''Schendyla dentata'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
soil centipede
Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an a ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Schendylidae
Schendylidae is a paraphyletic (with respect to Ballophilidae) family of soil centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha
The centipedes or Chilopoda are divided into the following orders.
Scutigeromorpha
The Scutigeromorpha are anamorphic, reachi ...
.
This
centipede
Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...
is widespread in
western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
.
This species is notable not only for its small size, reaching only 12 mm in length, but also for the absence of males in all samples collected.
This absence of males suggests that this species reproduces through
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...
.
Taxonomy
This species was first
described in 1911 under the name ''Brachyschendyla dentata'' by the French
zoologists
This is a list of notable zoologists who have published names of new taxa under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
A
* Abe – Tokiharu Abe (1911–1996)
* Abeille de Perrin, Ab. – Elzéar Abeille de Perrin (1843–1910)
* A ...
Henri W. Brölemann
Henry Wilfred Brolemann (10 July 1860 – 31 July 1933) was a French myriapodology, myriapodologist and former president of the Société entomologique de France known for major works on centipedes and millipedes, of which he named some 500 sp ...
and
Henri Ribaut Henri Ribaut (1872 – 14 February 1967, in Toulouse) was a French naturalist and entomologist. He was a specialist in Hemiptera notably Auchenorrhyncha Sternorrhyncha, Heteroptera, and Coleorrhyncha.
His collection which includes Hymenoptera ...
.
In 1912, Brölemann and Ribaut introduced ''Microschendyla'' as a
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed betw ...
in the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
''Brachyschendyla'' and included ''Brachyschendyla dentata'' in their proposed subgenus.
Authorities have since deemed both ''Brachyschendyla'' and ''Brachyschendyla (Microschendyla)'' to be
junior synonyms
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
of ''
Schendyla
''Schendyla'' is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Schendylidae. These centipedes are found in the west Palearctic region. This genus was described by Danish entomologists Vilhelm Bergsøe and Frederik Vilhelm August Meinert in 1866. Thi ...
''.
Discovery and distribution
In 1911, Brölemann and Ribaut based the original description of this species on a single female specimen found in the central
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
, in
Saint-Béat in the
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country' ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
.
In 1930, Brölemann recorded this species 150 km further north, in the
Montague Noire mountain range, in the department of
Tarn in France.
No more finds were recorded until the 1970 report of the collection of six females and three juveniles in 1968 from two urban sites in the county of
Surrey in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
Since then, this species has been recorded in numerous other locations, including sites in southern England,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, as well as
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
.
Ecology
This species has often been found near buildings in urban environments or at other sites influenced by humans.
These locations include churchyards, gardens, or abandoned sites in Surrey,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...
,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymout ...
,
Oxfordshire,
West Cornwall, and
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
in England, as well as a garden in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in Denmark and a park in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
in the Netherlands.
Authorities assume that ''S. dentata'' is native in its range from France to Austria,
where this species was found in a forest southwest of the summit of
Leopoldsberg
The Leopoldsberg (; ) is perhaps Vienna’s most famous hill, towering over the Danube and the city. Leopoldberg’s most prominent landmark is the church which stands at the top, and which is clearly visible from Vienna below. Construction of the ...
near
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
but this species was probably introduced by humans to England, where specimens have been observed only in urban habitats or otherwise
synanthropic
A synanthrope (from the Greek σύν ''syn'', "together with" + ἄνθρωπος ''anthropos'', "man") is a member of a species of wild animal or plant that lives near, and benefits from, an association with human beings and the somewhat artific ...
sites.
The small size of this species makes this centipede likely to be transported with plants and soil undetected and spread inadvertently by humans.
Authorities also suspect that parthenogenetic reproduction has facilitated the establishment of this species in urban and suburban environments.
Description
This species is small, with adults ranging from 9 mm to 12 mm in length and juveniles ranging from 5 mm to 6.5 mm in length. This centipede features 39 pairs of legs and is whitish and somewhat translucent. The head is slightly longer than wide (with a length/width ratio ranging from 1.1 to 1.2). The
labrum
Labrum Latin, defined as "having the edge"
* Labrum (architecture), a large water-filled vessel or basin with an overhanging lip
* Labrum (arthropod mouthpart), a flap-like structure in front of the mouth in almost all extant Euarthropoda
* Bron ...
features 13 to 15 teeth, with the middle teeth pigmented and rounded like
tubercles
In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal.
In plants
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, ...
and the pale lateral teeth sharper but also more obtuse. These teeth become flatter and more inconspicuous away from the center and toward either lateral extreme. The side pieces of the labrum are clearly separated from the
clypeus Clypeus may refer to:
* ''Clypeus'' (echinoderm), a fossil genus of echinoid
* Clypeus Grit, a stratum in the Jurassic Inferior Oolite named for the echinoid
* Clypeus (arthropod anatomy), a sclerite in an insect's exoskeleton
* Clypeus (fungal) C ...
by a pale band. The first
maxillae
The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The tw ...
feature two pairs of lappets, a well developed distal pair and a small inconspicuous pair at the base of these maxillae. Each of the second maxillae ends in a simple claw without spines. The ultimate article of the
forcipule
Forcipules are the modified, pincer-like, front legs of centipedes that are used to inject venom into prey. They are the only known examples of front legs acting as venom injectors.
Nomenclature
Forcipules go by a variety of names in both scien ...
features a prominent tooth at the base, and the first article features a well developed medial tooth. The anterior
sternites
The sternum (pl. "sterna") is the ventral portion of a segment of an arthropod thorax or abdomen.
In insects, the sterna are usually single, large sclerites, and external. However, they can sometimes be divided in two or more, in which case the ...
feature no ventral pores. The basal element of each of the
ultimate legs
Ultimate legs are a pair of modified rear legs unique to centipedes. Although they do not aid in locomotion, ultimate legs are used for a variety of uses, and their morphology varies accordingly.
Sexual dimorphism is frequently present.
Usage ...
features two pores in adults but only one pore in juveniles. Each of the ultimate legs ends with a rudimentary truncated seventh article, only one-seventh the length of the penultimate article, without any apical claw.
This species shares many traits with other species in the genus ''Schendyla''. For example, like other species in this genus, this species features two pores and no claw on each of the ultimate legs.
Furthermore, sternal pores are often absent in other species in this genus, and these other species often feature few spines on the second maxillae.
Other traits, however, distinguish ''S. dentata'' from the other ''Schendyla'' species found in Europe. For example, the small terminal article of the ultimate legs distinguishes ''S. dentata'' from similar species, including ''
S. nemorensis'', ''
S. armata'', and ''
S. tyrolensis''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4357390
dentata
Myriapods of Europe
Taxa named by Henry Wilfred Brolemann
Taxa named by Henri Ribaut
Animals described in 1911