@inbook {1798, title = {Tuhatjalkaiset - Myriapods - Myriapoda}, booktitle = {Suomen lajien uhanalaisuus {\textendash} Punainen kirja 2019}, year = {2019}, pages = {340-343}, publisher = {Ymp{\"a}rist{\"o}ministeri{\"o} \& Suomen ymp{\"a}rist{\"o}keskus}, organization = {Ymp{\"a}rist{\"o}ministeri{\"o} \& Suomen ymp{\"a}rist{\"o}keskus}, address = {Helsinki}, abstract = {

Viittausohje, kun viitataan yksitt\äiseen Punaisen listan lukuun: Vahtera, V. 2019. Tuhatjalkaiset. Julk.: Hyv\ärinen, E., Jusl\én, A., Kemppainen, E., Uddstr\öm, A. \& Liukko, U.-M. (toim.) 2019. Suomen lajien uhanalaisuus \– Punainen kirja 2019. Ymp\ärist\öministeri\ö \& Suomen ymp\ärist\ökeskus. Helsinki. S. 340-343. http://hdl.handle.net/10138/299501

Reference of a separate chapter of the Red List: Vahtera, V. 2019. Myriapods. In: Hyv\ärinen, E., Jusl\én, A., Kemppainen, E., Uddstr\öm, A. \& Liukko, U.-M. (eds.) 2019. The 2019 Red List of Finnish Species. Ministry of the Environment \& Finnish Environment Institute. Helsinki. P. 340-343. http://hdl.handle.net/10138/299501

Summary: Myriapoda are a diverse group of terrestrial arthropods, some of which are herbivores, some predators and some decomposers. There are four classes of Myriapoda: centipedes (Chilopoda), millipedes (Diplopoda), pauropods (Pauropoda), and symphylans (Symphyla). In Finland, a total of 63 species have been found: 21 centipede, 28 millipede, eight pauropod, and six symphylan species. In total, there are ten red-listed species: the critically endangered (CR) Geophilus carpophagus, which was classified as Regionally Extinct (RE) in the two previous assessments, and the Near Threatened (NT) species G. electricus, G. truncorum and Julus scanicus. These species only have one known locality each, and no new observations have been made of the three Near Threatened (NT) species for a long time. Six species have been categorised as Data Deficient (DD). Many species were classified as Not Evaluated (NE) due to insufficient information on their occurrence. While no monitoring of Myriapoda has been organised in Finland, the information on the spread of the species in this country could be updated by organising a monitoring study of a few years in duration.

}, issn = {978-952-11-4973-3, ISBN 978-952-11-4974-0}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10138/299501}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu} } @article {850, title = {An overview of the extant genera and subgenera of the order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda): a new identification key and updated diagnoses}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4825}, year = {2020}, month = {10/08/2020}, pages = {1-64}, abstract = {

The extant genera and subgenera of the order Scolopendromorpha are critically reviewed and provided with updated diagnoses and a new identification key; the most recent revisions of scolopendromorph genera are concisely summarised. Rhoda Meinert, 1886 and Cryptops (Chromatanops) Verhoeff, 1906 are suggested to be a junior synonyms of Scolopendropsis Brandt, 1841 and Cryptops (Cryptops) Leach, 1814, respectively. The subgeneric status is formally fixed for Cryptops (Paracryptops) Pocock, 1891 and Cormocephalus (Campylostigmus) Ribaut, 1923; the taxonomic status of the former genus Kanparka Waldock \& Edgecombe, 2012 is discussed. As a result of synonymies, the number of scolopendromorph genera and subgenera is currently 37. The formal status of the former tribes Scolopendrini Leach, 1814, Asanadini Verhoeff, 1907 and Arrhabdotini Attems, 1930 is briefly discussed; the presence of the sexual dimorphism among the taxa of generic level is overviewed.

