Numerical Taxonomy of Australian Species of 9 Genera of Scolopendrid Centipedes (Chilopoda, Scolopendridae)

Abstract

Data on 32 characters of each of 35 Australian species in nine scolopendrid genera (Scolopendrinae: Arthrorhabdus, Asanada, Colobopleurus, Cormocephalus, Notiasemus, Scolopendra; Otostigminae: Ethmostigmus, Otostigmus, Rhysida) are analysed by means of various numerical procedures (Phenetic: principal components, nearest and furthest neighbour, WPGMA, UPGMA, a new 'variable' method, PHD, minimum spanning tree, three types of consensus trees, CRAMER; Cladistic: Wagner trees, Farris optimization, ADTREE). A few scolopendrine species form a 'primitive' cluster with the outgroup, Cryptopidae. The species inermis is removed from Cormocephalus and reinstated in its original genus Cupipes. Colobopleurus inopinatus groups inseparably in Cormocephalus and is transferred to it. Arthrorhabdus mjobergi often links with Scolopendra and consistently separates widely from A. paucispinus, which is similar to extralimital members of the genus. With the above provisos, the various species generally group together in their currently recognized genera, and Scolopendra (two species) and Cormocephalus, sensu lato (17 species) emerge as particularly 'strong' genera. Cormocephalus, as in previous analyses, tends to have subgroups of varying degrees of consistency but these are considered inadequately robust to warrant receiving formal subgeneric status. The three otostigmine genera are 'strong' and cluster near each other: Rhysida and Otostigmus are particularly 'good' genera; Ethmostigmus has two consistently strong segments. The cladograms are, as usual, highly asymmetrical (pectinate) at upper levels. They provide a putative evolutionary tree, but a very unsatisfactory basis for a 'phylogenetic' classification.