Mecistocephalus porosus

Mecistocephalus porosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Geophilomorpha
Family: Mecistocephalidae
Genus: Mecistocephalus
Species:
M. porosus
Binomial name
Mecistocephalus porosus
Haase, 1887
Synonyms

Mecistocephalus tahitiensis porosus Haase, 1887

Mecistocephalus porosus is a species of soil centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family.[1][2][3] This species is found in Fiji.[1] This centipede can reach 41 mm in length.[4]

Discovery and distribution

This centipede was first described in 1887 by German entomologist Erich Haase.[4] He based the original description of this centipede on a holotype found on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji.[5] This species is known only from Fiji.[1]

Taxonomy

Haase originally described this centipede as a subspecies of M. tahitiensis.[4] In 1920, the American biologist Ralph V. Chamberlin deemed M. tahitiensis porosus to be a junior synonym of M. tahitiensis.[6] Since then, other authorities have adopted the synonymy proposed by Chamberlin.[5] Despite this proposed synonymy and the original description of this centipede as a subspecies, many references list M. porosus as a separate species.[1][2][3]

Description

This centipede can reach 41 mm in length and reaches a maximum width of 2 mm in the middle of its body. The anterior segments are 1.8 mm wide, and the posterior segments are only 0.8 mm wide. This centipede features white spots on the tergites.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 porosus Haase, 1887". ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  2. ^ a b "Mecistocephalus porosus Haase, 1887 | COL". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  3. ^ a b "Mecistocephalus porosus Haase, 1887". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  4. ^ a b c d Haase, Erich (1887). "Die Indisch-Australischen Myriopoden. I. Chilopoden". Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königl. Zoologischen und Anthropologisch-Etnographischen Museums zu Dresden (in German). 1: 1–118 [101-102] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. ^ a b c Thofern, Detlef; Dupérré, Nadine; Harms, Danilo (2021-05-27). "An annotated type catalogue of the centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) held in the Zoological Museum Hamburg". Zootaxa. 4977 (1): 1–103 [84, 94]. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4977.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  6. ^ Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1920). "The Myriopoda of the Australian region". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 64 (1): 1-269 [63] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.