}, keywords = {genera and subgenera, identification key, new statuses, new synonymy, Scolopendromorpha, taxonomic notes, updated diagnoses}, isbn = {978-1-77688-004-1}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4825.1.1}, url = {https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4825.1.1}, author = {Schileyko, Arkady A. and Vahtera, Varpu and Edgecombe, Gregory D.} } @article {827, title = {Five million years in the darkness: A new troglomorphic species of Cryptops Leach, 1814 (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha) from Movile Cave, Romania}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {1004}, year = {2020}, month = {16/12/2020}, pages = {1-26}, abstract = {

A new species of Cryptops Leach, 1814, C. speleorex sp. nov., is described from Movile Cave, Dobrogea, Romania. The cave is remarkable for its unique ecosystem entirely dependent on methane- and sulfur-oxidising bacteria. Until now, the cave was thought to be inhabited by the epigean species C. anomalans, which is widespread in Europe. Despite its resemblance to C. anomalans, the new species is well-defined morphologically and molecularly based on two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I COI and 16S rDNA) and one nuclear (28S rDNA) markers. Cryptops speleorex sp. nov. shows a number of troglomorphic traits such as a generally large body and elongated appendages and spiracles, higher number of coxal pores and saw teeth on the tibia of the ultimate leg. With this record, the number of endemic species known from the Movile Cave reaches 35, which ranks it as one of the most species-rich caves in the world.

}, keywords = {Biospeleology, Cryptops speleorex sp. nov., Dobrogea, molecular phylogenetics, new species, troglomorphism}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1004.58537}, url = {https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/58537/}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Stoev, Pavel and Akkari, Nesrine} } @article {421, title = {Phylogeny of Lithobiidae Newport, 1844, with emphasis on the megadiverse genus Lithobius Leach, 1814 (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)}, journal = {Cladistics}, year = {2020}, month = {04/11/2020}, pages = {1-23}, abstract = {

Phylogenetic analyses based on molecular and morphological data were conducted to shed light on relationships within the mostly Palaearctic/Oriental centipede family Lithobiidae, with a particular focus on the Palaearctic genus Lithobius Leach, 1814 (Lithobiidae, Lithobiomorpha), which contains \>500 species and subspecies. Previous studies based on morphological data resolved Lithobius as nonmonophyletic, but molecular-based phylogenetic analyses have until now sampled few species. To elucidate species inter-relationships of the genus, test the validity of its classification into subgenera, and infer its relationships with other Lithobiidae, we obtained molecular data (nuclear markers: 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA; mitochondrial markers: 16S rRNA, COI) and 61 morphological characters for 44 species of Lithobius representing four of its eight subgenera and nine other representatives of Lithobiidae. The data were analyzed phylogenetically using maximum-likelihood, parsimony and Bayesian inference. This study suggests that (i) a close relationship between L. giganteus and the pterygotergine Disphaerobius loricatus highlighted in recent morphological analyses is also strongly supported by molecular data, and Pterygoterginae is formally synonymized with Lithobiinae; (ii) the Oriental/Australian genus Australobius is consistently resolved as sister group to all other sampled Lithobiidae by the molecular and combined data; (iii) the subfamily Ethopolyinae may be paraphyletic; (iv) the genus Lithobius is nonmonophyletic; (v) the subgenera Lithobius, Sigibius and Monotarsobius are nonmonophyletic and should not be used in future taxonomic studies; and (vi) there are instances of cryptic species and cases in which subspecies should be elevated to full species status, as identified for some European taxa within Lithobius.

