# Scolopendra subcrustalis n. sp.



## krabbelspinne (Apr 25, 2009)

The mysterious green centipede from the Philippines has a name right now. The first description is published in the new ARTHROPODA magazine. 

*Scolopendra subcrustalis KRONMÜLLER, 2009 *

photos: http://www.myriapoden.de/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=73

Nice weekend!


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## JonathanF (Apr 25, 2009)

Hey,

Could you upload your article please? Also, since you described it and not only re-described it in another genus, I'd suggest you write _Scolopendra subcrustalis_ KRONMUELLER, 2009.

P.S What's subcrustalis? Does it refer to any taxonomic feature of it?


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 25, 2009)

hey jonathan,

of course it is Scolopendra subcrustalis KRONMÜLLER 2009 as it is no re-description in another genus.

As you can read in my article, the name was chosen because of the special way of living as this species lives partly arboreal under bark of rotten trees.

Just send me an email, I will post the article to you.


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 26, 2009)

Here is a pic of a just moulted specimen:


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 28, 2009)

I would like to know who keeps Scolopendra crustalis? Any experiences?


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## peterbourbon (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi,

i finally kept them in long BraPlast-enclosures, providing a bark and heros-like dry environment with a small watercup and they were all active and well.

I suppose they are very sensible at all like you already mentioned.

I think they can't stand cool temperatures (keep it constant) and moist environment. If i kept them in moist environments they died very fast. Same with cooler temperatures. The collection area finally seems to have "almost" constant mid-warm temperatures over the whole year.

Not all stick vice versa to the underside of a bark (often they only hide under it), but i experienced they never burrow.

I could watch exactly the same specific behaviour on some Cormocephalus coming from Madagascar (living vice versa sticked under a bark).
Finally i don't find them easy to keep. Do you think they need high humidity? Never tested it specifically.

BTW: Good work! :worship: 

Regards,
Turgut


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 28, 2009)

Thanks Turgut. In fact, there are hard to keep. I am not satisfied at all with the conditions I can provide them.

I made the best results with high humidity and not so hot temperatures as they live in different higher regions of the Negros moutains. I also provide them some pieces of wood and bark (they really like rotten wood with hiding possibilities). I think, the difficulty is to create high air humidity for them instead of substrate humidity.


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## Galapoheros (Apr 28, 2009)

Wow that's awesome Krabbelspinne, congrats!


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

@ peterbourbon:

I have some questions about the Philippine Otostigmus. As we already talked about the difficulty of O. astenus and O. aculeatus. I have some small green Otostigmus from Philippine that fit to O. astenus. Have you ever seen them?


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## peterbourbon (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi,

after reading the two new papers by Lewis from 2001 and 2003 i am quite sure that the small black Otostigmus from Philippines (the one i supposed to be O. sucki) is really _Otostigmus astenus_, because we doubted the length of the coxopleural process in past, but Lewis provides a new sketch where you can see that _O. astenus_ does not have very long coxopleurons as seen before in a maybe inappropriate sketch provided in Attems' Scolopendromorpha.

For the green Otostigmus: I don't know exactly which one you mean - the only green Otostigmus i know from Philippines have a yellow/green body and rusty-red headplate and yellow legs.







These Otostigmus seem to be _O. asper_, but i personally doubted _O. asper_ in general and i think it needs revision. Kraepelin surely meant those specimen with his description of _O. asper_ in past, but he even says that the pustules on sternites are not found on every specimen (which is nevertheless the namegiving taxonomical feature i suppose: "asper" = "rough (surface)")....and we shouldn't forget that his paper is from 1903. Quite long ago - since then i think there was no further revision of _O. asper_.

Lewis described a new species called "Otostigmus angusticeps" for SE-asia and he even mentions the local differences of 21st-sternite-shape (sometimes quadratic, sometimes not - i could see that on different specimen). His description perfectly fits to our supposed _O. asper_ - only the taxonomical feature of sparely hirsute antenommeres does not fit. While Lewis states _O. angusticeps_ has almost "glabrous" 3rd antenna segments, only baring a very small hairy stripe on the border to the 4th segment, these specimen from Philippines have clearly 2,5 sparely hirsute antenna segments.

Difficult topic.
I personally suppose they are _O. asper_, but i also think _O. asper_ must be probably synonymized with _O. angusticeps_.
Maybe Lewis can make things clearer. We should send him some preserved specimen, cause i think he is the only one who could unravel.

EDIT: BTW: After reading the Lewis-papers i'm also quite sure that the former supposed "O. politus dentatus" is O. aculeatus.

