Bothropolys

Wood, 1862

Bothropolys is a of lithobiid established by Wood in 1862. The genus comprises approximately 30 valid distributed across North America and East Asia, with notable diversity in China. Species are primarily associated with temperate forest , ranging from low elevations to montane environments above 2000 meters. Members of this genus are characterized by specific morphological traits including particular arrangements of , coxosternal , and tergite projections.

Bothropolys xanti by (c) Evrytte Carlson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Evrytte Carlson. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bothropolys: //ˌbɒθ.ɹoʊˈpɒlɪs//

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Identification

-level identification requires examination of: number and arrangement (typically 21–27 ocelli in irregular rows, with ocellus largest); coxosternal count (commonly 9+9); presence and pattern of triangular projections on posterior angles of tergites (e.g., tergites 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13 in B. biserialis); article count (usually 20+20); and —female gonopods with arranged in rows, male gonopods short, wide, and flat with .

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Habitat

Temperate forest environments including coniferous and broadleaved forests. Specific records document occurrence under deciduous pine leaf litter in montane settings. Elevational range spans low altitude to approximately 2300 m, with documented occurrences at 1844–2169 m in south-western China. Some have been recorded from caves.

Distribution

Broadly distributed in North America and East Asia. In China, documented from Chongqing Municipality (Yintiaoling National Nature Reserve, Wuxi County), Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, and Sichuan Province. North records include Vermont, USA.

Similar Taxa

Other Lithobiidae generaBothropolys shares -level characteristics with other lithobiid ; differentiation requires detailed examination of tergite projections, arrangement, and structure as specified in diagnostic .

More Details

Taxonomic Note

NCBI lists the as Ethopolyidae, while other sources (Wikipedia, iNaturalist, primary literature) consistently place Bothropolys in Lithobiidae. The Lithobiidae placement is supported by multiple taxonomic reviews and descriptions.

Reproductive Morphology

Female bear 4+4 moderately small coniform arranged in two rows in B. biserialis; male gonopods are short, wide, flat, with 2–4 long and slight . These structures are -diagnostic and used in taxonomic descriptions.