}, issn = {0748-3007}, doi = {10.1111/cla.12431}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cla.12431}, author = {Ganske, Anne-Sarah and Vahtera, Varpu and D{\'a}nyi, L{\'a}szl{\'o} and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Akkari, Nesrine} } @article {357, title = {The millipede family Polyxenidae (Diplopoda, Polyxenida) in the faunas of the~Crimean Peninsula and Caucasus, with notes on other European Polyxenidae}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4772}, year = {2020}, month = {08/05/2020}, pages = {306-332}, abstract = {

The Polyxenidae in the fauna of the Crimeo-Caucasian region is represented by four species: Polyxenus lagurus (Linnaeus, 1758) (= P. lagurus caucasicus Lignau, 1924, syn. n.), Propolyxenus argentifer (Verhoeff, 1921) comb. n. (= P. trivittatus Verhoeff, 1941, = P. sokolowi Lignau, 1924, both syn. n.), a new species, Polyxenus lankaranensis sp. n., and an undescribed Polyxenus sp. The distributions of all these species in the region concerned are mapped, based on old and new records. A molecular phylogeny based on COI sequences is used to study the relationship within and among the genera Polyxenus and Propolyxenus from Western Europe to the southern Caucasus. The results highlight the presence of a number of undescribed species of Polyxenus across this region.

}, keywords = {bristly millipede, Crimea, fauna, Iran fauna, Taxonomy}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4772.2.4}, url = {https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4772.2.4}, author = {Short, Megan and Vahtera, Varpu and Wesener, Thomas and Sergei Ilyich Golovatch} } @article {64, title = {Evaluating Topological Conflict in Centipede Phylogeny Using Transcriptomic Data Sets}, journal = {Molecular Biology and Evolution}, volume = {31}, year = {2014}, month = {2014}, pages = {1500 - 1513}, abstract = {

Relationships between the five extant orders of centipedes have been considered solved based on morphology. Phylogenies based on samples of up to a few dozen genes have largely been congruent with the morphological tree apart from an alternative placement of one order, the relictual Craterostigmomorpha, consisting of two species in Tasmania and New Zealand. To address this incongruence, novel transcriptomic data were generated to sample all five orders of centipedes and also used as a test case for studying gene-tree incongruence. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian mixture model analyses of a data set composed of 1,934 orthologs with 45\% missing data, as well as the 389 orthologs in the least saturated, stationary quartile, retrieve strong support for a sister-group relationship between Craterostigmomorpha and all other pleurostigmophoran centipedes, of which the latter group is newly named Amalpighiata. The Amalpighiata hypothesis, which shows little gene-tree incongruence and is robust to the influence of among-taxon compositional heterogeneity, implies convergent evolution in several morphological and behavioral characters traditionally used in centipede phylogenetics, such as maternal brood care, but accords with patterns of first appearances in the fossil record.