Regards,
Turgut


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

now it is getting difficult, because I identified some specimen as O. astenus which are small and greenish. The specimen on your photo was also identified as O. asper. Then we still have the problem of the "bluelegged" Otostigmus with the different shaped 21st sternits. what is your opinion about that?


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## peterbourbon (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi,

yes i think this one (the "blueish"-legged) is _O. astenus_ - finally the IDs fit, even after Lewis' recent works:






Then I have never seen your smaller green Otostigmus. Can you link a picture or do you have one in your gallery? Maybe both are _O. astenus_ in different colorations.
Sounds very interesting. (I also had a smaller Otostigmus from Philippines, approx. 3-4cm that was yellowish, but it died - i preserved it in alcohole. First i thought it was a younger one from another Philippines Otostigmus, but the 21st sternite looked different). I can post a photo later on.

Regards
Turgut


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

As it had eggs I couldn`t take any pics until now. I will do that later.

and what about the different shaped endsternit of the bluelegged ones? 
and what about the specimen you once identified as otostigmus punctiventer?


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## peterbourbon (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi,

the 21st sternite resembles the sketch in Lewis' description of _O. astenus_.
The formerly supposed _O. punctiventer_ may be due to different centipedes from Java and Philippines - and the lack of Lewis' actual material (only Attems' publication). There are some same-looking centipedes coming from Java that are identified as _O. spinosus_. 
Those centipedes have a different 21st sternite and an apical spine in 20th prefemur.







Can you tell me in what taxonomical elements your green Otostigmus exactly differs from the bluelegged ones - and why they fit more to _O. astenus_?
Do you think the bluelegged centipedes are rather _O. punctiventer_?

As far as i know the only taxonomical element that made us doubt for the bluelegged Otostigmus to be _O. astenus_ was the sketch of Attems that showed the Coxopleural processes are twice as long as the 21st sternite. Lewis provided a new sketch where the coxopleurons are rather short and the 21st sternite is also quadratic.

Regards,
Turgut


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

I only have one specimen of the bluelegged specimen and shame on me: I haven`t examined it until now as I was satisfied with your identification and explanation. 
If I find some time this evening, I will post some photos of the green one and my bluelegged one. BTW I never noticed that apical spine... 

- the O. astenus lacks this spine?
- your O. spinosus is really from Java?


And I am not sure if I have the Lewis papers. Can you send them to me?


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## peterbourbon (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi,

you are right, there were some confusions in past regarding Otostigmus, cause we only had Attems so far. Until now i have noticed a lot of misinteprations in Attems (not only Otostigmus), especially sometimes there is important information missing...or he doesn't provide sketches.

And yes, O. spinosus has a narrowed 21st sternite and this spine on 20th prefemur while O. astenus lacks it. Sometimes even the spine is missing on one leg (Lewis points that out).

My O. spinosus are from Indonesia (Java) and one came from Thailand that was also O. spinosus. I'm not 1000% sure, but it's most probably O. spinosus.

I will send you both Lewis-papers (2001 and 2003) - and they really brighten the corners in the whole Otostigmus-thing.

Regards,
Turgut


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

I have had the same problems with the genus Alipes. I wrote an article about genus Alipes and the Alipes spec. Uganda, which is propably Alipes cf. crotalus...

Thanks for the papers.


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## 西行寺 幽々子 (Apr 29, 2009)

I have some queations about how to keep Sc.subcrustalis:

I will get a Sc.subcrustalis soon, so i want to make a suitable environment before, but in this post , there are two completely different views of the humidity, one is the high humidity, the other is dry like keep heros, this makes me very confused, i don't know choose which idea,  i don't want to make a big mistake about the humidity  

and about keep a high air humidity, i have a way( maybe not very good)
i use a case like the pic 

	
	
		
		
	


	




it have a very good tightness, it high enough, and on the top, the holes very small and few.
so spray some water on the soil, and put a heating plate under the case,( the heating plate can keep the enough temperature if Sc.subcrustalis really need high temperature ) then every time there will be evaporate many steam, but only few leave by the holes, so in the case , there will be a high air humidity like rainforest ;of course, put a real plant is good for keep humidity too.

i still want to know more experience about the humidity, and i think i should put some bark ,leaves, and wood holes in it


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## krabbelspinne (Apr 29, 2009)

I don`t think, that the two opinions are so different. In fact, the substrate humidity shouldn`t be high at all and the species needs a good ventilation. But as it is a species living under bark or in holes of rotten wood, the micro habitat has high air humidity without beeing too damp and wet.


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