Otostigmus lawrencei Dobroruka, 1968

Lewis, John G. E., 2015, On Verhoeff’s Otostigmus subgenus Malaccopleurus, the nudus group of Otostigmus subgenus Otostigmus Porat, 1876, and Digitipes Attems, 1930, with a description of the foetus stadium larva in O. sulcipes Verhoeff, 1937, (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), Zootaxa 4039 (2), pp. 225-248 : 243

Otostigmus lawrencei Dobroruka, 1968

Otostigmus lawrencei Dobroruka, 1968: 206 , Figs 4–5 . Clanwilliam Sedarberg, Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Otostigmus lawrencei: Lewis, 1996: 833 , in table.

Description. (From Dobroruka (1968)). Length 65 mm. Red brown, head and tergite 1 dark brown. Antennal articles 17, the basal four glabrous. Head with two weakly converging sutures and overlain by tergite 1. Coxosternal tooth-plates with 4+4 teeth. Forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process with two medial denticles.

With complete paramedian sutures from tergite 2, marginate from tergite 10. Tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment with complete longitudinal suture. Sternites with complete paramedian sutures. Sternite of ultimate legbearing segment rounded trapeziform, without sulcus. Coxopleural process, with two apical spines, a lateral spine on one side.

Legs without tarsal spurs. Spinulation of prefemora of ultimate legs VL 5, VM or M 4, DM 2, CS 1.

Remarks. In his review of this paper Amazonas Chagas-Júnior points out that Dobroruka’s description of O. lawrencei resembles a Cormocephalus species not an Otostigmus . The characters in which it resembles Cormocephalus and differs from other members of the nudus group are the presence of cephalic sutures, paramedian sutures beginning on tergite 2, the tergite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment with a complete median longitudinal suture, the greater number of spines on the ultimate leg prefemur, namely 12 and the prominent corner spine. ( Table 2 ). Dobroruka’s O. lawrencei is a South African species; however, Lawrence (1955) recorded no Otostigmus species from South Africa but 20 species of Cormocephalus .

I regard the precise status of O. lawrencei as uncertain. A more detailed description is required for it to be determined,

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Otostigmus sulcipes. 1. Forcipular coxopleural tooth-plates and left forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process, syntype ZMB 13364 Malacca, spm. in ethanol. 2. Sternite 11, the same. 3. Coxopleuron and sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, the same, ventral view. 4. Left ultimate leg prefemur and femur dorsal, the same. 5. Antennal article 3, syntype ZMB 13364, slide 3614, dorsal view. 6. Antennal articles 1 to 3, the same, ventral view. 7. Coxopleuron and sternite of ultimate legbearing segment syntype ZMB 13364, slide 3613, ventral view. 8. Ultimate leg prefemur, the same, ventral view. Scale bars = 1 mm except Figs 1, 3, 5 & 6 = 0.5 mm.