Geophilus fucorum explained

Geophilus fucorum is a halophilic^[1] species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in the French Mediterranean, Corsica, Italy, and Greece.^[2] Males of this species have 49 to 53 pairs of legs; females have 51 to 55.^[3]

Taxonomy

G. fucorum shares several characteristics with both G. algarum and G. gracilis, which was previously classified as a subspecies of G. fucorum, leading some to believe that the three are a single species consisting of highly individual subspecies. It's differentiated from the two by having 5-7 labral teeth, absence of a clear clypeal area, 12-14 prehensorial teeth, two clustered and one isolated ventral (posterior) pore, and a rudimentary claw of the anal leg.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Iorio . Etienne . Geoffrey . David . Petillon . Julien . Distribution and indicator value of intertidal centipedes from Mediterranean beaches within and around Port-Cros National Park (Southern France), with proposal of a simplified monitoring (Chilopoda) . Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France . 2020 . 125 . 41–62 . 10.32475/bsef_2107 . 216250112 . 4 November 2021.
2. Web site: Geophilus fucorum Brölemann, 1900 . World Register of Marine Species . 4 November 2021.
3. Iorio . Etienne . 2006 . La faune des Chilopodes du Massif Armoricain : biologie, liste préliminaire et détermination des espèces (Chilopoda) . Mémoires de la Société linnéenne de Bordeaux . French . 7 . 1-72 [30].
4. Lewis . J.G.E . The Ecology, Taxonomy, and Distribution of the Centipedes Found on the Shore in the Plymouth Area . Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . 1962 . 42 . 3 . 655–664 . 10.1017/S0025315400054333 . 3 November 2021.