines]. Otostigmus metallicus: Kraepelin, 1903, 121, Fig. 58. Sangir Island, Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. O. (O.) metallicus: Attems, 1930, 140.
O. metallicus: Chamberlin, 1944b, 2 (in list).
O. (O.) metallicus: Lewis, 1982, 391, Figs 5–11. Sarawak.
? O. (O.) metallicus: Lewis, 1991, 338, Figs 1–3. Sumatra.
Diagnosis. (Based on holotype, Kraepelin’s (1903) and Lewis’s (1982, 1991) data). Length up to 42 mm. (19, 20) 21–22 antennal articles, the basal (2) 2.33–2.66 (3) glabrous. 3+3 main forcipular coxosternal teeth. Tergite paramedian sutures from 5 or 6 (may be indistinct), marginate from (7) 9–11 (12) (with very fine tubercles/spinules in some Sulawesi specimens). Sternites without or with very short anterior paramedian sutures. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment trapezoidal. Coxopleural process short with (1) 2 apical spines and 1 (2) laterals. Two tarsal spurs on legs 1–3/4 or on 1 only, 2, 3, 4 or 5–21 with one. Ultimate leg prefemoral spines VL 3/4, VM (0, 1) 2 (3), M 2–3, DM 1/2/3, CS 1. Kraepelin gives VL 3, VM 2, M 2–3, D 1, CS 1.
Type material. RMNH. Holotype. Otostigma metallicum Haase. Sanger eil [Indischer Archipel] [North Sulawesi]. Hoedt, type. [colln no] 105. 546. The specimen is brittle and curved ventrally, many legs missing.
Description of holotype. (Haase’s (1887) data in parentheses where relevant). Length 35 (37) mm. Colour dark brown with pale brown median stripe and a slight metallic sheen. (Tergites very dark brown ... lateral margin greenish black; strong metallic bronze green with violet sheen). Antennal articles 21+21, the basal 2.33 glabrous. Each forcipular coxosternal tooth-plate with three teeth, the lateral isolated, the inner two partially fused, trochanteroprefemoral process with slight indication of two medial denticles (Fig. 38) (basal tooth simple).
Tergites with very fine paramedian sutures complete from 5 (indistinct), marginate from 9 (10) without keels, spines or corrugations. Sternite paramedian sutures absent except for traces on anterior margin of sternites 1 and 2, without spines or depressions. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment with sides converging posteriorly and angular posterior embayment (Fig. 39). Coxopleural process short, with one or two small apical spines, no lateral spines (one scarcely noticeable). Legs 1–7 missing, 9–21 with one tarsal spur (legs 1–4 with two tarsal spurs). Ultimate leg prefemoral spines VL 3, VM 0–1, M 2, DM 1, CS 1 (Fig. 40) (VL 3, VM 2, DM 1 CS 1).
Other material examined. BMNH three spms. Otostignus (O.) punctiventer 1896 25 6–8. Bonthain Peak, Celebes [Sulawesi] A. Everett 5,000ft. Length, 31 to 35 mm. 19–20 antennal articles, the basal 2–2.25 glabrous. 3+3 forcipular coxosternal teeth. Tergites with minute tubercles/spinules from T6 or 10, with complete paramedian sutures from 5, 6 or 7, marginate from 6–8. Sternites without paramedian sutures. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment with sides converging and posterior margin concave. Coxopleural process with two apical, and 0+1 or no lateral spines. Two tarsal spurs on first two or five pairs of legs, the remainder to 21 with one. Ultimate leg prefemoral spines VL 3–4 VM (1)2, M 0 or 1, DM 0, 1 or 2, CS 1.
Variation in populations of O. metallicus. Kraepelin (1903) gave, presumably for specimens from Ceylon, tergites with indistinct paramedian sutures and sternites without paramedian sutures. Coxopleural process 1–2 spined and a minute lateral spine. Legs 1–4 with two tarsal spurs, 20 and often 21 with one. VL 3, VM 2, M 2–3, DM 1, CS 1.
Lewis (1982) described specimens from Sarawak as having 17, 19, 20 or 22, antennal articles, the basal 2.33–3 glabrous dorsally but a re-examination of the original data shows that specimen with 17 articles was a juvenile (18 mm) and most specimens had 2.25–2.33 articles glabrous.
Four small specimens (10.5–18 mm) from Liwa, Sumatra (Lewis, 1991) have 21 antennal articles, the basal 2.33–2.66 glabrous dorsally. Forcipular coxosternal tooth-plates each with three main teeth, the first and third often with a small subsidiary tooth. Anterior sternites with very short anterior paramedian sutures extending to two-thirds on posterior sternites. This may be a juvenile character and is not used in the diagnosis.
The presence of minute tubercles/spinules on the tergites of the specimens from Bonthain Peak, Sulawesi I consider insufficient to separate them from O. metallicus.
Remarks. Kraepelin (1903) gave the distribution of O. metallicus as Sangir-Inseln, Ceylon. He did not examine the type material. Minelli, Bonato, Dioguardi et al. (2006 onwards) note that “the type locality was in Indonesia but it was incorrectly considered in Sri Lanka by Kraepelin (1903) ”. This was due to a misinterpretation by Lewis of the meaning of Kraepelin’s “Sangir-Inseln, Ceylon ”. It would appear that Kraepelin’s description was based on specimens from Ceylon.
description: Published as part of Lewis, John G. E., 2014, A review of the orientalis group of the Otostigmus subgenus Otostigmus Porat, 1876 (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), pp. 388-413 in Zootaxa 3889 (3) on pages 398-399, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3889.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/224919