Nesrine Akkari

Abstract Distinguishing species is fundamental for obtaining reliable biological insights, yet due to their morphological similarity many species remain undetected until molecular methods are employed. This work uncovers species diversity in the caves of the Dinaric Karst (Europe), shedding light on the understudied cave centipedes. We focus on the taxonomically challenging species Lithobius stygius Latzel, 1880, the first scientifically described cave centipede from the Balkans.

We present high-resolution X-ray microtomography (microCT) to enhance the standard morphological description of a recently described centipede, Eupolybothrus liburnicus Akkari, Komerički, Weigand, Edgecombe and Stoev, 2017. The 3D images of the holotype and paratype specimens are considered here as cybertypes for the species–a universal and virtual representation of the type material. This ‘avatar’ of the holotype is the first published male centipede cybertype.

The first scientific description of a newly discovered species is normally based on one specimen, designated the "holotype" for that species, plus a few extra ones called paratypes. These individual animals - sometimes rare or unique specimens - are usually under the curatorial care of museums, which is clearly necessary but also makes it difficult for other researchers to study them firsthand.