Geophilus carpophagus

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes. The circumscription of the species G. carpophagus is still uncertain with respect to other very similar species recently recognized, including Geophilus easoni Arthur, Foddai, Kettle, Lewis, Luczynski & Minelli, 2001 and G. arenarius Meinert, 1870 (Arthur et al. 2001; Bonato & Minelli 2011). Referring to the known differences between the type material of the three species, the specimens examined agree fully with G. carpophagus, while they differ from the other two species in some diagnostic features including the elongation of the forcipular coxosternite, the absence of denticles on the forcipular tarsungula, and the presence of carpophagus sockets. Geophilus carpophagus judaicus Verhoeff, 1934 was not accepted as a valid subspecies by any authors other than Verhoeff (e. g.: Attems 1947; Stoev 1997). However, we can not establish a synonymy confidently, because the species complex including G. carpophagus is still poorly understood, and the characters described for the subspecies judaicus do not obviously point to any of the known species. Additionally, some of the peculiar features described for judaicus could be affected by artifacts produced in the preparation of microscope slides, including the poor evidence of carpophagus sockets and the stout shape of the metasternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment.

Distribution in Israel: specimens have been found in cool, mostly high altitude localities in the Galilee and near Jerusalem, with average annual temperatures between 16 – 20 ˚ C and annual precipitation between 450 – 750 mm (Figure 3 B). Global distribution: populations in the species complex including G. carpophagus inhabit most parts of the western Palearctic, from Canary islands and north-western Africa to Ukraine and Israel.

New records: Nahal Betzet (1 specimen 1964); Safed (1 specimen 2012).