Page:Wood 1865 - The Myriapoda of North America.djvu/30

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THE MYRIAPODA OF NORTH AMERICA.
165

coadnate; feet slender, yellowish, moderately compressed; last pair of feet above complanate, below strongly convex, superior margins, both external and internal, acute; basal joint longer than the tibial, both on the inner and lower surface bi- or tri-spiflous, angular process bifid or trifid; ventral surface brownish-olive; lateral anal appendages densely profoundly punctate, rather elongate, each with 2—3 apical spines, apex not incurvate.

S. byssina, Wood, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1861, p. 10; Journ. A. N. S., 1863, p. 26.

The head is of moderate size. The dental lamina are rather broad, their teeth small, almost tuberculiform. The scuto-episcutal sutures are traceable, but not so distinct as the sterno-episternal. The first scutum is very short, the penultimate very large, with its sides strongly arched. The legs are slightly compressed. One brown specimen has some of its scuta margined posteriorly with green. This species differs from subspinipes in the shape of hind pair of legs, which are parallelopipedal, and have the margins much more acute, as well as in the proportionate length of the basal and tibial joints. How far these characters are specific is not certain, and it is very possible that this species does not deserve to rank higher than a variety. Large suites of specimens can alone decide this.

The habitat of S. byssina is uncertain. Originally it was described as doubtfully living in Florida. Then specimens were found in the Smithsonian Collection labelled California. Since then others have come to light labelled Florida. It is hardly possible that the species is common to the two countries, and which is correct I am at a loss to decide. Length 2½ inches.


S. copeana.

S. luteolo-castanea prasino sparsa; capite sparse minute punctato; segmento cephalico parvo, subrotundo, convexo; basali magno; antennis 25 articulatis; labio rubri-castaneo; laminis dentalibus subelongatis, margine antico fere recto; dentibus 8, nigris, utrinque duobus intimis coadunatis, extinais duobus majoribus, conicis, sejunctis; pedibus luteolis, modice eompressis; pari postreino robusto, articulo basali tibiali vix longiore, supra complanato, intus 4—6 spinis, infra 9—17 spinis in serie quadruplici (interdum inordinatim) dispositis; processu angulari spinis 2—5; appendicibus analibus lateralibus dense profundeque punctatis, singula spinis apicalibus 3—5, et marginalibus 1—3; superficie ventrali sordide luteola.

Yellowish-chestnut, sprinkled with light green; head sparsely minutely punctate; cephalic segment small, sub-round, convex; basal large; antennæ 25 articulate; labium reddish-chestnut; dental laminæ subelongate, with their dental margins nearly straight; teeth 8, black, the two inner on each side coadnate, the two external larger, conical, distant; feet yellowish, moderately compressed; last pair robust, basal article scarcely longer than the tibial, above complanate, within 4—6 spines, below 9—17 spines arranged in a fourfold series (sometimes irregular); angular process with from 2—5 spines; lateral anal appendages densely profoundly punctate, each with 3—5 apical spines and 1—3 marginal; ventral surface a dirty yellow.

S. copeana, Wood, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci., New Series, vol. v, 1863, p. 27.

The head is somewhat peculiar; it is not so broad as the posterior portion of the body.