| Scolopendra cataracta | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Scolopendromorpha |
| Family: | Scolopendridae |
| Genus: | Scolopendra |
| Species: | S. cataracta |
| Binomial name | |
| Scolopendra cataracta Siriwut, Edgecombe & Panha, 2016 | |
Scolopendra cataracta is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the first known amphibious centipede, growing to up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length.
Description
Scolopendra cataracta is a giant centipede, growing to around 200 mm (7.9 in) in length; it has long legs and a greenish-black colour. When exposed, it escapes into water. It both runs along stream beds and swims with eel-like horizontal undulations of its body. Out of water, water rolls off the centipede's body leaving it dry as the surface is hydrophobic. The species was discovered, and the first specimen collected, in 2000 near Thailand's Khao Sok National Park. Two more specimens were collected near waterfalls in Laos. DNA analysis confirmed they belonged to S. cataracta; the new species was named for the Latin for waterfall. A further specimen was found in the Natural History Museum's collection, in the shape of a misidentified 1928 centipede from Vietnam. The ecological niche is conjectured to be based on going "into the water at night to hunt aquatic or amphibious invertebrates." The species description was published in ZooKeys in 2016.
The species is apparently endemic to Southeast Asia, with specimens from Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
References
- Bonato L.; et al. (2016). "Scolopendra cataracta Siriwut, Edgecombe, Panha, 2016". ChiloBase 2.0 – A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ Bates, M. (26 June 2016). "'Horrific' First Amphibious Centipede Discovered". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ Holmes, O. (1 July 2016). "Giant swimming, venomous centipede discovered by accident in world-first". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- "Dr George Beccaloni – Curator, Orthopteroidea and Wallace Collection". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- Nijhuis, Michelle (3 July 2016). "It's always a joy to discover a new species. But there is a downside..." The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- Siriwut, W.; Edgecombe, G. D.; Sutcharit, C.; Tongkerd, P.; Panha, S. (2016). "A taxonomic review of the centipede genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae) in mainland Southeast Asia, with description of a new species from Laos". ZooKeys (590): 1–124. doi:10.3897/zookeys.590.7950. PMC 4926625. PMID 27408540.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Scolopendra cataracta | |