}, keywords = {Chilopoda, Illumina, incongruence, molecular dating, Myriapoda, next-generation sequencing, phylogenomics}, isbn = {0737-4038}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu108}, author = {Fern{\'a}ndez, Rosa and Laumer, Christopher E. and Vahtera, Varpu and Libro, Silvia and Kaluziak, Stefan and Sharma, Prashant P. and P{\'e}rez-Porro, Alicia R. and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @booklet {51, title = {Phylogenetics of scolopendromorph centipedes: Can denser taxon sampling improve an artificial classification?}, howpublished = {Invertebrate SystematicsInvertebrate Systematics}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Previous phylogenetic analyses of the centipede order Scolopendromorpha indicated a fundamental division into blind and ocellate clades. These analyses corroborated the monophyly of most families and tribes but suggested that several species-rich, cosmopolitan genera in traditional and current classifications are polyphyletic. Denser taxon sampling is applied to a dataset of 122 morphological characters and sequences for four nuclear and mitochondrial loci. Phylogenetic analyses including 98 species and subspecies of Scolopendromorpha employ parsimony under dynamic and static homology schemes as well as maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference of multiple sequence alignments. The monotypic Australian genera Notiasemus and Kanparka nest within Cormocephalus and Scolopendra, respectively, and the New Caledonian Campylostigmus is likewise a clade within Cormocephalus. New World Scolopendra are more closely related to Hemiscolopendra and Arthrorhabdus than to Scolopendra s.s., which is instead closely allied to Asanada; the tribe Asanadini nests within Scolopendrini for molecular and combined datasets. The generic classification of Otostigmini has a poor fit to phylogenetic relationships, although nodal support within this tribe is weak. New synonymies are proposed for Ectonocryptopinae Shelley \& Mercurio, 2005 (<= Newportiinae Pocock, 1896), Asanadini Verhoeff, 1907 (<= Scolopendrini Leach, 1814), and Kanparka Waldock \& Edgecombe, 2012 (<= Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758). Scolopendrid systematics largely depicts incongruence between phylogeny and classification rather than between morphology and molecules. {\textcopyright} 2013 CSIRO.}, keywords = {Chilopoda, molecules, morphology, phylogeny, Scolopendromorpha.}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @booklet {54, title = {Comparative description of ten transcriptomes of newly sequenced invertebrates and efficiency estimation of genomic sampling in non-model taxa}, howpublished = {Frontiers in ZoologyFrontiers in Zoology}, volume = {9}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Introduction: Traditionally, genomic or transcriptomic data have been restricted to a few model or emerging model organisms, and to a handful of species of medical and/or environmental importance. Next-generation sequencing techniques have the capability of yielding massive amounts of gene sequence data for virtually any species at a modest cost. Here we provide a comparative analysis of de novo assembled transcriptomic data for ten non-model species of previously understudied animal taxa.Results: cDNA libraries of ten species belonging to five animal phyla (2 Annelida [including Sipuncula], 2 Arthropoda, 2 Mollusca, 2 Nemertea, and 2 Porifera) were sequenced in different batches with an Illumina Genome Analyzer II (read length 100 or 150 bp), rendering between ca. 25 and 52 million reads per species. Read thinning, trimming, and de novo assembly were performed under different parameters to optimize output. Between 67,423 and 207,559 contigs were obtained across the ten species, post-optimization. Of those, 9,069 to 25,681 contigs retrieved blast hits against the NCBI non-redundant database, and approximately 50\% of these were assigned with Gene Ontology terms, covering all major categories, and with similar percentages in all species. Local blasts against our datasets, using selected genes from major signaling pathways and housekeeping genes, revealed high efficiency in gene recovery compared to available genomes of closely related species. Intriguingly, our transcriptomic datasets detected multiple paralogues in all phyla and in nearly all gene pathways, including housekeeping genes that are traditionally used in phylogenetic applications for their purported single-copy nature.Conclusions: We generated the first study of comparative transcriptomics across multiple animal phyla (comparing two species per phylum in most cases), established the first Illumina-based transcriptomic datasets for sponge, nemertean, and sipunculan species, and generated a tractable catalogue of annotated genes (or gene fragments) and protein families for ten newly sequenced non-model organisms, some of commercial importance (i.e., Octopus vulgaris). These comprehensive sets of genes can be readily used for phylogenetic analysis, gene expression profiling, developmental analysis, and can also be a powerful resource for gene discovery. The characterization of the transcriptomes of such a diverse array of animal species permitted the comparison of sequencing depth, functional annotation, and efficiency of genomic sampling using the same pipelines, which proved to be similar for all considered species. In addition, the datasets revealed their potential as a resource for paralogue detection, a recurrent concern in various aspects of biological inquiry, including phylogenetics, molecular evolution, development, and cellular biochemistry. {\textcopyright} 2012 Riesgo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.}, keywords = {Annelida, Arthropoda, Illumina, Mollusca, Nemertea, next-generation sequencing, Porifera, Sipuncula}, author = {Riesgo, Ana and Andrade, S{\'o}nia C.S. and Sharma, Prashant P. and Novo, Marta and P{\'e}rez-Porro, Alicia R. and Vahtera, Varpu and Gonz{\'a}lez, Vanessa L. and Kawauchi, Gisele Y. and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @booklet {56, title = {Species limits and phylogeography of Newportia (Scolopendromorpha) and implications for widespread morphospecies}, howpublished = {ZooKeysZooKeys}, volume = {2015}, year = {2015}, abstract = {

The genus Newportia Gervais, 1847, includes some 60 nominal species distributed in the Caribbean islands and from Mexico to central South America. Modern keys to species and subspecies are available, greatly fa\­cilitating identification, but some species are based on few specimens and have incomplete documentation of taxonomically-informative characters. In order to explore genetic variability and evolutionary relationships within geographically-widespread morphospecies, specimens of N. (N.) stolli (Pocock, 1896) and N. (N.) divergens Chamberlin, 1922, two nominal species distinguished principally by differences in suture patterns on T1, were sequenced for mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes from populations in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Brazil. N. (N.) stolli is paraphyletic with respect to N. (N.) divergens within a clade from Guatemala, Honduras, and Chiapas (Mexico), most trees being consistent with a single loss of a connection between the anterior transverse suture on T1, whereas specimens of \“N. (N.) stolli\” from Brazil are not closely allied to those from the Mesomerican type area. The widespread morphospecies N. (N.) monticola Pocock, 1890, was sequenced for the same loci from populations in Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil, finding that specimens from these areas do not unite as a monophyletic group. Samples of N. (N.) oreina Chamberlin, 1915, from different regions of Mexico form geographic clusters that resolve as each other\’s closest relatives. These results suggest that some widespread species of Newportia maybe taxa of convenience more so than natural groupings. In several cases geographic proximity fits the phylog\­eny better than taxonomy, suggesting that non-monophyletic species do not result from use of inappropriate molecular markers. Molecular identification is possible for specimens missing taxonomically informative morphological characters, notably damaged specimens that lack the ultimate leg pair, a protocol that may also apply to other taxonomically difficult genera that are prone to damage (such as Cryptops).

}, keywords = {Neotropics, Newportiinae, phylogeny, Scolopocryptopidae}, author = {Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Vahtera, Varpu and Giribet, Gonzalo and Kaunisto, Pipsa} } @booklet {46, title = {Phylogenetic relationships of millipedes in the subclass Penicillata (Diplopoda) with a key to the genera}, howpublished = {Journal of Natural HistoryJournal of Natural History}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Bristly millipedes (subclass Penicillata, order Polyxenida) are minute diplopods characterised by uncalcified cuticle and a body covered with unique tufts of bristles. The order is found worldwide and comprises less than 200 described species divided into three families, with many of the species and genera being poorly known. The first evolutionary analysis of the order presented here utilises both molecular (COI, 18S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and morphological data to examine monophyly of the families and subfamilies and the evolutionary relationships between them. Maximum likelihood analysis was based on molecular data only, whereas parsimony analyses were based on molecular data as well as combined morphological and molecular data. The results of these analyses with two different optimality criteria were incongruent in many aspects. Unlike parsimony, the likelihood result found strong support for a basal position of the family Synxenidae and separation of the order into two monophyletic clades corresponding to the two superfamilies Synxenoidea, containing the family Synxenidae, and Polyxenoidea, containing the families Polyxenidae and Lophoproctidae. Parsimony results did not support the existence of the two superfamilies. Both analyses resolved the family Synxenidae as monophyletic and Polyxenidae as polyphyletic, whereas the family Lophoproctidae was shown to be paraphyletic in likelihood and monophyletic in parsimony analysis. The subfamilies Monographinae and Polyxeninae were found to be monophyletic in the likelihood tree but parsimony suggested paraphyly of both. The results suggest that further revision of the systematics of the Polyxenida may be necessary. However, a much larger molecular data set will be necessary to clarify and provide stronger nodal support for phylogenetic trees and to confirm the relationships, particularly of the families Polyxenidae and Lophoproctidae. Molecular identification is likely to be an important tool for this taxonomically challenging order in future. A simplified key to the genera is provided.}, keywords = {Bristly millipedes, Diplopoda, identification key, morphology, phylogeny, Polyxenida}, author = {Short, Megan and Vahtera, Varpu} } @article {48, title = {A scolopocryptopid centipede (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) from Mexican amber: Synchrotron microtomography and phylogenetic placement using a combined morphological and molecular data set}, journal = {Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {166}, year = {2012}, month = { 26/11/2012}, pages = {768-786}, abstract = {

