Pachymerium Explained

Pachymerium is a genus of centipedes in the family Geophilidae found mainly in the west Palearctic region and in south Africa. Centipedes in this genus feature an elongate head, scattered coxal pores, and sternal pores in a pair of anterior groups and a posterior transverse band; the forcipular coxosternite is broad, and the ultimate article of the forcipule has a prominent basal denticle.

These centipedes range from about 2 cm to about 8 cm in length and have 37 to 79 pairs of legs.^[1] The Chilean species Pachymerium armatum measures only 20 mm in length and has only 37 leg pairs,^[2] the minimum number recorded in this genus. The Russian species P. minutum is also notable for its small size (only 17 mm in length) and its modest number of legs (39 pairs in each sex).^{[3] [4]} The Portuguese species P. coiffaiti is notable for its large size (males reaching 58 mm in length, females ranging from 70 mm to 85 mm) and many legs (males with 69 pairs, females with 73 or 75).^[5] The Cuban species P. cubanum and the large Turkish species P. serratum (measuring 50 mm and 78 mm in length, respectively) each can have as many as 79 leg pairs,^{[6] [7]} the maximum number recorded in this genus.

This genus contains the following species:^[8]

• Pachymerium antipai Capuse, 1968
• Pachymerium armatum Silvestri, 1905
• Pachymerium attenuatum (Say)
• Pachymerium brevicornis (Lucas, 1849)
• Pachymerium capense Attems, 1947
• Pachymerium caucasicum Attems, 1903
• Pachymerium coiffaiti Demange, 1959
• Pachymerium cubanum Matic et al., 1977
• Pachymerium dragani Capuse, 1975
• Pachymerium escherichi (Verhoeff)
• Pachymerium ferrugineum (C. L. Koch, 1835)
• Pachymerium folkmanovae (Dobroruka, 1966)
• Pachymerium grandiceps (Porat, 1893)
• Pachymerium idium Chamberlin, 1960
• Pachymerium imbricatum Attems, 1934
• Pachymerium minutum (Seliwanoff, 1884)
• Pachymerium monticola Muralewicz, 1926
• Pachymerium multipes (Sseliwanoff, 1881)
• Pachymerium pereirai Shear & Peck, 1992
• Pachymerium pilosum (Meinert, 1870)
• Pachymerium rioindianum Matic et al., 1977
• Pachymerium serratum Verhoeff, 1943
• Pachymerium syriacum Attems, 1903
• Pachymerium tabacarui Capuse, 1968
• Pachymerium tridentatum Lawrence, 1960
• Pachymerium tristanicum Attems, 1928
• Pachymerium tyrrhenum Verhoeff, 1934
• Pachymerium zelandicum Attems, 1947

Notes and References

1. Book: Bonato . Lucio . The Myriapoda. Volume 1 . Edgecombe . Gregory D. . Zapparoli . Marzio . 2011 . Brill . 2011 . 978-90-04-18826-6 . Minelli . Alessandro . Leiden . 363–443 . Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview . 812207443.
2. Book: Attems, Carl . Lfg. 52 Myriapoda, 1: Geophilomorpha . De Gruyter . 1929 . 978-3-11-143063-8 . Attems . Karl . 249 . de . 10.1515/9783111430638.
3. Sseliwanoff . A. . 1884 . Materialii k isyceniyn russkih tyisiachenogich (Myriapoda) . Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae . Russian . 18 . 69–121 [89-90] . Biodiversity Heritage Library.
4. Bonato . Lucio . Minelli . Alessandro . 2014-03-03 . Chilopoda Geophilomorpha of Europe: a revised list of species, with taxonomic and nomenclatorial notes . Zootaxa . 3770 . 1 . 1–136 [49-50, 52] . 10.11646/zootaxa.3770.1.1 . 1175-5334 . subscription.
5. Demange . J.M. . 1959 . Myriapodes Chilopodes de Madère (Mission de M. le Pr. A. Vandel) . Revue Française d'Entomologie . French . 26 . 157-166 [162-164].
6. Book: Matic, Z. . Résultats des Expéditions Biospéléologiques Cubano-Roumaines à Cuba . Negrea . St. . Fundora Martínez . C. . Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România. București . 1977 . 2 . 277-301 [288] . French . Recherches sur les Chilopodes hypogés de Cuba. II.
7. Verhoeff . Karl W. . 1943 . Über Chilopoden der Türkei. III. Aufsatz . Zoologischer Anzeiger . German . 143 . 116-140 [133-134].
8. Web site: Pachymerium . Global Myriapod Information System . October 5, 2013 . June 26, 2008 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20131011185658/http://www.gbifev2.mwn.de/GloMyrIS/GloMyrIS_resultset.php?var_taxon=Pachymerium . October 11, 2013 . dead .