Taxonomic status and behavioural documentation of the troglobiont Lithobius matulici (Myriapoda, Chilopoda) from the Dinaric Alps: Are there semiaquatic centipedes in caves?

Lithobius matulici Verhoeff, 1899 is redescribed based on type material and newly collected specimens. Strandiolus jugoslavicus Hoffer, 1937, described from another cave in the same region in Bosnia and Hercegovina, is presented as a junior subjective synonym of L. matulici (syn. nov.). L. matulici is shown to be most closely related to Lithobius remyi Jawlowski, 1933, type species of the subgenus-Thracolithobius Matic, 1962. The completeness of the chitin-lines on the forcipular coxosternite is discussed as a promising character for interspecific differentiation within Lithobiomorpha. Documentation of hitherto unknown semiaquatic behaviour in L. matulici and other cave-dwelling centipede species from Heizeguvinian-, Montenegrin- and Pyrenean caves is presented

Cryptops anomalans Newport 1844

<p>40. Cryptops anomalans Newport, 1844</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Abkhazia</b> • village Eshera (5) (Lignau 1914). • Kakheti, without precise locality (Sseliwanoff 1884 as <i>Cryptops punctatus</i> C. L. Koch 1847).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, North Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Simaiakis et al. 2016), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Georgia (Sseliwanoff 1884; Lignau 1914), Russia (Zalesskaja & Shileyko 1992).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Pachymerium ferrugineum

<p>53. Pachymerium ferrugineum (C. L. Koch, 1835)</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Samtskhe</b> - <b>Javakheti</b> • Borjomi (33) (Muralevitch 1926). <b>Kakheti</b> • Lagodekhi (57) (Muralevitch 1926).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Alaska, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, North Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Turkestan, United Kingdom (Zapparoli 2002), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Georgia (Muralevitch 1926).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Lithobius erythrocephalus subsp. cronebergii Sseliwanoff 1881

<p>16. Lithobius erythrocephalus cronebergii Sseliwanoff, 1881</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> • Tbilisi (53) (Sseliwanoff 1881; Lignau 1914 as <i>Lithobius cronebergii</i>; Muralevitch 1926). • Georgia, without precise locality (Zapparoli 2002, Zalesskaja and Golovatch 1996: page 267, fig. 1).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Georgia (Sseliwanoff 1881; Lewis 1996; Lignau 1914; Muralevitch 1926; Zapparoli 2002), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Greece, Yemen (Lewis 1996).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Lithobius piceus L. Koch 1862

<p>26. Lithobius piceus L. Koch, 1862</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Abkhazia</b> • Village Veli (Gagra) (1) (Muralevitch 1926, 1929 as <i>Lithobius piceus caucasica</i> Muralevitch, 1926). • Abkhazia, without precise locality (Muralevitch 1926, 1929 as <i>Lithobius piceus caucasica</i> Muralevitch, 1926). • Georgia, without precise locality (Zalesskaja and Golovatch 1996).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Bonato et al. 2016), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Georgia (Muralevitch 1926, 1929; Zalesskaja and Golovatch 1996).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Lithobius asper Muralevitch 1926

<p>7. Lithobius asper Muralevitch, 1926</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Samtskhe</b> - <b>Javakheti</b> • Village Efremovka (37) (Muralevitch 1926).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Distributed only in the Caucasus (Zalesskaja 1978), Georgia (Muralevitch 1926).</p> <p>Note.</p> <p>Endemic to the Caucasus.</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Harpolithobius birsteini Zalesskaja 1972

<p>4. Harpolithobius birsteini Zalesskaja, 1972</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Abkhazia</b> • Sokhumi (Avidzba Cave) (7) (Zalesskaja 1972, 1978).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Georgia (Zalesskaja 1972, 1978; Bonato et al. 2016).</p> <p>Note.</p> <p>Endemic to Georgia.</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Lithobius crassipes L. Koch 1862

<p>12. Lithobius crassipes L. Koch, 1862</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Abkhazia</b> • village Eshera (5) (Lignau 1914). • Akhalsheni (6) (Zalesskaja 1972). • Lata (10) (Lignau 1914). • bank of the river Chkhalta at 1180-1200 m a.s.l. (13) (Lignau 1914). <b>Adjara</b> • Mtsvane Kontskhi (16) (Zalesskaja 1972). • Batumi (12) (Attems 1907). <b>Samtskhe-Javakheti</b> • Bakuriani (35) (Zalesskaja 1972).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Bonato et al. 2016), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Georgia (Attems 1907; Lignau 1914; Zalesskaja 1972).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Henia bicarinata

<p>51. Henia bicarinata (Meinert, 1870)</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Shida Kartli</b> • Akhalgori (46) (Dyachkov and Zuev 2023).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Maghreb, Turkey, Caucasus (Zapparoli & Iorio 2012), Azerbaijan (Bababekova 1996), Cyprus (Simaiakis et al. 2013), Georgia (Dyachkov and Zuev 2023), Iran (Zarei et al. 2020).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853

Australobius devertens

<p>2. Australobius devertens (Trotzina, 1894)</p> <p>Distribution in Georgia.</p> <p> <b>Adjara</b> • Batumi (12) (Attems 1907; Muralevitch 1926 as <i>Lithobius devertens</i> Trotzina, 1894).</p> <p>Global distribution.</p> <p>Georgia (Attems 1907; Bonato et al. 2016; Muralevitch 1926), Kyrgyzstan (Bonato et al. 2016).</p>Published as part of <i>Kiria, Eleonora, Barjadze, Shalva & Tuf, Ivan Hadrian, 2023, Checklist of Georgian centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), pp. 177-188 in Caucasiana 2</i> on page 177, DOI: 10.3897/caucasiana.2.e10853