Scolopendra subspinipes fulgurans Bücherl, 1946

Scolopendra subspinipes fulgurans Bücherl, 1946 View in CoL

Distribution. Brazil.

Bücherl (1946) stated that beside Scolopendra oiridicornis Newport, 1844 the species Scolopendra subspinipes is the most common species in Brazil, especially in the southern parts. This might be interpreted as an argument for the introduction of this species to South America by ships from Asia. Nevertheless, in 1946 he described that common species found in Brazil as a new subspinipes subspecies Scolopendra subspinipes fulgurans , similar to Scolopendra subspinipes subspinipes but differing in colour from Brazil, South America. Since then, many myriapodologists assumed that Scolopendra subspinipes was introduced to South America by human activity. For that reason and the lack of clear differences to Scolopendra subspinipes sensu stricto I herewith synonymize S. s. fulgurans with Scolopendra subspinipes . As it wasn’ t possible to examine the type material (probably lost), I examined the Brazilian material of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich (ZSM) which consists of two specimens labelled as Scolopendra subspinipes which key out as Scolopendra subspinipes fulgurans . One of them was in very good condition (ZSMA 20051154).