1885.] * -^1 [Meinert. 



Ocbracea vel brunnea, sa>pe plus vel minus olivacea, margine postico 

 laminarum dorsalum srepissime, autennis pedibus posterioribus partim 

 pleurisque ssepe virescentibus ; robusta vel minus robusta, sublasvis, la- 

 minis ventralibus plus vel minus manifesto bisulcatis ; capite subovali. 

 Antenna? longiuscuhe, ad basin paulum incrassat*, attenuata?, 17-22 artic- 

 ulata?, prater articulos senos vel septenos priores brevissime hirsutoe, 

 articulis mediis longiusculis. 



Dentes prosternales qnini vel rare quaterni (bini vel terni interiores plus 

 vel minus coaliti), minores, obtusiusculi ; dens coxalis in latere nodulo 

 parvo armatus. 



Pedum articulus primus tarsalis, pedibus ultimis vel binis posterioribus 

 exceptis, calcare armatus. 



Pedes anales breviusculi, plus vel minus incrassati (varissime longius- 

 culi, vix incrassati), articulis binis prioribus deplanatis marginatis, in 

 margine sup. interiore femoris spinulis quaternis vel quinis longis, in 

 series binas digestis, angulo apicali in spinam longiorem, tri- vel quadrifi- 

 dam producto, in latere inferiore spinulis senis vel novenis majoribus, in 

 series ternas concinne digestis, armati. 



Laminae dorsales posteriores marginata?. 



Pleura? postica? lata?, sublaeves, dense porosse, in angnlum minorem, tri- 

 vel quadrifidum producta?, margine postico fere in transversum leviter 

 sinuato, spinula perparva armato. 



Lamina ultima ventralis breviuscula, latiuscula, lateribus sinuatis, valde 

 angustata, post brevius rotundata. 



Long. 90-130 mm. 



Perhaps this Scolopendra is the most inconstant species 

 among all the Myriapods, but also very few animals are so com- 

 mon and so widely distributed as Sc. morsitans ; yet through all 

 its variations the short, flat, marginated pedes anales with three 

 rows of larger spines on the under side of the femora seldom are 

 missed. On the other hand, if we are not willing to believe in 

 such variability, we are compelled to accept an infinity of species, 

 such as most conspicuously v. Porat has made ; but I do not 

 hesitate to say that a larger number of specimens from different 

 parts of the world will bring us to follow the views which Dr. 

 Wood and Dr. Kohlrausch have so forcibly declared with regard 

 to the genus Scolopendra. 



Hab. This species is found in all tropical regions, whence it 

 is often brought alive in ships to more northern localities. For 

 this reason it will be of no value to enumerate all those from 

 which specimens have been received by the Museum. 



PROC. AMER. PHILOS. SOC. XXIII. 122. Z. PRINTED DECEMBER 3l, 1885. 



