Newportia longitarsis guadeloupensis Demange, 1981

Schileyko, Arkady A., 2014, A contribution to the centipede fauna of Venezuela (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha), Zootaxa 3821 (1), pp. 151-192 : 169-170

Newportia longitarsis guadeloupensis Demange, 1981

Figs 32–34

Newportia longitarsis guadeloupensis: Schileyko & Minelli, 1998: 277 ; Newportia longitarsis guadeloupensis: Schileyko, 2013: 49 .

Locus typicus: Guadeloupe: Matouba.

Material. [Trujillo State], [loc.17], N 89, Boconó, Guaramacal [National Park], La Laguna, 2000, bosque humedo montano, soil, 4 juv, leg MGP, 0 2.1987, N 7279. 4 specimens in all.

Description of juvenile N 7279. Length of body 8–9 mm; maximal length for this species 40 mm ( Demange, 1981). Color in ethanol: entire animal slightly yellow. Both anterior and posterior ends with sparse minute setae, the legs (including ultimate ones) more setose and setae are much longer.

Antennae composed of 17 articles ( Fig. 32 ), reaching the posterior margin of tergites 3 when reflexed. 3 basal articles with a few long setae, subsequent articles densely pilose. Basal articles cylindrical.

Cephalic plate slightly longer than wide ( Fig. 32 ), rectangular in shape, with rounded corners; paramedian sutures absent.

Forcipules: coxosternite without any sutures but chitin-lines. Anterior margin of coxosternite weakly bilobed ( Fig. 33 ). Tarsungula normal. Schileyko & Minelli (1998) noted that specimens from Mérida have forcipular coxosternite with chitin-lines and forcipular trochanteroprefemur without a process.

Tergites: anterior margin of tergite 1 ( Fig. 32 ) covered by the cephalic plate. Tergite 1 with anterior transverse suture and incomplete paramedian sutures stretching from the transverse suture to the posterior tergal margin; these sutures diverging anteriorly. Tergites 3–21 with well-developed median keel. Tergites 2–22 with complete paramedian sutures, tergites 4(5)–21(22) with lateral longitudinal sutures (which are better developed in the mid body region). Tergite 23 wider than long, not narrowed towards slightly convex posterior margin; its sides curved.

Sternites trapeziform; sternites 6–16(17) with incomplete lateral sutures, which are much better developed in the mid body region. Sternites 3–18(19) with short longitudinal median sulcus. Ultimate sternite distinctly narrowed towards straight posterior margin. Endosternites clearly visible at sternites 4–20.

Legs (1)2–20 with lateral tibial spur; the tarsi of legs 1–22 undivided. Pretarsi long and pointed.

Coxopleuron (excluding coxopleural process) longer than sternite 23, the pore-field elongated, with 10–12 pores. Coxopleural process long and conical, poreless and without setae; each process with two long ventro-lateral seta. Posterior margin of ultimate pleuron forming an obtuse angle, its tip in the shape ofa short pointed process.

Ultimate legs ( Fig. 34 ) ca 2.5 mm long, width of prefemur ca 0.2 mm. Prefemur with a row of 3 ventral spinous processes, the most basal process is somewhat smaller than the other two. Femur medially with 1 small spinous process close to base. Tibia cylindrical, approximtely as long as femur. Tarsus clearly divided; tarsus 1 clavate, approximately as long as 3 basal articles of tarsus 2, which consists of 9 distinct articles.

Range. Guadeloupe: Matouba.

In Venezuela. Mérida State: Paramo Mucuboje; laguna del Mucuboje; Paramo del B[l]anco. Trujillo State, Municipio Boconó, Guaramacal National Park, Laguna de Los Cedros.

Remarks. Judging from their small size, very light color and soft integument these 4 specimens are juveniles. So the conditions of the second maxillae, both forcipular chitin-lines and process of trochanteroprefemur, presence of longitudinal ridges at interior surface of forcipular tarsungula, margination of tergites, presence of spurs and accessory spines of legs, sizes of coxopleural pore-field are difficult to observe.

N. l. guadeloupensis seems to prefer to live at the altitude above 1000 m.

Discussion. N. longitarsis guadeloupensis has been already reported for Venezuela (5 specimens from Mérida State) by Schileyko & Minelli (1998). We read (p. 277): “this form seems to be very close to N. longitarsis stechowi , from which it differs mainly (according to the original description and our own observations) in having three, not four, ventral spines [=spinous processes] on the ultimate prefemur (Tabs II, III). The original description specifies neither the number nor the position of spines [=spinous processes] on the ultimate femur; our specimens have one femoral spine only, proximal internal in position, whereas most specimens of N. l. stechowi have, in addition, another spine in the middle of the interior [=medial] surface”.

As already noted, a few specimens of longitarsis stechowi (for example, NN 7294, 7296) may have one ultimate leg with 4 and another with 3 prefemoral spinous processes ( Fig. 30 ). Schileyko & Minelli (1998) reported the same combination for 3 specimens of “ pusilla ”-like l. stechowi from Mérida (Pico del Aguile). Moreover, these 3 specimens have only one (as in l. guadeloupensis ), not two (as is usual for l. stechowi ) spinous process on the ultimate leg femur. Thus, in some cases the difference between l. stechowi and l. guadeloupensis are clear-cut.

However, the present study has shown that all 4 specimens of l. guadeloupensis have tarsus 1 of ultimate leg clavate vs. tarsus 1 invariably cylindrical in l. stechowi ; unfortunately there is no information about shape of this tarsus 1 in the original description of l. guadeloupensis . This character should be taken into consideration in separating these two subspecies.

Figures

FIGURES 30 – 34. Newportia longitarsis stechowi Verhoeff, 1938 30 the first adult of N 7294: segment 23, prefemora and femora of ultimate legs, lateral view 31 the second adult of N 7294: prefemur of right ultimate leg, lateral view; Newportia longitarsis guadeloupensis Demange, 1981 (juvenile N 7279) 32 cephalic plate and segments 1 – 3, dorsal view 33 forcipular segment, ventral view 34 left ultimate leg, lateral view; (vsp) — ventral spinous processes of ultimate prefemur, (ut 1) — tarsus 1 of ultimate leg, (ut 2) — tarsus 2 of ultimate leg, (am) — anterior margin of forcipular coxosternite, (cx) — coxopleuron, (tg 1) — tergite 1.