Geophilus persephones is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae discovered in 1999.[1][2] This species is named after Persephone, the queen of the underworld in Greek mythology,[3] and found in caves in the Gouffre de la Pierre Saint-Martin. It has elongated antennae and legs as well as abundant sensory setae,[4] and like other geophilomorhps it lacks sight, has a flattened trunk, and is well adapted to underground life. This species was the first troglomorphic geophilomorph ever discovered and one of the only two in existence along with Geophilus hadesi. Known from a single male specimen measuring 16.2 mm in length, this species has only 29 pairs of legs, one of only two species in the Geophilidae family to have so few leg pairs.[5][6][7]
| Geophilus persephones | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Geophilomorpha |
| Family: | Geophilidae |
| Genus: | Geophilus |
| Species: | G. persephones
|
| Binomial name | |
| Geophilus persephones (Foddai and Minelli, 1999)
| |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Geophilus persephones (Foddai & Minelli, 1999)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "ITIS standard report - Geophilus persephones (Foddai and Minelli, 1999)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Feltman, Rachel (June 30, 2015). "Say hello to the centipede from hell". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Foddai, Donatella (2010-12-03). "A troglomorphic geophilomorph centipede from southern France (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Geophilidae)". Journal of Natural History. 33 (2): 267–287. doi:10.1080/002229399300416. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ Pereira, Luis Alberto (2013-01-01). "Discovery of a second geophilomorph species (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) having twenty-seven leg-bearing segments, the lowest number recorded up to the present in the centipede order Geophilomorpha". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 53 (13): 163–185. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492013001300001. hdl:11336/3449. ISSN 1807-0205.
- ^ Stoev, Pavel; Akkari, Nesrine; Komericki, Ana; Edgecombe, Gregory; Bonato, Lucio (2015-06-30). "At the end of the rope: Geophilus hadesi sp. n. – the world's deepest cave-dwelling centipede (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae)". ZooKeys (510): 95–114. doi:10.3897/zookeys.510.9614. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 4523767. PMID 26257537.
- ^ Bonato, Lucio; Minelli, Alessandro; Drago, Leandro; Pereira, Luis Alberto (2015-09-25). "The phylogenetic position of Dinogeophilus and a new evolutionary framework for the smallest epimorphic centipedes (Chilopoda: Epimorpha)". Contributions to Zoology. 84 (3): 237–253. doi:10.1163/18759866-08403004. hdl:11577/3146565. ISSN 1875-9866.