Biogeography and cryptic diversity of the ancient centipede genus Digitipes (Scolopendromorpha) in South and Southeast Asia

Verdict. In this study, we investigate the historical biogeography of the ancient centipede genus Digitipes Attems, 1930 from South and Southeast Asia. It intersects mitochondrial stress/dysfunction themes (mtDNA).

What the authors report

Understanding the relative roles of vicariance and dispersal in shaping diversity and distribution patterns is central to historical biogeography. The genus Digitipes was monophyletic with strong support, with SEA lineages nested within the Indian clade and sister to the D. barnabasi species complex from the Western Ghats.

Key results stated in the abstract include the following. In this study, we investigate the historical biogeography of the ancient centipede genus Digitipes Attems, 1930 from South and Southeast Asia. First, we determined the phylogenetic position of the genus Digitipes within the Order Scolopendromorpha (n=414) by assembling primary and published sequences (n=30) for two mtDNA markers (COI, 16S) and one nuclear marker (28S) using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference. We further used single-locus and multi-locus coalescent-based species delimitation methods to identify putative species within the genus Digitipes.

Why it matters for mitochondrial biology

Within mitochondrial research, this work maps primarily to mtDNA. It is relevant to mitochondrial dysfunction discourse because the abstract invokes mtDNA. That does not by itself establish a validated disease mechanism; it indicates thematic proximity. Server: biorxiv. Posted 2026-07-30. Synthesis confidence is bounded by abstract completeness.

Study design (abstract-level)

First, we determined the phylogenetic position of the genus Digitipes within the Order Scolopendromorpha (n=414) by assembling primary and published sequences (n=30) for two mtDNA markers (COI, 16S) and one nuclear marker (28S) using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference.

Principal findings

1. In this study, we investigate the historical biogeography of the ancient centipede genus Digitipes Attems, 1930 from South and Southeast Asia.
2. First, we determined the phylogenetic position of the genus Digitipes within the Order Scolopendromorpha (n=414) by assembling primary and published sequences (n=30) for two mtDNA markers (COI, 16S) and one nuclear marker (28S) using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference.
3. We further used single-locus and multi-locus coalescent-based species delimitation methods to identify putative species within the genus Digitipes.
4. We then used three fossil calibrations to estimate divergence times in a Bayesian framework, and used the resulting time-calibrated phylogeny for biogeographic analysis in a likelihood framework (BioGeoBEARS).
5. Our results highlight the importance of an integrative taxonomic framework to delineate hidden diversity and to obtain robust species hypotheses for testing biogeographic hypotheses.

Limitations of this brief

• This Mitos brief is an abstract-level synthesis of a preprint; it is not peer review and not a substitute for reading the full paper.
• Preprint status: findings may change with revision or journal review.
• Effect sizes, n numbers, statistics, and full experimental controls are typically incomplete at abstract resolution.
• Comparator/control language is weak or absent in the abstract, limiting causal inference from this brief alone.
• Primary source: biorxiv DOI 10.64898/2026.07.28.741128 (posted 2026-07-30).

Open scientific questions

• Which specific experimental panels in the full paper establish the strongest causal claim, and how robust are the controls?
• Are OXPHOS defects primary drivers or secondary consequences of broader cellular stress?
• Are mtDNA copy-number or mutation effects measured directly, or inferred from downstream phenotypes?
• How do these findings sit relative to prior literature on the same pathway—replication, contradiction, or incremental extension?

Bottom line

For mitochondrial biologists focused on mtDNA, this preprint is optional follow-up. Abstract-level takeaway: In this study, we investigate the historical biogeography of the ancient centipede genus Digitipes Attems, 1930 from South and Southeast Asia. Confirm methods, effect sizes, and controls in the full PDF before citing the result as established.

Bibliographic record

Abstract-based editorial synthesis by Mitos. Not peer review.