Scolopendridae Leach 1814
Creators: name: Schileyko, Arkady A.
name: Vahtera, Varpu
name: Edgecombe, Gregory D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Chilopoda
Scolopendromorpha
Scolopendridae

description: Family Scolopendridae Leach, 1814
Diagnosis. Four ocelli (Fig. 52) form a “rhomboid cluster” (the only blind exceptions—the genus Tonkinodentus and a clade of Western Australian Cormocephalus species; see below). Labrum with a single median tooth (fig. 7 of Waldock & Edgecombe 2012). Pretarsus of maxillae 2 not pectinate, robust and straight (Figs 59, 74, 80), accompanied by 2 (more rarely by 0 or 1) accessory spine(s). Anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite (Figs 40, 42, 50, 86) with tooth-plates (except for the monotypic genus Edentistoma; Fig. 114). Forcipular trochantero-prefemur practically always with well-developed process, the latter may be simple or furnished by 1–3 lateral tubercles. Sternites in most genera with longitudinal paramedian sutures. 21 LBS (21, 23, 39, 43 in Scolopendropsis only); spiracles on macrosegments, LBS 7 with or without spiracles. Ultimate LBS (Fig. 38) generally considerably shorter than the penultimate one (except for Scolopendropsis, Fig. 45). Tarsus of locomotory legs with two articles; legs with or without 1 or 2 tibial spurs and 1 tarsal spur. Coxopleuron usually with process (Fig. 49). Ultimate legs in most genera and species of “common” shape, rarely “pincer-shaped” or “leaf-shaped” (sensu Schileyko 2009). Prefemur of the ultimate legs without spinous processes but generally with varying number (2–20) of strongly chitinized spines, that are usually small (Figs 44, 49, 66, 70, 83) but rarely much enlarged, for example in Kanparka (= Scolopendra) (Fig. 56) or a few forms of Ethmostigmus Pocock, 1898 (Fig. 105, figs 36, 39 in Schileyko & Stoev 2016). Edgecombe & Bonato (2011: 395) also wrote: “Labral bristle field completely covering distal sclerotisation of epipharynx (except Notiasemus; [no data on Tonkinodentus]); elongate, figure eight shaped groups of two smooth depressions surrounding each sensillum on clypeal part or epipharynx. Tufts of bristles on lateral flaps of hypopharynx form a continuous field with identical bristles medially… Poison calyx extending at least as far as proximal part of forcipular trochantero-prefemur… Spermatophore with a ventral invagination.”
Number of subtaxa. 2 subfamilies, 19 genera (“More than 400 species in 21 genera” sensu Edgecombe & Bonato 2011: 397).
Sexual dimorphism. Present rarely.
Range. All tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions.
Remarks. Treated as a family in Edgecombe & Bonato (2011: 395), Kronmüller (2012: 19), Edgecombe et al. (2012: 770), Vahtera et al. (2012a: 4, 2012b: 235, 2013: 578), Schileyko (2014: 174), Schileyko & Stoev (2016: 252), Schileyko (2018: 69), Schileyko & Solovyeva (2019: 138).
description: Published as part of Schileyko, Arkady A., Vahtera, Varpu & Edgecombe, Gregory D., 2020, An overview of the extant genera and subgenera of the order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda): a new identification key and updated diagnoses, pp. 1-64 in Zootaxa 4825 (1) on page 26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4825.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4402145