ON ABUNDANCE, PHENOLOGY AND NATURAL-HISTORY OF GEOPHILOMORPHA FROM A MIXEDWATER INUNDATION FOREST IN CENTRAL AMAZONIA (CHILOPODA)

Five terricolous species of Geophilomorpha were collected in a mixedwa ter inundation forest near Manaus/AM, Brazil: Ribautia (Schizoribautia ) difficilis Pereira et al., 1995, Ribautia (S.) centralis (Silvestri, 1907) (Geophilidae), Schendylurus continuus Pereira et al., 1995, S.j anauarius Pereira et al., 1995 and Pectiniunguis ascendens Pereira et al., 1994 (Schendylidae). Reproduction occurred in the soil. R. (S.) d ifficilis and P. ascendens inhabit the first 7.0 cm, whereas R. (S.) c entralis, S. continuus and S. janauarius live to a soil depth of 10.5 cm. P. ascendens and S. janauarius were most abundant, representing 39 .1 % and 28.3 % of all catches,respectively (n=22.1 +/- 21.7 ind./m(2) /month on average). A survival strategy observed as a reaction to the flood period was that all these terricolous species pass the aquatic p hase of several months' duration on trees by means of vertical migrati ons. Our data reconfirm that the mixedwater inundation forest represen ts an ecotone: S. continuus is also found in non-flooded primary uplan d forests near Manaus, whereas P. ascendens and R. (S.) centralis occu r in a blackwater inundation forest in the lower basin of the Negro Ri ver as well.