Scutigeromorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Scutigeromorpha) of the Dominican Republic, Hispaniola

Abstract

The fauna of scutigeromorph centipedes in the Dominican Republic is studied for the first time based on a sample of 28 individuals collected at 21 localities in 12 provinces. This sample was found to represent two species: Sphendononema guildingii (Newport, 1844) and Dendrothereua linceci (Wood, 1867), both species with a wide geographic distribution in the Caribbean and tropical America. The widely introduced and synanthropic species of Mediterranean origin Scutigera coleoptrata (Linnaeus, 1758) has never been found in Hispaniola. The scutigeromorph centipedes found as fossilized inclusions in the Dominican amber remain to be properly studied and identified.

Keywords

• Scutigeras
• centipedes
• Scutigeromorpha
• Chilopoda
• fauna
• amber fossils
• Dominican Republic
• Haiti
• Caribbean