Himantariella scutellaris Brolemann, 1926

Cabanillas, David, Serra, Antoni, López-Alonso, Ricardo, Carbonell, Rafael & Robla, Jairo, 2023, Morphological and ecological revision of Himantariella scutellaris Brolemann, 1926 (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Himantariidae), Zootaxa 5278 (1), pp. 143-154 : 146-150

Himantariella scutellaris Brolemann, 1926

Himantariella scutellaris Brolemann, 1926 Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Toulouse 54: 257–259, figs. 24–27.

Himantariella scutellaris: Attems, 1929 In : Myriapoda: 1. Geophilomorpha . p. 34 (in key), 35, figs. 49–50.

Himantariella scutellaris: Brolemann, 1930 In: Faune de France. 25: p. 54 (in key), 65–67, figs. 37–40.

Himantariella scutellaris: Căpuşe, 1975 Trav. Inst. Spéol. «Emile Racovitza» 14: 38 (in key only).

Himantariella scutellaris: Demange, 1981 In: Les Mille-pattes Myriapodes. Généralités, Morphologie, Ecologie, Ethologie. Détermination des espèces de France. p. 225 (in key), 226.

Himantariella scutellaris: Geoffroy & Iorio, 2009 Soil Org. 81: 682 (list only).

Himantariella scutellaris: Bonato & Minelli, 2014 Zootaxa 3770(1): 14 (list only).

Himantariella scutellaris: Iorio, 2014 Mém. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 14: 216.

Himantariella scutellaris: Iorio, 2021 Bull. Soc. entomol. Fr. 126: 135–136, figs. 6, 27, 31, 51.

Material examined. Spain —Girona: Beuda, Can Grau , Southern side of El Mont/ Alta Garrotxa : 1♁, 22/03/2019, 394 m, under an olive tree stump near abandoned crop fields (31T 474599 4676890); 1♀, 18/03/2020, 390 m, under a stone near abandoned crop fields (31T 474594 4676964) . Barcelona: Fogars de Montclús, El Vallès Oriental, Santa Fe de Montseny : 1♀ (E. Vives leg., CRBA-4496 col.), 15/05/1972, in a beech forest (E. Vives pers. comm.) (31T 455 4625). Terrassa, El Vallès Occidental : 1♀ (J. Brugueras leg., CRBA-4495 col.), 27/04/1976, probably in an anthropic environment (31T 41 460). Asturias: Gijón, between Cataluña street and Río Eo street: 1♁, 29/09/2020, 15 m, moving on the pavement at night in the city centre (30T 283992 4822387); Street Carlos Marx near the urban park Doctor Juan Negrín : 1♀, 26/11/2021, 4 m, moving on the pavement at night in the city centre (30T 284071 4823750). Oviedo, Seminario Metropolitano : 1♁ / 1♁ subadult, 20/12/2021 and 1♁ / 1♀, 26/12/2021, 265 m, under a stone stuck in the ground in a garden (30T 269292 4804250): 1♁, 26/12/2021, 265 m, moving on the pavement at night in an urban area and 2♁ / 2♀, 02/12/2022, 265 m, under a stone stuck in the ground in a garden (30T 269292 4804250) .

Morphological remarks

Iberian specimens had an orange head and body, sometimes with the distal end of the trunk brownish (in vivo) ( Fig. 2 ). Males with 113–119 LP, body length 115–175 mm, minimum body width 1–2.5 mm, maximum body width 2–4 mm. A subadult male with 113 LP, body length 83 mm, minimum body width 1.5 mm, maximum body width 2 mm. Females with 117–121 LP, body length 121–202 mm, minimum body width 1.5–2.5 mm, maximum body width 2–3.5 mm. Second maxillar coxosternite with a median notch and angulate backwards ( Fig. 3A ). Labrum with a median fissure or notch and teeth both on the central and the lateral pieces ( Fig. 3B ). Males with 16–19 labral teeth, 9–12 projections on the pectinate lamellae and 7–9 teeth on the dentate lamellae. Subadult male with 10 labral teeth, 8 projections on the pectinate lamellae and 6 teeth on the dentate lamellae. Females with 14–18 labral teeth, 9–12 projections on the pectinate lamellae and 7–10 teeth on the dentate lamellae. Cephalic plate wider than long and with a transverse suture. Forcipular coxosternite wider than long, coxopleural sutures diverging anteriorly, chitin-lines reaching the condyles and no denticles on forcipules ( Fig. 4A ). Trunk with principal paratergites, sometimes hidden under the lateral edges of metatergites ( Fig. 4B ). Pore-fields extending from metasternite 2 to the penultimate. Shape of pore-fields variable along the trunk ( Fig. 4D–F ): small and circular in the anterior part, oval in the intermediate region and slightly elliptical in the posterior part. No other fossae or specific structures on metasternites. Ultimate tergite with sutural sulci between pretergite and intercalary pleurites. Ultimate metasternite trapezoidal, slightly wider than long and with a distinct mid-longitudinal groove, both in males and females ( Fig. 4C ). Ultimate coxopleura with many scattered pores, both in the dorsal and the ventral side. Ultimate leg pair slightly swollen in both sexes and as long as the penultimate.