The first scolopocryptopid centipede known from the fossil record is a specimen of the subfamily Scolopocryptopinae in Miocene amber from Chiapas, southern Mexico. It is described here as Scolopocryptops simojovelensis sp. nov., displaying a distinct combination of morphological characters compared to extant congeners. Anatomical details of the fossil specimen were acquired by non-invasive 3D synchrotron microtomography using X-ray phase contrast. The phylogenetic position of the new species is inferred based on a combination of morphological data with sequences for six genes (nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA, nuclear protein-coding histone H3, and mitochondrial 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and protein-coding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) for extant Scolopendromorpha. The data set includes eight extant species of Scolopocryptops and Dinocryptops from North America, east Asia, and the Pacific, rooted with novel sequence data for other blind scolopendromorphs. The molecular and combined data sets, analysed in a parsimony/direct optimization framework, identified a stable pattern of two main clades within Scolopocryptopinae. North American and Asian species of Scolopocryptops are united as a clade supported by both morphological and molecular characters. Its sister group is a Neotropical clade in which the type species of Dinocryptops is nested within a paraphyletic assemblage of Scolopocryptops species; Dinocryptops is placed in synonymy with Scolopocryptops. The strength of support for the relationships of extant taxa from the molecular data allow the Chiapas fossil to be assigned with precision, despite ambiguity in the morphological data; the fossil is resolved as sister species to the extant Laurasian clade.

}, keywords = {Chiapas amber, Miocene, Scolopocryptopidae, Scolopocryptops}, issn = {0024-4082}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00860.x}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/166/4/768/2627050}, author = {Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Vahtera, Varpu and Stock, Stuart R. and Kallonen, Aki and Xiao, Xianghui and Rack, Alexander and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @article {47, title = {Rediscovery of Geophilus carpophagus Leach (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha) from Finland}, journal = {Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica}, volume = {94}, year = {2018}, month = {08/05/2018}, pages = {36-38}, abstract = {

Geophilus carpophagus Leach, 1815 has long been listed as regionally extinct from Finland. Here we report its rediscovery after decades of absence.

Publication date remark: The journal website states \"2018-05-08\". The first page of the article reads \"4 June 2018\".

}, keywords = {Chilopoda, Finland, Geophilus carpophagus}, issn = {0373-6873, 1796-9816}, url = {https://journal.fi/msff/article/view/70973}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Lehtinen, Pekka T.} } @article {55, title = {First molecular data and the phylogenetic position of the millipede-like centipede Edentistoma octosulcatum T{\"o}m{\"o}sv{\'a}ry, 1882 (chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae)}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {9}, year = {2014}, month = {12/11/2014}, pages = {1-8}, type = {Research Article}, abstract = {

Edentistoma octosulcatum Tomosvary, 1882, is a rare, superficially millipede-like centipede known only from Borneo and the Philippines. It is unique within the order Scolopendromorpha for its slow gait, robust tergites, and highly modified gizzard and mandible morphology. Not much is known about the biology of the species but it has been speculated to be arboreal with a possibly vegetarian diet. Until now its phylogenetic position within the subfamily Otostigminae has been based only on morphological characters, being variably ranked as a monotypic tribe (Arrhabdotini) or classified with the Southeast Asian genus Sterropristes Attems, 1934. The first molecular data for E. octosulcatum sourced from a newly collected specimen from Sarawak were analysed with and without morphology. Parsimony analysis of 122 morphological characters together with two nuclear and two mitochondrial loci resolves Edentistoma as sister group to three Indo-Australian species of Rhysida, this clade in turn grouping with Ethmostigmus, whereas maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses of the molecular data on their own ally Edentistoma with species of Otostigmus. A position of Edentistoma within Otostigmini (rather than being its sister group as predicted by the Arrhabdotini hypothesis) is consistently retrieved under different analytical conditions, but support values within the subfamily remain low for most nodes. The species exhibits strong pushing behaviour, suggestive of burrowing habits. Evidence against a suggested vegetarian diet is provided by observation of E. octosulcatum feeding on millipedes in the genus Trachelomegalus.

