Scolopendra morsitans Linnaeus 1758
Creators: name: Akkari, Nesrine
name: Stoev, Pavel
name: Lewis, John
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Chilopoda
Scolopendromorpha
Scolopendridae
Scolopendra
Scolopendra morsitans

description: <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i> Linnaeus, 1758 Figs 8-13 <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i>: Attems 1902, Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenshaftliche Classe 111 (I): 561. <i>Scolopendra morsitans scopoliana</i>: Kraepelin 1903, Mitteilungen aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg, 20: 253. <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i> and <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i>: Brölemann 1904, Bulletin du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle 6: 320-321. <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i> and <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i>: Brolemann 1921, Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles du Maroc, I (3-6): 104. <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i> and <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i>: Attems 1930, Das Tierreich, 54: 23-25, figs 38-39. <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i> and <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i>: Brolemann 1932, Bulletin de la Société d’Histoire Naturelle d’Afrique du Nord, 23 (2): 51-52. <i>Scolopendra morsitans</i>: Dobroruka 1968, Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines 78(3-4): 203. <i>Scolopendra amazonica</i>: Lewis 1969, Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 48 (1): 49-57. <b>Material examined.</b> 2 ex., Nabeul Distr., Jebel Abderrahman, N36°41.31 / E10°40.20, alt. 168 m, garrigue with <i>Cistus monspeliensis</i>, <i>Pistacia lentiscus</i>, <i>Lavandula</i> sp., 24- 28.11.2004; 1 ad., Siliana, N36°05.17 / E09°21.53, alt. 427 m, 7.6.2005; 1 ex., Zaghouan Distr., Jebel El Oust, N36°33.32 / E10°03.38, alt. 75 m, March 2006; 1 juv., Zaghouan Distr., Jebel El Fahs, N36°22.39 / E09°53.41, alt. 172 m, 20.3.2006; 1 ad., Cap Bon Peninsula, Nabeul Distr., El Haouaria, the ancient Roman quarry and surroundings, N37°03.448 / E10°59.869, alt. 51 m, slope facing the sea, under stones, 24.3.2008. <b>General distribution.</b> North America (USA, Mexico); Caribbean Islands; South America; Atlantic Ocean Islands; Europe; Africa; Arabian Peninsula; Southeast Asia (incl. Indonesia, New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan); Indian Ocean Islands (Comoro Islands, Madagascar, Mascarene Islands, Seychelles); India; Australia; New Zealand; Pacific Islands (for more detailed information, see Shelley et al. 2005). <b>Distribution in Tunisia</b> (Map 2). Known from the Subhumid and Semiarid bioclimatic zones. Comparatively rare species, found in northeastern Tunisia only – Cap Bon Peninsula, Jebel Zaghouan, Jebel El Fahs and near Siliana. The species has been reported also from Medjez-el-Bab (Attems 1902), Tunis and its surroundings (Brölemann 1904) and Jebel Serdj (Dobroruka 1968). <b>Altitudinal range in Tunisia.</b> Known from sea level up to approx. 600 m. <b>Habitats.</b> Coniferous forests dominated by <i>P. halepensis</i>, mixed woods of <i>Q. coccifera</i> and <i>Rosmarinus officinalis</i>; garrigue with <i>Cistus monspeliensis</i>, <i>Pistacia lentiscus</i>, <i>Lavandula</i> sp.; also found in open coastal areas. <b>Remarks.</b> All the specimens examined have olive green-blackish colouration, which is characteristic for <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i> C.L. Koch, 1841. However, Lewis (1969, 1978) studied the variation of African scolopendrid centipedes, and particularly that of <i>S. amazonica</i> and stated that the colouration show a considerable degree of variation, thus being an unreliable taxonomic character. Koch (1982) observed the same variability in <i>S. laeta</i> in Australia, finding some correlation with the rainfall. The darkest forms of <i>S. laeta</i> occur mainly in areas with high mean annual rainfall (more than 750 mm), although sometimes they are also found in regions with low rainfall (up to 250 mm). Other characters used to characterize <i>S. m. scopoliana</i> are tergal margination starting on tergite 17, and coxopleural process bearing 5 spines (Brolemann 1932). As it has already been shown by Lewis (1969) these are also of little taxonomic value in <i>S. morsitans</i> and for this reason <i>S. morsitans scopoliana</i> is here considered a junior synonym of <i>S. morsitans</i>.
description: Published as part of <i>Akkari, Nesrine, Stoev, Pavel &amp; Lewis, John, 2008, The scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha) of Tunisia: taxonomy, distribution and habitats, pp. 77-102 in ZooKeys 3 (3)</i> on pages 83-86, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.3.51, http://zenodo.org/record/576419
description: {"references": ["Attems C (1902) Myriopoden von Kreta, nebst Beitragen zur allgemeinen Kenntnis einiger Gattungen. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenshaftliche Classe 111 (I): 527 - 614; 3 t.", "Kraepelin K (1903) Revision der Scolopendriden. Mitteilungen aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg 20: 1 - 276.", "Brolemann H (1904) Catalogue des scolopendrides des collections du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris (Collection du Museum determinee par M. le professeur Karl Kraepelin, et collection H. W. Brolemann). Bulletin du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle 6: 316 - 324.", "Brolemann H (1921) Liste des Myriapodes signales dans le nord de l'Afrique. Bulletin de Societe des Sciences Naturelles du Maroc I (3 - 6): 99 - 110.", "Attems C (1930) Myriopoda. 2. Scolopendromorpha. Das Tierreich. De Gruyter, Berlin 54, 308 pp.", "Brolemann H (1932) Tableaux de determination des Chilopodes signales en Afrique du Nord. Bulletin de la Societe d'Histoire Naturelle d'Afrique du Nord 23 (2): 31 - 64.", "Dobroruka L (1968) Myriapoda-Chilopoda aus der Sammlung des Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale. Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines 78 (3 - 4): 201 - 215.", "Lewis J (1969) The variation of the centipede Scolopendra amazonica in Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 48 (1): 49 - 57.", "Shelley R, Edwards G, Chagas A Jr (2005) Introduction of the centipede Scolopendra morsitans L., 1758, into Northeastern Florida, the first authentic North American record, and a review of its global occurrences (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae: Scolopendrinae). Entomological News 116 (1): 39 - 58.", "Lewis J (1978) Variation in Tropical Scolopendrid Centipedes: Problems for the Taxonomist. Abhandlungen und Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg (N. F.) 21 / 22: 43 - 50.", "Koch L (1982) Taxonomy of the centipede Scolopendra laeta Haase (Chilopoda: Scolopendridae) in Australia. Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society 76: 125 - 140."]}