Stenotaenia sturanyi

Insigniporus sturanyi Attems, 1903: 270 (original description), figs 21–22; 1929a: 208 (redescription), figs 181–182. Kanellis, 1959: 37 (in key).

Type locality: ‘ Gnevgheli, Macedonien’ = Gevgelija (Republic of Macedonia).

Type material: Holotype, female, 70-mm long; held in the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, NHMW327 (V. Stagl, pers. comm.).

Diagnosis: A Stenotaenia species of very large body size (total length overreaching at least 7.5 cm); c. 105–115 leg-bearing segments; labrum with a pair of tubercles; first maxillae with distinct lappets on both the coxosternum and the telopodites; chitin lines of the forcipular coxosternum reaching the anterior condyles; anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternum angulated; forcipular intermediate articles distinct; sternal pore areas in the anterior part of the trunk oval, with a median restriction both anteriorly and posteriorly, and placed on the posterior half of each sternum; each coxopleuron with one anterior and one posterior pouch with pores (see also Table 3).

Taxonomic history: After the original description by Attems (1903), other specimens were identified by Zapparoli (2002) and by Simaiakis et al. (2004). However, the taxonomic position of I. sturanyi remained uncertain, and its original combination was never questioned (Kanellis, 1959; Kos, 1992; Stoev, 1997).

Assignment to Stenotaenia: It is assigned confidently to Stenotaenia (comb. nov.), based on the original description and illustrations (Table 2), as well as on our study of other specimens obviously belonging to this species (Figs 3, 7). I. sturanyi shares a combination of characters that are diagnostic of Stenotaenia, including the shape of the labrum and of the maxillary complex, the features of the forcipular segment, the pattern and longitudinal variation of the sternal pore areas, the shape of the sternum of the last leg-bearing segments, the arrangement of the coxal pores, and the shape of the legs of the last pair. Actually, the coxosternum of the second maxillae was described and illustrated as provided, with an evident median sulcus, but our direct examination of representative specimens demonstrated that the coxosternum is undivided, as is typical of Stenotaenia and all other geophilids.

Validity: It is recognized here as a very distinct species, differing from all other known species of Stenotaenia mainly for the larger body size, the higher number of trunk segments, and the peculiar shape of pore areas on the anterior sterna (Table 3).

Distribution: The species occurs in the region between Macedonia and the Chalcidic Peninsula (Attems, 1903; Zapparoli, 2002; new locality, see Appendix) (Fig. 3). It was also recorded from Crete, but without evidence supporting the identification (Simaiakis et al., 2004).