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Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

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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[1]
  • 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.[1][2][3] It is the only scolopendromorph definitively found in Canada. Canadian specimens appear to be most abundant in British Columbia and Vancouver Island.[4] 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.[5]

Morphology and diet

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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.[5][4] 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.[4] 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.[5] The eastern red centipede is capable of thermoregulating and maintaining performance across a broad range of temperatures.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c Shelley, Rowland M. (1992). "Distribution of the centipede Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) in Alaska and Canada (Scolopendromorpha: Cryptopidae)". Insecta Mundi. 6 (1).
  5. ^ a b c Virginia Natural History Society.; Society, Virginia Natural History (2012). Banisteria : a journal devoted to the natural history of Virginia. Vol. 40. [Hampden-Sydney, Va.]: 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.
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