Geophilomorph centipedes and the littoral habitat - Books and ...

A.D. Barber / Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews 4 (2011) 17–39 29
Evans ( 1980 ) in an accounts of littoral arthropods from California describes this species
as occurring “in crevices and on the surfaces of rocks at night during low tide” and
up to 45 mm long and in a similar record of its occurrence on the shore by Ricketts et
al ( 1985 ) it is described as “common”. A photograph in the book Living Invertebrates
(Pearse et al, 1987 ) shows a 50 mm specimen identifi ed as N. heathi . In relation to this,
Hoff man and Carlton ( 2007 ) commented that “Th e identifi cation of any schendylid
should be approached with caution however and the identity of Chamberlin’s species
with intertidal centipedes may bear re-examination”.
In the case of Geophilus fucorum Brölemann, 1909, Geophilus seurati Brölemann,
1924 (= Geophilus fucorum seurati Brölemann, 1924, also known as G. gracilis Meinert,
1898), Geophilus algarum Brölemann, 1909, and G. algarum decipiens Brölemann,
1930 , there are issues relating to taxonomy / nomenclature and to variability within
and this group (Lewis, 1962 ) and examination of further specimens from both the
British and French coasts would be helpful.
Orphnaeus brevilabiatus (Newport, 1845) (Family Oryidae) is included in a list of
littoral species by Roth and Brown ( 1976 ) who quote Crabill (pers.comm.) describing
it as being found in “cocoon-like structures” on twigs fl oating or awash on beaches.
It is a species widespread in the tropics and if this is the case then this might be a way
in which it is dispersed and it might be considered an indiff erent halophile.
Stigmatogaster subterranea (Family Himantariidae) a north-west and central European
terrestrial and often synanthropic species has sometimes been found on the upper
shore in company with Strigamia maritima or Geophilus seurati on the western coast of
Great Britain (personal observations) ( Figure 3 ). Th is is despite the fact that it has a low
survival time in seawater (Binyon and Lewis, 1963 ).
Hydroschendyla submarina occurs on the eastern Atlantic coast from Scandinavia to
North Africa in crevices at or below high water mark and in the Mediterranean (France,
Greece, Italy and North Africa) from where it is recorded under stranded remains of
Posidonia and near salt marshes. It is also known from Bermuda in crevices in the upper
intertidal and low supra-littoral. Lewis ( 1962 , 1981 ) contrasted its behaviour with that
of Strigamia maritima and also showed that, having eggs impermeable to sea water
allowed both moulting and egg laying in the littoral zone.
Strigamia maritima is recorded from the coasts of Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands,
Belgium, Britain, Ireland and northern France. Bergesen et al. (2006) recorded it for
the fi rst time for North Norway (under stones in the supralittoral amongst isopods,
Porcellio scaber ) whilst Horneland and Meidell ( 1986 ) were able to collect “several
thousands of specimens” from an island north of Bergen. It is often extremely abundant
in favourable situations with large numbers under individual stones, a situation
that seems to be paralleled by Geophilus becki according to Habermann (1982). Habitats
for S.maritima include shingle, under rocks and stones and in rock crevices. Th e life
history and ecology of this species was studied by Lewis (1960, 1961 ) who related its
behaviour and its tolerance of seawater at diff erent stages of its life history to it being a
mobile species, concentrating in areas that are climatically favourable and have a good
food supply and to its breeding season and its ability to migrate up and down beaches.