Norw. J. Entomol. 53, 139-151. 3 Nov. 2006 Variation of the poison duct in Chilopoda centipedes from Taiwan Jui-Lung Chao & Hsueh-Wen Chang Chao, J. L. & Chang, H. W. 2006. Variation of the poison duct in Chilopoda centipedes from Taiwan. Norw. J. Entomol. 53, 139-151. We present a new technique to observe the structure the poison ducts of the forcipules of chilopod centipedes under light microscope. We examined twenty one species in fourteen genera of chilopods from Taiwan, Thereuopoda, Lithobius, Bothropolys, Esastigmatobius, Scolopendra, Rhysida, Otostigmus, Scolopocryptops, Cryptops, Scolioplanes, Stigmatogaster, Mecistocephalus, Prolamnonyx, and Taiwanella. Morphology and structure of poison ducts of chilopoda are consistent in the higher taxa genera and families. Morphological characters of poison duct support a close relationship between Scolopocryptops and Scolopendridae, suggesting that the current separation of Cryptopidae from Scolopocryptopidae is correct. We also revised Takakuwa’s description of the poison duct of Scolopocryptops rubiginosus, and consider Taiwanella yanagiharai is a valid species in the genus Taiwanella. Key words: poison calyx, glycerin, transparent specimens, taxonomy. Jui-Lung Chao and Hsueh-Wen Chang (corresponding author), Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lien-Hai Rd., 804 Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C. E-mail:
[email protected] INTRODUCTION Foddai et al. 2003). Takakuwa (1940b) drew and described a short poison duct in the tarsungulum The forcipules (maxillipedes) are one of the of the forcipules of Otocryptops rubiginosus (L. common characters of Chilopod centipedes. Koch, 1878) (now Scolopocryptops rubiginosus Each forcipule of Chilopoda comprises four (L. Koch, 1878)) (Figure 1c). When studying articles: trochanteroprefemur, femur, tibia, and this species with new material, we found his tarsungulum (Lewis et al.