}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112461}, url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0112461}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Edgecombe, Gregory D.} } @article {50, title = {Spiracle structure in scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) and its contribution to phylogenetics}, journal = {Zoomorphology}, volume = {131}, year = {2012}, month = {28/04/2012}, pages = {225-248}, type = {Original Paper}, abstract = {

The spiracles of scolopendromorph centipedes have long been a source of systematic characters based on their segmental distribution and gross morphology, but microscopic investigations to date have documented only a small number of species. A scanning electron microscopic survey of 34 species that samples the major groups of Scolopendromorpha reveals variability in such features as the structure of the peritremal margin, specific kinds of sensilla and glandular pores on the peritrema, projections on the valves that subdivide the atrium (in Scolopendrinae), and the form of the trichomes around the tracheal openings. Adding new characters from the spiracles to recent morphological datasets for phylogenetic inference reinforces the monophyly of major groups of Scolopendridae and is particularly informative for relationships within Scolopendrini. A bowl-like atrium with the tracheae opening between humps in its floor is more widespread in Scolopendromorpha than previously reported. Shared presence of spiracle muscles in Cryptopidae and Scolopendrinae may reflect convergent evolution of a subatrial cavity in these groups rather than being an apomorphic character for Scolopendromorpha as a whole.

}, keywords = {Cladistics, phylogeny, Scanning electron microscopy, Spiracles}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-012-0157-0}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00435-012-0157-0}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @article {53, title = {Evolution of blindness in scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha): Insight from an expanded sampling of molecular data}, journal = {Cladistics}, volume = {28}, year = {2011}, month = {24/05/2011}, pages = {4-20}, abstract = {

Relative to its diversity (34 genera, 700 species), Scolopendromorpha has been undersampled in molecular phylogenetic analyses compared with the other chilopod orders. Previous analyses based on morphology have not resolved several key controversies in systematics and evolutionary morphology unambiguously. Here we apply new molecular and morphological data to scolopendromorph phylogenetics, with a focus on the evolution of blindness. The taxonomic sample includes 19 genera, many lacking previous molecular data, and diverse, cosmopolitan genera of Scolopendridae are sampled by multiple species. Phylogenetic analysis with Direct Optimization used 94 morphological characters and ca. 4.5kb of sequence data from two nuclear (18S and 28S rRNA) and two mitochondrial (16S rRNA and COI) loci. A single most-parsimonious cladogram selected after sensitivity analyses resolves Scolopendromorpha as monophyletic, and divides it into a blind clade of three families (Plutoniumidae, Cryptopidae, Scolopocryptopidae) and its ocellate sister group, Scolopendridae. Some species-rich, cosmopolitan genera (Cormocephalus, Otostigmus, Scolopendra) in Scolopendridae are non-monophyletic, and in several instances (e.g. New and Old World Scolopendra) relationships are more congruent with geographical distributions than with traditional classifications. The tribe Asanadini is particularly subject to parameter-sensitivity, nesting in the combined analysis within Scolopendrini but as sister to all other Scolopendrinae for molecular data alone. The total-evidence tree unambiguously optimizes trunk segmentation: a 23-segmented trunk has a single origin in the blind clade.

Publication date remark: The publication date in Myriatrix is Wiley\&$\#$39;s \"first published\" date of 24/05/2011 and not the issue publication date of 02/2012.

}, issn = {1096-0031}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-0031.2011.00361.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1096-0031.2011.00361.x}, author = {Vahtera, Varpu and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Giribet, Gonzalo} }