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Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

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Species of centipede

Scolopocryptops sexspinosus
Specimen from Georgia, United States on wood surface
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Scolopendromorpha
Family: Scolopocryptopidae
Genus: Scolopocryptops
Species: S. sexspinosus
Binomial name
Scolopocryptops sexspinosus
Say, 1821
Synonyms
  • Cryptops sexspinosa Say, 1821
  • Otocryptops punctatus Pocock, 1891
  • Scolopocryptops georgicus Meinert, 1886
  • Scolopocryptops punctatus Pocock, 1891

Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, the eastern red centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopocryptopidae. It is found in North America. It is the only scolopendromorph definitively found in Canada. Canadian specimens appear to be most abundant in British Columbia and Vancouver Island. It is widespread across eastern North America from far southern Canada to the Carolinas and the Gulf Coast, and prefers hiding under rotting wood or leaf litter (see picture); it is thus difficult to find.

Morphology and diet

The posterior (left, with ultimate legs), and the fangs (right) of Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

The eastern red centipede has 23 pairs of legs, and is reddish-orange, although south-eastern individuals are browner. This species of centipede does not have ocelli, and is thus blind. Grooves on the dorsal plates are incomplete, according to field work, and the first antenna segment (an antennomere) is less hirsute (hairy) than the second or more distant segments. In Virginia, specimens can attain a length of 6.5 cm. This centipede can deliver a painful bite if handled; they feed on spiders, insects, earthworms, and even smaller centipedes. Adults are active throughout the year. The eastern red centipede is capable of thermoregulating and maintaining performance across a broad range of temperatures.

References

  1. ^ "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus Say, 1821". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  3. Shelley, R. M. "The myriapods, the world's leggiest animals". University of Tennessee. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  4. ^ Shelley, Rowland M. (1992). "Distribution of the centipede Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) in Alaska and Canada (Scolopendromorpha: Cryptopidae)". Insecta Mundi. 6 (1).
  5. ^ Virginia Natural History Society.; Society, Virginia Natural History (2012). Banisteria : a journal devoted to the natural history of Virginia. Vol. 40. : Virginia Natural History Society.
  6. Cox, Christian L.; Tribble, Hilariann O.; Richardson, Shane; Chung, Albert K.; Curlis, John David; Logan, Michael L. (December 2020). "Thermal ecology and physiology of an elongate and semi-fossorial arthropod, the bark centipede". Journal of Thermal Biology. 94: 102755. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102755.

External links

Taxon identifiers
Scolopocryptops sexspinosus


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