Lamyctes emarginatus (Newport, 1844)

(Order Lithobiomorpha, family Henicopidae, subfamily Henicopinae)

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(a)  usually 25 antennomeres
(b)  1 prominent eye on each side of head
(c)  2+2 teeth on coxosternite
(d)  tibial spur on legs 1-12, but leg 12 spur sometimes very small
(e)  tarsi of legs 1-12 not divided, of legs 13-15 in 2 parts
(a)  1-3 coxal pores (usually 2) on legs 12-15.

Left (top):  Head, dorsal view.
Left (bottom):  Anterior views of right legs (left to right) 15, 13, 12 and 11.
Right:  Maxillipedes, ventral view.

L. emarginatus is a tiny (usually 8-9 mm long), relatively slow-moving centipede found under stones and in surface litter. It is red-brown with yellow colouring on antennae and leg tips. First recorded in Tasmania in the mid-1970s, L. emarginatus seems to prefer open conditions and is generally collected in gardens, on farms, along roadsides and in quarries. It is also known from coastal scrubs.

The origin and relationships of this centipede are far from clear. It was described from New Zealand, but according to Eason (1992: 7) it may have originated in Australia. Edgecombe (2001a: 50) says that L. emarginatus is an Australasian native which has been introduced into Europe, North America and Greenland. In these places it is known as L. fulvicornis Meinert, 1868 and is parthenogenetic. The same species seems to have been described from Tasmania as L. tasmanianus by Chamberlin (1920). Because its Tasmanian distribution is so fragmented, and because it clearly prefers Europeanised habitats, I doubt that this species is a Tasmanian native. Future genetic studies may help us understand this centipede's history.

Localities for L. emarginatus.  Scale bar = 100 km.
For an interactive map with more up-to-date localities, go to the mapper page.

More information:
 
Taxonomy - Eason (1996), Chamberlin (1920)
Biology - Edgecombe et al. (1999), Edgecombe et al. (2002)