Paeromopus angusticeps
(Wood, 1864)
Species Guides
2Paeromopus angusticeps is a large to California. It possesses the broadest geographic range of any Paeromopus species, forming an arc across Northern California from the central coast to the Sierra Nevada and Cascades. The species comprises two distinguished by : P. a. angusticeps in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, and the more widespread P. a. buttensis to the north and east.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Paeromopus angusticeps: /ˌpɛəroʊˈmoʊpəs ænˈɡʌstɪˌsɛps/
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Identification
reach 100–150 mm in length and 5–7 mm in width, with up to 80 body segments. Coloration consists of alternating brown bands on a black or blue-black base, though banding may be indistinct in some individuals. The displays small parallel grooves or striations characteristic of Paeromopodidae. Each lateral contains up to 30 ocelli arranged in a patch. Distinguished from other Paeromopus by geographic range and, in males, by structure; the two differ in subtle gonopod with intergrade showing intermediate forms in Solano and Sonoma counties.
Images
Habitat
Occupies mesic environments in coastal and montane regions of Northern California. Found in Coast Ranges, Cascades, and Sierra Nevada. Largely absent from the dry Central Valley.
Distribution
to California, USA. Range extends from Monterey County on the central coast, north through the Coast Ranges to Humboldt County, and eastward along the Cascades and Sierra Nevada.
Similar Taxa
- Paeromopus a. angusticeps occupying San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas (Marin to Monterey County), distinguished by subtle differences
- Paeromopus a. buttensis occupying northern and eastern portions of range, more widespread than nominate subspecies, distinguished by subtle differences