Nothogeophilus turki Lewis, Jones & Keay, 1988

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Status:

  • GB IUCN status: Endangered
  • GB rarity status: Nationally Rare

ID Difficulty

4

Identification

Nothogeophilus turki is a very small pale species (to 13 mm) with just 37-39 leg pairs. 

Perhaps most likely overlooked as a Schendyla sp. Certainly, the male has swollen last legs, but these bear a distinct claw (which is absent in Schendyla). The forciples are distinctive with both the poison claw and the femoroid bearing a distinct tooth (akin to the inland Schendyla dentata), as are the 3-5 coxal pores arranged in a cluster (just 2 pores in Schendyla). 

More information to allow accurate identification is given in the published identification keys by Tony Barber (2008 & 2009).

Distribution and Habitat

Nothogeophilus turki was described as a genus and species new to science in 1988 from specimens collected on the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight. There have been no records of the centipede since then.  All records have been made within 1km of the coast. 

Targeted surveys by BMIG undertaken on the Isle of Wight in 2011 (see report here) and 2012 attempted to rediscover N. turki but were unsuccessful.

This genus (and species) is endemic to Britain (i.e. known nowhere else on the planet). 

This account is based on the 'Centipede Atlas' (Barber, 2022).

Links

ChiloBase 2.0 - World Catalogue of Centipedes: https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/4187

BRC code

16

idBmigTaxa

Cen_184