Proceedings of 

 the United States 

 National Museum 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION • WASHINGTON, B.C. 



A NEW AMERICAN GENUS OF CRYPTOPID CENTIPEDES, 

 WITH AN ANNOTATED KEY TO THE SCOLOPENDRO- 

 MORPH GENERA FROM AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO 



By Ralph E. Crabill, Jr. 



Of all centipedes perhaps the Scolopendromorpha are the best 

 known, at least at generic and suprageneric levels. This knowledge 

 has come about partly as a result of the availability of large numbers 

 of study specimens drawn very widely from the earth, and partly 

 as a result of the relatively clear-cut, usually well-defined assemblages 

 that we encounter throughout much of the order. In contrast, 

 where our understanding of the suprageneric structure of all other 

 centipedes is faultj^ or imperfect, the lack of adequate numbers of 

 geographically representative specimens or intrinsic categorical 

 difficulties or both are generally responsible. 



The scolopendromorphs that we know best, quite understandably, 

 are the larger forms — the kinds attractive to collectors because they 

 are big, fierce looking, and, in the tropics, abundant; for the most 

 part they are the familiar Scolopendridae. By the same token the 

 ones that we know less well are the smaller, often tiny Cr3rptopidae. 

 Here I believe much more remains to be learned; as a matter of fact, 

 it is quite reasonable to anticipate the discovery particularly in the 

 New World Tropics and Subtropics of new cryptopid species and new 

 cryptopid supraspecific patterns, the present new genus being one 

 example. 



The new form seems most like those presently included under 

 Kethops, and yet apparently differs sufficiently to warrant elevation 

 to equivalent generic rank. Admittedly this decision may seem 

 undesirable once the suprageneric structure of the Scolopocryptopinae 

 has been extended and more perfectly delineated; however, at the 



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