A new species of Scolopocryptops Newport: a troglobitic scolopocryptopine centipede from a remarkable siliciclastic area of eastern Brazil (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopocryptopidae, Scolopocryptopinae).

Amazonas Chagas Junior,Maria Elina Bichuette

doi:10.3897/zookeys.487.9262

Abstract

We describe Scolopocryptops troglocaudatus sp. n., a new troglobitic scolopocryptopine centipede species. The species was found in a remarkable siliciclastic karst area of Eastern Brazil, in three caves of the Chapada da Diamantina, in the state of Bahia. Scolopocryptops troglocaudatus sp. n. is close to Scolopocryptops miersii Newport, 1845 and Scolopocryptops ferrugineus macrodon (Kraepelin, 1903) but differs from them by troglomorphic features, such as depigmentation, long appendages and a thin cuticle. This new species is the second troglobitic scolopocryptopine described and is the first discovered in Brazil.

Highlights

Scolopocryptops are blind scolopendromorphs with 23 pairs of legs, and the prefemora of the ultimate legs with one dorsomedial and one ventral spinous process
The caves where S. troglocaudatus sp. n. occurs were formed by siliciclastic and quartzitic rocks inserted in a Mesoproterozoic Basin of the Chapada Diamantina Group, disposed in three layers, two of which formed from siliciclastic rocks (Schobbenhaus et al 1984) (Fig. 2)
At least 18 species of Scolopendromorpha have been described from caves worldwide, and five of these species are found in Brazil

Summary

Introduction

Scolopocryptops are blind scolopendromorphs with 23 pairs of legs, and the prefemora of the ultimate legs with one dorsomedial and one ventral spinous process. Within the subfamily Scolopocryptopinae, two species of the genus Scolopocryptops have been recorded to be present in caves: S. guacharensis, from Cueva Del Guacharo, and S. ferrugineus, collected in three caves – Cueva Gruxent Graciliano, Cueva del Bunceo and Cueva Alfredo Jahn, all of which are in Venezuela (Manfredi 1957, Chagas-Jr 2003, 2008). S. guacharensis seems to be a troglobitic species because it is restricted to a single cave and has peculiar features, such as some degree of depigmentation and a different length of the ultimate legs, which could be interpreted as troglomorphisms. We describe a new species of Scolopocryptops from Brazil, which is the second troglobite in the subfamily

Material and methods

Discussion