Scutigerellidae
Bagnall, 1913
pseudocentipedes, garden centipedes, symphylans
Genus Guides
1- Scutigerella(garden symphylans)
is a of pseudocentipedes (class Symphyla) comprising five and at least 138 described . Members are soil-dwelling microarthropods with a subcosmopolitan distribution, though the genus Hanseniella is notably widespread in the southern hemisphere. The family includes both strictly terrestrial species and unusual arboreal forms adapted to seasonally flooded . Three fossil species are known from Eocene amber, with the oldest dating to 40–50 million years ago.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Scutigerellidae: /skuː.tɪ.d͡ʒɛrˈɛ.lɪ.diː/
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Identification
and neck distinctly separated; body usually exceeds 4 mm in length. with more than 20 articles, bearing a large branched organ on the most article. possess 15 simple tergites (first tergite reduced) and 12 pairs of legs. Each leg pair corresponds to a single tergite except the fourth, sixth, and eighth pairs, each associated with two tergites. First leg pair well developed, exceeding half the length of the second pair. Well-developed styli protrude from leg bases, each bearing two or more setae. () terminate in smooth areas.
Images
Habitat
Primarily soil-dwelling in moist terrestrial including leaf litter, rotting wood, and decaying logs. Some occupy subantarctic at high latitudes. At least one species (Hanseniella arborea) is arboreal, inhabiting Amazonian black-water inundation forests and exhibiting migratory in response to seasonal flooding.
Distribution
Subcosmopolitan. Hanseniella: widespread in southern hemisphere, including southernmost record for class Symphyla at Tierra del Fuego. Genus Scutigerella: Neotropical, Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan realms; introduced to Australasian and Oceanian realms. Genus Millotellina: Afrotropical, Indomalayan, Australasian, and Oceanian realms. Genus Scolopendrelloides: Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Genus Scopoliella: single in Mexico (Nearctic). Fossil records from Dominican amber (Miocene) and Baltic amber (Eocene, 40–50 mya).
Behavior
Migratory observed in at least one (Hanseniella arborea) in response to seasonal flooding in Amazonian inundation forests. Soil-dwelling species collected by hand from decaying organic matter.
Ecological Role
Soil microarthropod contributing to decomposition processes and soil fauna dynamics. Potential indicator for studying impacts of Quaternary glaciation on soil distributions in subantarctic regions.
Similar Taxa
- ScolopendrellidaeOther in Symphyla; distinguished by body size usually under 4 mm, different tergite-leg correspondence patterns, and with sensory structures rather than smooth terminal areas.
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Catalogue of Life
- On the natural history and ecology of Hanseniella arborea (Myriapoda, Symphyla, Scutigerellidae), a migrating symphylan from an Amazonian black-water inundation forest )
- The southernmost record for a symphylan: Hanseniella guerreroi sp. nov. (Myriapoda, Scutigerellidae), an inhabitant of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago
- Redescription of the enigmatic myriapod Hanseniellachilensis (Hansen, 1903) (Symphyla, Scutigerellidae) based on scanning electron microscope images of Chilean specimens.
- Description of the first species of Scutigerella (Symphyla, Scutigerellidae) from China, with mitogenomic and genetic divergence analysis.