﻿THE CHILOPODA OF CALIFORNIA I 



BY RALPH V. CHAMBERLIN, 

 BRIGHAM YOl-NG UNIVERSITY, PROVO, UTAH. 



For man)- years it has been clear to specialists that centipedes, millipedes, 

 Scolopenclrella, and Pauropus with its relatives must be regarded as consti- 

 tuting four distinct classes rather than one as covered by the term Myriopoda as 

 prevailingly used. Since the Chilopoda are closer to the Insecta, according to 

 present evidence, than to the other three classes, there seems much justice in 

 the proposal to place the Insecta and Chilopoda in a larger group coordinate 

 with one composed of the Symphyla, Pauropoda and Diplopoda. It has been 

 proposed to call the former group the Etymochyla, the latter the Myriopoda 

 sens. str. More recently Pocock has designated these two divisions ( super- 

 classes) as the Opisthogoneata and Progoneata, names referring to the fact 

 that in insects and centipedes the reproductive organs open through a single 

 duct near the caudal extremity of the body, whereas in Scolopendrella, Pauro- 

 l>us, and the millipedes proper, the paired genital ducts open on the anterior 

 region of the body (mostly the second segment). In accordance with these 

 findings the Chilopoda and Diplopoda with be treated quite apart in the 

 present series of synopses. 



The first work published upon the centipedes and millipedes of California, 

 consists of the papers of Dr. Horatio Wood. Before his time, however, species 

 now known to occur within the state had been described from other localities 

 by Say (1821), Brandt (1841), Newport (1844), and de Saussure (I860). 

 In a number of papers published from 1861 to 1867, Dr. Wood described from 

 the Pacific coast region something over a score of species, most of these 

 being from California. In 1869 and 1872 Humbert and Saussure published 

 their "Myriopoda Nova Americana" and "Etudes sur les Myriopodes" in which 

 several species occurring in California were described. In 1875 Dr. Anton 

 Stuxburg issued a paper on North .American Lithobii in which he named six 

 new species from this state, two of them subsequently being made types of 

 subgenera. Dr. Karsch added several species to the known fauna in 1881 : 

 r.nd during the same year Kolilrausch published a synopsis of the known 

 Scolopendrid;e of the world in which a nurmber of records for California 

 are given. 



Bv 1885. TJ species had become known from California, this being more 

 tiian was listed from any other of the states at that time. Since that time 

 fm-ther contributions touching the chilopods and diplopods of the state have 

 been made by Bollman (1887-1880). Daday (1889-1891), Cook and Collins 

 (18')5). Cook (1890 and 1904) and the present author (1902-1910). The 

 known fauna now includes seventy or more species; yet, considering the ter- 

 ritory embraced, it nuist be said that thi-; list represents the actual fauna very 

 imperfecth'. .\ttention and cofiperation on the part of collectors would nn- 



