Cormocephalus, Newport, 1844

Schileyko, Arkady A. & Cupul-Magaña, Fabio G., 2021, Cormocephalus (Cormocephalus) guildingii Newport, 1845 (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha): a composite description, new samples from Western Mexico and a new species subgroup of Neotropical Cormocephalus (Cormocephalus), Zootaxa 5071 (3), pp. 301-325 : 318-319

New subgroup within the Neotropical clade of Cormocephalus s.str.: list of members

The genus Cormocephalus s.str. occurs in the New World in the Neotropical region only (see Appendix 1) being represented there solely by the main part of the gervaisianus species group (i.e. by the majority of species of the former genus Cupipes Kohlrausch, 1878 in the sense of Kraepelin 1903). We consider these ten (or approximately so; see below) species to form the general Neotropical clade, which is well circumscribed morphologically.

The present study allows to correct and much extend the group of four closely related Antillean species mentioned for the first time by Schileyko (2018: 72–75). The species investigated personally (including the recently studied and re-examined material)— C. guildingii , C. ungulatus , C. andinus , C. lineatus ( Figs 43–47 ) and Cormocephalus sp. (Rc 7468, see above)—definitely form a well-defined subclade within the general clade of Neotropical Cormocephalus . We name this new subclade as the “ guildingii -subgroup” after its oldest member; it is unequivocally united by nine diagnostic synapomorphies (see paragraph “Diagnosis of the guildingii -subgroup” below).

The guildingii -subgroup may also include two questionable New World members of the gervaisianus -group, namely C. brasiliensis (see above) and C. amazonae ( Chamberlin, 1914) , the latter is known from a single specimen (most likely of C. andinus ) with abnormally developed forcipular tooth-plates. Also under question remain five poorly described Venezuelan species of González-Sponga (2000) ( C. glabratus , C. edithae , C. abundantis , C. facilis and C. maritime ; see also Schileyko 2014: 188). According to the accompanying drawings, two of these forms are not members of the guildingii- subgroup: C. glabratus has no sutures on the forcipular coxosternite while C. abundantis has an unusually short ultimate pretarsus; C. edithae may be a junior synonym of C. ungulatus as it has a forcipular coxosternite with the typical paired longitudinal sutures only. However we are not able to analyze these questionable forms in more detail here as the corresponding types are not currently available.

At present at least three members of the general Neotropical clade can not be included in the new subclade/ subgroup because of some disparity in the diagnostic peculiarities. They are: the questionable C. venezuelianus (see above), the well-described C. impulsus ( US Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles) and C. lineatus biminensis , poorly described from three small (20–24 mm long) immature (?) specimens (South Bimini, Bahama Islands). These three species distinctly do not fit to the diagnosis of the new subgroup, in particular by the total (!) absence of spines on the ultimate prefemur, which condition, however, may be a subject of rare individual variation or an abnormality. Hence the type series should be re-examined to draw any conclusions about the relations of these forms with the guildingii –subgroup and about the validity of both C. venezuelianus and C. lineatus biminensis .

Figures

FIGURES 43–47. Cormocephalus (C.) lineatus Newport, 1845; Holotype, OMNH Ad. MYRI-016-02 (photos by Darren J. Mann) 43 general view dorsally 44 head + LBS 1, 2 dorsally 45 head and anterior part of forcipular segment ventrally 46 LBS 19-21 and ultimate legs ventrally 47 left ultimate leg laterally.