Rediscovery and phylogenetic relationships of the scolopendromorph centipede Mimops orientalis Kraepelin, 1903 (Chilopoda): a monotypic species of Mimopidae endemic to China, for more than one century

By

Jiang, Chao
Bai, Yunjun
Shi, Mengxuan
Liu, Juan

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

932

Pages

75--91

Subjects

Morphology , new distribution , Qinling Mountain

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.932.51461

 

Abstract

Mimops orientalis Kraepelin, 1903 is a monotypic species of Mimopidae endemic to China. The species is known only from a single specimen, the holotype. Little is known about its biology, habitat associations, or phylogenetic relationships. It was rediscovered on Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi and Henan provinces, China, 117 years after its last record. Detailed descriptions and colour photographs of living specimens are provided along with its ecology, updated conservation notes, and data on sexual dimorphism. A genetic analysis (COI, 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA) was conducted to assess the phylogenetic relationships among Mimopidae, Cryptopidae, Scolopendridae, Scolopocryptopidae, and Plutoniumidae. The results support classifying Mimopidae as a valid family.