Maternal care in epimorphic centipedes (Chilopoda: Phylactometria: Epimorpha) from the Balkan Peninsula

Abstract

Observation of the brooding behaviour of seven epimorphic centipedes (Cryptops anomalans; Cryptops parisi; Henia illyrica; Pleurogeophilus herzegowinensis; Stenotaenia linearis; Strigamia herzegowinensis; and Schendyla carniolensis) in situ reveals that the mothers guard their eggs and hatchlings with either the dorsal or the ventral surface outward. The change in brooding posture coincides with the evolution of sternal gland secretion in most geophilomorphs (united as Adesmata). Furthermore, Pleurogeophilus, Stenotaenia, and Schendyla, represent genera for which no previous data were available on brooding