Geophilus gracilis explained

Geophilus gracilis is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found most commonly in Britain and Ireland, though specimens have also been recorded in Chile, France, Greece, and Algeria.^{[1] [2]} It lives under mud and stones along the coast near or below the high tide mark, grows up to 30 millimeters in length, and is bright yellow in color with a darker reddish head.^[3] Males of this species have 51 to 57 pairs of legs; females have 51 to 61 leg pairs.^[4] This species is often confused with G. flavus and, in coastal locations, G. osquidatum.^[5]

Taxonomy

G. gracilis was found to be synonymous with G. fucorum seurati, a subspecies of G. fucorum,^[6] and is closely related to both G. algarum and G. fucorum. It is differentiated from the two by 3–5 labral teeth, an absence of a clear clypeal area, 7–15 prehensorial teeth, 2–5 ventral (posterior) pores, and a claw of the anal leg that ranges from small to large. Several characters of G. gracilis are intermediate between those of G. algarum and G. fucorum, leading some to believe that the three are a single polytypic species consisting of highly individual subspecies.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Geophilus gracilis Meinert, 1870 . World Resister of Marine Species . 2 November 2021.
2. Barber . Anthony D. . Littoral myriapods: a review . Soil Organisms . 2009 . 81 . 3 . 735–760 . 3 November 2021.
3. Web site: Geophilus fucorum seurati Brölemann, 1924 . British Myriapod and Isopod Group . 3 November 2021.
4. 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].
5. Book: Webb . Jon . Natural England Commissioned Report NECR186 - A review of the millipedes (Diplopoda), centipedes (Chilopoda) and woodlice (Isopoda) of Great Britain . 2015 . Natural England . 978-1-78354-234-5 . 75–76 . Species Status No. 23 . 5 November 2021.
6. Web site: Geophilus gracilis Meinert, 1870 . World Resister of Marine Species . 2 November 2021.
7. 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.