Scolopendra subspinipes Leach 1815

2. Scolopendra subspinipes Leach, 1815

Figs 7–9

Scolopendra subspinipes subspinipes: Attems, 1930: 29; S. subspinipes subspinipes: Lewis, 1991: 337; S. subspinipes: Zalesskaja & Schileyko, 1991: 13; S. (s.str.) subspinipes: Schileyko, 1995: 75;

S. subspinipes subspinipes: Schileyko, 2007: 75; S. subspinipes: Kronmüller, 2007: 20;

S. subspinipes: Waldock & Lewis, 2014: 73;

S. subspinipes: Siriwut et al., 2015: 2, 4, 7.

Material. E Indonesia, West Papua Province: 1 ad [spm 1, No. 7505], [North-Central region of the Bird's Head Peninsula], Tamarau [= Tamrau] mts., nearly 12 km NW Fef village, 1050 m, primeval lower montane rainforest, MV light, 12 – 13.02.2012, leg. DT; 1 ad [spm 2, largest, No. 7506], Raja Ampat District, Waigeo Island, Waisai 9– 10 km NEE, 00°23’21”S, 130°54’17”E, 80 m, clearing in primeval lowland rainforest on limestone, 18.02.2012, leg. DT; 1 sad [spm 3, СDT], S Bird’s Neck, Kaimana 40 km E, Triton bay, Lobo village env., 03°45’00”S, 134°05’33”E, 700–900 m, primeval rainforest on limestone, 17.09.2010, leg. M. Kalninsh.

Range. All tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. A few peripheral localities in Africa; Madagascar; The Seychelles; The Comoros; Rodriguez Island; The Philippines; E Indonesia; N Papua New Guinea; Christmas Island; Australia; New Zealand; Oceania. Introduced in New World (Bermuda, Caribbean, South America). For details see Simaiakis & Edgecombe (2013).

Variability. Coxopleural processes with 3+3 (spm 3), 2+2 (spm 2) and 2+0 apical spines (spm 1 has right process abnormally spineless (regenerated?), Fig. 7).

Remarks. Studied specimens are quite similar to those from Vietnam as described by Schileyko (1995). They differ mainly by having ultimate prefemur with 2 ventro-lateral, 2 ventro-medial and 2 dorso-medial small spines (Fig. 8) vs 1 ventro-lateral, 1 medial and 1 dorso-medial somewhat larger spines in the Vietnamese specimens. Furthermore, Papuan exemplars have relatively more slender basal articles of ultimate legs.

In general, S. subspinipes has relatively small process of forcipular trochanteroprefemur, however in the studied Papuan specimens it seems to be even more reduced (Fig. 9) compared with the Vietnamese ones. Thus, specimens of S. subspinipes from West Papua demonstrate certain resemblance to the representatives of Ethmostigmus in which this process is virtually absent.

Having on disposal only a single specimen, Attems (1914a: 568, 1914c: 59) recorded for New Guinea S. subspinipes multidens Newport, 1844 (S. multidens sensu Chao & Chang (2003)) [quote]: “With some doubt I put a specimen from Moaif [Indonesia, Papua Province] here, as all the characters agree not quite with Kraeplin’s diagnosis, also … multidens was previously known with certainty only from Japan and China ”. He described this specimen as follows: “Head and antennae yellow-brownish, as well as segment 1; 6 basal antennomeres glabrous; each tooth-plate with 6 very small teeth, trochanteroprefemur with normal, not very well-developed process. Paramedian sutures from tergite 3, lateral margination from tergite 5. Sternites 1–19 with deep but posteriorly shortened sutures. Coxopleural process without apical spines (vs typical multidens, which has 3 such spines); shape of coxopleural process as in the nominal form. Legs 20 without tarsal spur. Ultimate prefemur with 2 outer and 3–4 inner spines ventrally; disto-dorsal process of prefemur with 3 equal spines”. This description accords perfectly to the studied specimens (absence of apical spines of coxopleural process in Attems’ specimen is a certain abnormality being similar to our specimen 1) which are typical representatives of S. subspinipes. So for now we exclude S. multidens from the list of the New Guinean species.