Mecistocephalus lifuensis

Mecistocephalus lifuensis is a species of centipede in the Mecistocephalidae family. This species was first described in 1898 by zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock based on type material found on is Lifou Island in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in Melanesia. This centipede was the first species discovered in the genus Mecistocephalus with 51 pairs of legs rather than the 49 leg pairs usually observed in this genus.

Description
This species has 51 pairs of legs and can reach 41 mm in length. The body is yellow, but the head is a medium reddish shade of brown. Each sternite but the last feature a groove down the middle. This groove is Y-shaped on the anterior segments. The last sternite is broad at the base, shaped like a triangle pointed toward the posterior end.

Phylogeny
A phylogenetic analysis of the family Mecistocephalidae based on morphology places M. lifuensis in a clade nested among other species in the genus Mecistocephalus with 49 leg pairs in a phylogenetic tree. This analysis also indicates that the ancestor of this species had 49 leg pairs. Thus, this species evolved from this ancestor through a process that added two leg-bearing segments and two leg pairs.

Distribution
The species is found in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia.