Mecistocephalus gigas is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family.[2] This genus was described in 1887 by German entomologist Erich Haase.[3][2] This centipede features 51 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in the genus Mecistocephalus.[3][4]
| Mecistocephalus gigas | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Geophilomorpha |
| Family: | Mecistocephalidae |
| Genus: | Mecistocephalus |
| Species: | M. gigas
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mecistocephalus gigas | |
Description
editThis species has 51 pairs of legs and can reach 105 mm in length. The head is a dark brown-red, but the trunk is yellow with finely distributed grains of dark pigment.[5] The posterior segments are black-green with small grains of pigment, which are quite conspicuous on the ultimate legs.[6] The number of pectinate lamellae (comb blades) on the mandibles ranges from 21 to 27, with four or five teeth on the first.[5][7] The first pair of legs is a third shorter than the next pair.[5]
Distribution
editThe species occurs in New Guinea and the Maluku Islands.[2]
References
edit- ^ Haase, E (1887). "Die Indisch-Australischen Myriopoden. Pt. I. Chilopoden". Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und. Anthropologisch- Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden. 5: 1–118 [105].
- ^ a b c 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). "Mecistocephalus gigas Haase, 1887". ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ a b Haase, Erich (1887). "Die Indisch-Australischen Myriopoden. I. Chilopoden". Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königl. Zoologischen und Anthropologisch-Etnographischen Museums zu Dresden. 1 (5): 1–118 [105] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Bonato, L.; Minelli, A. (2004). "The centipede genus Mecistocephalus Newport 1843 in the Indian Peninsula (Chilopoda Geophilomorpha Mecistocephalidae)". Tropical Zoology. 17 (1): 15–63 [56]. doi:10.1080/03946975.2004.10531198. ISSN 0394-6975. S2CID 85304657.
- ^ a b c Attems, Carl (1929). Lfg. 52 Myriapoda, 1: Geophilomorpha (in German). De Gruyter. p. 144. doi:10.1515/9783111430638. ISBN 978-3-11-143063-8.
- ^ Attems, Carl (1915). "Myriopoden von Ceram und WaigeuGesammelt von L. F. De Beaufort I. J. 1909: Mit Tafel I." Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde (in German). 20 (1): 2–14 [5]. doi:10.1163/26660644-02001001. ISSN 0067-8546.
- ^ 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 [566]. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2003.00217.x. ISSN 0307-6970.
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