Krateraspis sselivanovi is a species of soil centipede in the family Mecistocephalidae.[1] This centipede is found in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.[2] This species is notable for featuring 53 leg pairs without any intraspecific variation.[3][4] This number of legs is rarely observed in the family Mecistocephalidae[5] and also appears to be the maximum number evidently fixed by species in the class Chilopoda.[6]: 319
| Krateraspis sselivanovi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Geophilomorpha |
| Family: | Mecistocephalidae |
| Genus: | Krateraspis |
| Species: | K. sselivanovi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Krateraspis sselivanovi Titova, 1975
| |
Discovery
editThe Russian myriapodologist Lidia P. Titova of the USSR Academy of Sciences first described this species in 1975.[7] She based the original description of this species on a holotype and 19 paratypes found in the Khatlon region as well as one paratype found in Fayzabad district, both located in Tajikistan. Type specimens for this species include both sexes and are deposited in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University.[3]
Phylogeny
editA phylogenetic analysis of the family Mecistocephalidae using morphological features places this species in a clade with Krateraspis meinerti, the only other species in the genus Krateraspis. The evidence also indicates that the common ancestor of these two species had 45 pairs of legs, as K. meinerti does. Thus, this evidence suggests that K. sselivanovi arrived at 53 leg pairs through a evolutionary process that added eight leg-bearing segments.[8]
Description
editThis species reaches a maximum length of 67 mm and has 53 leg pairs. This centipede (preserved in an ethanol solution) is usually yellow, with the head, antennae, and forcipular segment (except for the tergite) a light brown. The clypeus features four pairs of setae that are limited to the middle of the anterior part of the clypeus. Each mandible typically features six lamellae, each with five to seven teeth. The ultimate legs are slender and densely covered with setae.[3]
This species shares a distinctive set of features with its close relative K. meinerti. For example, both species feature a mid-longitudinal suture on the sternum between the first maxillae but not between the second maxillae, a small claw at the end of the second maxillae, a forcipular tergite that is only slightly (about 1.5 times) wider than long, sternites without pore fields, and ultimate legs that each end in a small apical spine rather than a claw. Furthermore, K. meinterti also usually features four pairs of clypeal setae (rarely only three pairs) that are limited to the middle of the anterior part of the clypeus, as they are in K. sselivanovi.[3][9]
The two species of Krateraspis may be distinguished from one another not only by the number of legs but also by features of their maxillae and forcipules. For example, the first article of the second maxillae in K. sselivanovi features a distal bulge on the external side, whereas this bulge is absent in K. meinerti. Furthermore, the second maxillae in K. meinerti are so long as to extend distinctly beyond the tips of the first maxillae, whereas in K. sselivanovi, the second maxillae only extend about as far as the tips of the first maxillae. Finally, in K. meinerti, each article of the forcipule features a denticle, whereas in K. sselivanovi, each article has a denticle except for the second, which does not.[3][9]
Distribution
editThis species has been recorded in the western branches of the Pamir mountains in the Districts of Republican Subordination and the Khatlon region of Tajikistan,[3] in Daroot-Korgon in the Allay Valley in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, and in the Surxondaryo region of Uzbekistan.[2]
References
edit- ^ Bonato, L.; Chagas Junior, A.; Edgecombe, G.D.; Lewis, J.G.E.; Minelli, A.; Pereira, L.A.; Shelley, R.M.; Stoev, P.; Zapparoli, M. (2016). "Krateraspis sselivanovi Titova, 1975". ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ a b Dyachkov, Yurii V. (2022-12-27). "On new records of Geophilomorpha (Chilopoda) from Middle Asia". Ecologica Montenegrina. 60: 70–79 [74]. doi:10.37828/em.2022.60.11. ISSN 2336-9744.
- ^ a b c d e f Dyachkov, Yurii V.; Bonato, Lucio (2022-04-14). "Morphology and distribution of the Middle Asian centipede genus Krateraspis Lignau, 1929 (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Mecistocephalidae)". ZooKeys (1095): 143–164. Bibcode:2022ZooK.1095..143D. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1095.80806. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 9023436. PMID 35836682.
- ^ Dyachkov, Yu. V. (2019). "New data on the family Mecistocephalidae Bollman, 1893 (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha) from Middle Asia". Arthropoda Selecta. 28 (1): 368–373. doi:10.15298/arthsel.28.3.02. ISSN 0136-006X. S2CID 216530363.
- ^ Minelli, Alessandro; Bortoletto, Stefano (1988-04-01). "Myriapod metamerism and arthropod segmentation". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 33 (4): 323–343. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00448.x. ISSN 0024-4066.
- ^ Minelli, Alessandro; Chagas-Júnior, Amazonas; Edgecombe, Gregory D. (2009). "Saltational evolution of trunk segment number in centipedes". Evolution & Development. 11 (3): 318–322. doi:10.1111/j.1525-142X.2009.00334.x. PMID 19469859. S2CID 40909871.
- ^ Titova, L.P. (1975). "Geophilids of the family Mecistocephalidae (Chilopoda) in the fauna of the USSR". Zoologicheskii Zhurnal (in Russian). 54: 39–48.
- ^ Bonato, Lucio; Foddai, Donatella; Minelli, Alessandro (2003). "Evolutionary trends and patterns in centipede segment number based on a cladistic analysis of Mecistocephalidae (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha)". Systematic Entomology. 28 (4): 539–579. Bibcode:2003SysEn..28..539B. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2003.00217.x. ISSN 0307-6970.
- ^ a b Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory; Lewis, John; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis; Shelley, Rowland; Zapparoli, Marzio (2010-11-18). "A common terminology for the external anatomy of centipedes (Chilopoda)". ZooKeys (69): 17–51. Bibcode:2010ZooK...69...17B. doi:10.3897/zookeys.69.737. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 3088443. PMID 21594038.