Himantarium gabrielis

Himantarium gabrielis
Himantarium gabrielis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Geophilomorpha
Family: Himantariidae
Genus: Himantarium
Species: H. gabrielis
Binomial name
Himantarium gabrielis
(Linnaeus, 1767)

Himantarium gabrielis is a species of centipede in the family Himantariidae. [1]

Himantarium gabrielis. Museum specimen

Synonyms

[2][3]

Description

Himantarium gabrielis can reach a length around 13–22 cm (5.1–8.7 in). The head is small and lacks eyes, but has two tentacles with 14 segments. On the dorsal side of the last trunk segment are longitudinal and transversal wide sulci resembling a cross. The body is yellowish to orange in colour and has up to 179 segments, with a pair of legs each. The number of legs is very variable, usually leg-bearing segments vary from 87 to 171 in males and from 95 to 179 in females. [4]

When disturbed, this species emits viscous and proteinaceous secretions from the sternal glands. [5] It feeds on various invertebrates. It can be found under stones or in galleries into the ground. [6] The females protect their eggs with the body until the hatching of their young. [7]

Distribution

This species is widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. It can be found in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Switzerland. [8]

References

  1. ↑ Biolib
  2. ↑ ChiloBase: A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda) for the web
  3. ↑ Catalogue of life
  4. ↑ Stylianos Michail Simaiakis Relationship between intraspecific variation in segment number and geographic distribution of Himantarium gabrielis (Linné, 1767) (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha) in Southern Europe
  5. ↑ Chemistry of the sternal gland secretion of the Mediterranean centipede Himantarium gabrielis (Linnaeus, 1767) (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Himantariidae)
  6. ↑ Animalandia
  7. ↑ Ville Natura
  8. ↑ Fauna europaea

Further reading

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