Abstract
Morphological characters have been widely used in centipede systematics. Here, we aim to obtain morphological information from the preoral chamber and peristomatic structures of lithobiomorph centipedes, with taxonomic sampling focused on the species-rich genus Lithobius Leach, 1814. Towards this goal, we (i) examined the epipharynx and hypopharynx of 32 species belonging to four subgenera of the genus Lithobius, viz. Lithobius Leach, 1814, Monotarsobius Verhoeff, 1905, Sigibius Chamberlin, 1913 and Ezembius Chamberlin, 1919 using light and scanning electron microscopy, (ii) searched for phylogenetically informative characters and (iii) described interspecific variation. Three species of the lithobiid genera Eupolybothrus Verhoeff, 1907, Disphaerobius Attems, 1926 and Neolithobius Stuxberg, 1875 were additionally examined and considered as likely outgroups. New characters and character states are proposed as additions to current phylogenetic datasets. Similarities in the peristomatic structures ally Disphaerobius with Lithobius (Ezembius), suggesting that the subfamily Pterygoterginae is nested within Lithobiinae and Lithobius.
Highlights
The peristomatic structures – the epipharynx and hypopharynx – of Chilopoda have hitherto been studied in the orders Scutigeromorpha, Lithobiomorpha, Geophilomorpha (Koch and Edgecombe 2006, 2008, 2012, respectively), and Scolopendromorpha (Edgecombe and Koch 2008, 2009) revealing numerous characters bearing phylogenetically useful information
We (i) examined the epipharynx and hypopharynx of 32 species belonging to four subgenera of the genus Lithobius, viz. Lithobius Leach, 1814, Monotarsobius Verhoeff, 1905, Sigibius Chamberlin, 1913 and Ezembius Chamberlin, 1919 using light and scanning electron microscopy, (ii) searched for phylogenetically informative characters and (iii) described interspecific variation
Two characters of the peristomatic structures, viz. ‘bottle-shaped' epidermal glandular shafts on the epipharynx and a characteristic shape of the hypopharynx, support the monophyly of the order Lithobiomorpha, whereas paired oblique rows of spines on the clypeal part of the epipharynx are thought to be apomorphic for the family Lithobiidae (Koch and Edgecombe 2008)
Summary
The peristomatic structures – the epipharynx and hypopharynx – of Chilopoda have hitherto been studied in the orders Scutigeromorpha, Lithobiomorpha, Geophilomorpha (Koch and Edgecombe 2006, 2008, 2012, respectively), and Scolopendromorpha (Edgecombe and Koch 2008, 2009) revealing numerous characters bearing phylogenetically useful information (see Koch et al 2010, Vahtera et al 2013). Aiming to obtain further morphological information from the peristomatic structures of Lithobius to evaluate whether those might be useful for identifying clades within this very large genus, we study the epipharynx and hypopharynx of 32 species of Lithobius, including the subgenera Lithobius (23 spp.), Sigibius (3 spp.), Monotarsobius (5 spp.), and Ezembius (1 sp.) using light and scanning electron microscopy. We examine species of the lithobiid genera Neolithobius Stuxberg, 1875 (Lithobiinae), Eupolybothrus Verhoeff, 1907 (Ethopolyinae), and Disphaerobius Attems, 1926 (Pterygoterginae), for comparison with Lithobius
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