Morphology of Iberian specimens fits former descriptions of previous records from the eastern Pyrenees, except the number of labral teeth and pieces on pectinate and dentate lamellae, which is slightly higher than previously reported ( Table I ) or the separation between mid-labral teeth, which is slightly wider in certain specimens ( Fig. 3B ). These findings make it possible to provide updated morphological ranges on the morphology of H. scutellaris : 113–121 leg pairs, body length 60–83 mm in pre-adult specimens and 115–202 mm in adults, minimum body width 1–2.5 mm, maximum body width 2–4.2 mm, 10–19 labral teeth (frequently 16 or 18), 8–12 projections on the pectinate lamellae (frequently 9 or 10) and 6–10 teeth on the dentate lamellae (frequently 7 to 9). Worth noting the utility of oval pore-fields as a diagnostic character, since other Himantariidae genera reported from the Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees lack this feature.

Ecological remarks

Iberian specimens of H. scutellaris were detected in urban areas, crop fields and forests ( Fig. 1 ). Worth noting that specimens from the Cantabric Region were only found in urban green areas such as gardens or near parks ( Fig. 1C–D ). In the Iberian Peninsula, the species was detected from March to December in areas located between 4–394 metres above the sea level. Records belong to areas with a milder climate due to the nearby sea or mountains, with less than 30ºC most of the year, temperatures below zero in the colder months and abundant rainfall, even in the driest season. Regarding the edaphic factors, Iberian specimens were found in soils with high humidity and acidic or neutral pH. Nocturnal activity could be recorded twice in the city centre of Gijón and once in Oviedo (recording available on https://youtu.be/simBiJcIhuo). According to previous records and new data from the Iberian Peninsula, it is possible to summarise that H. scutellaris is present in open areas, both in mountainous and urban environments, almost from the sea level to 1025 metres, from spring to winter. Although the species was initially considered a Pyrenean endemism, its current distribution ranges from the northwestern to the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, including the Cantabric Region, the Prelitoral Mountain Range, the Spanish pre-Pyrenean area and the French Pyrenees ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Some collecting sites and habitats of H. scutellaris A. Ortophotography of Beuda, Can Grau, Girona (Pre-Pyrenees). B. Forest glade with crop fields in Beuda. C. Ortophotography of the urban area surrounding the streets Cataluña and Río Eo (Gijón, Asturias). D. Urban environment of Gijón. Location of Himantariella scutellaris specimens is marked with a red star (★).

FIGURE 2. Habitus in vivo and colour patterns in Himantariella scutellaris. A. Male found under a rock in a garden in Oviedo (Asturias). Author: Marián Álvarez Fidalgo. B. Male found under an olive tree stump in Beuda (Girona).

FIGURE 3. Internal morphology of Himantariella scutellaris. A. Second maxillae (♀, Fogars de Montclús, Barcelona). B. Labrum showing the median fissure, the mid-piece and lateral teeth (♁, Oviedo, Asturias). C. Pectinate and dentate lamella (♀, Fogars de Montclús, Barcelona).

FIGURE 4. External morphology of Himantariella scutellaris (♁, Beuda, Girona). A. Ventral side of forcipules and forcipular coxosternite. B. Tergites of the first part of the trunk showing the principal paratergites. C. Ventral side of the ultimate sternite and coxae. D. First metasternites with circular pore-fields. E. Intermediate metasternites with oval pore-fields. F. Ultimate metasternites with elliptical pore-fields.

FIGURE 5. Known distribution of Himantariella species. H. balearica (⬤). H. maroccana (?). Bibliographic reports of H. scutellaris (⬤). Iberian records of H. scutellaris (★). Approximate locations of H. scutellaris from the CRBA collection (). The record of H. maroccana cannot be ascertained due to the existence of two localities named as Hadjeriin in Morocco (ca. 40 km from each other).

Tables

TABLE I. Morphological features of known specimens of Himantariella scutellaris from France and Spain. S—Sex. J—Juvenile. LP—Leg pairs. BL—Body length in millimetres. BW—Body width in millimetres. LT—Labral teeth. PL—Projections on the pectinate lamellae. DL—Teeth on the dentate lamellae. * subadult. Complementary data to the works of Iorio (2014, 2021) were given by Étienne Iorio by personal communications.

Locality	S	LP	BL	BW	LT	PL	DL	Reference
Vernet-les-Bains	J	121	60	1.5	-	-	-	Broleman (1926)
Oviedo	♁*	113	83	1.5-2	5+5	8	6	Present work
Perpignan	♁	113	-	-	13	12	6	Iorio (2014, 2021)
Saint Martin du Canigou	♁	113	152	3.8	10	11	7/8	Broleman (1926)
Oviedo	♁	115	126	1.2-3	8+8	9	7	Present work
Beuda	♁	117	115	2-3	8+8	10	9	Present work
Gijón	♁	117	117	2-3	9+9	10	8/9	Present work
Oviedo	♁	117	130	1-3	9+9	10/9	8	Present work
Oviedo	♁	117	147	2-3	9+9	10	9/8	Present work
Oviedo	♁	117	175	2-4	9+10	11	8	Present work
Oviedo	♁	119	175	2.5-3	9+9	9/12	9/7	Present work
Perpignan	♀	117	144	4.2	16	10-11	6	Iorio (2014, 2021)
Fogars de Montclús	♀	117	155	2-3	9+9	9	7	Present work
Gijón	♀	119	126	2.5	8+9	11/12	7/9	Present work
Oviedo	♀	119	162	2-3.5	9+8	10	8/7	Present work
Terrassa	♀	119	164	2-3.5	8+9	9-10	8-9	Present work
Oviedo	♀	119	166	2-3	7+7	10	8/9	Present work
Oviedo	♀	119	202	2-3	11+7	12	10/9	Present work
Beuda	♀	121	121	1.5-2	9+6	9	9/7	Present work