Scolopdendromorphs (Giant Centipedes)

Scolopendramorphs are active predators taking prey as large as rodents and even bats. Their bites are very painful, but are rarely fatal in humans. The venom is delivered through the animal's forcipules, which lie just behind the mandibles. The venoms of *Scolopendra* species contain compounds such as serotonin, haemolytic phospholipase A, a cardiotoxic protein and a cytolysin.

In temperate climates, only relatively small species occur, but species from the tropics such as S. gigantea may exceed 30 centimetres (12 in).

### Care Sheets

* S. gigantea (Amazonian Giant Centipede)
* S. heros (Giant Desert Centipede)
* S. polymorpha (Tiger Centipede)

## Behavior & Diet

This centipede is nervous and jumpy and may move rapidly if disturbed. It is carnivorous and aggressive, feeding on almost everything it encounters that it can kill. It is capable of overpowering not only other invertebrates such as insects and even tarantulas, but also vertebrates which include small lizards, frogs (up to 95 mm long), snakes (up to 25 cm long), sparrow-sized birds, mice, and bats. They are known to employ unique strategies to catch bats in which they can climb cave ceilings and hold or manipulate their heavier prey with only a few legs attached to the ceiling. During a fight, the centipede will use its entire body to coil its enemies or prey with all its legs firmly attached to the body of the opponents. Centipedes will cut away at their prey when eating.

## Husbandry

Scolopendra are burrowing animal, preferring dark, damp environments such as beneath logs and in leaf litter. Centipedes are solitary and will cannibalize smaller specimens.

## Mating & Reproduction

The male spins a web and deposit his *spermatophore* in this web, and waits for a female to come along.

**A *spermatophore* is a a capsule or sac that contains spermatozoa for fertilising an egg.**

The female takes the spermatophore and goes off with it, and uses it herself to fertilise her own eggs, without further input from the male. This process can take up to 1 hour.

One month later she produces 20 to 30 eggs, which she incubates for a further 1 to 2 months, during which time she wraps herself around them to protect them predators.

If the female is disturbed at this time, it is not unknown for her to eat her own eggs or young.

If they survive to adulthood, they start reproducing when they are a year old.

## Genera

The genus *Scolopendra* contains the following species:

* *Scolopendra abnormis* Lewis & Daszak, 1996
* *Scolopendra afer* (Meinert, 1886)
* *Scolopendra algerina* Newport, 1845
* *Scolopendra alternans* Leach, 1813
* *Scolopendra andhrensis* Jangi & Dass, 1984
* *Scolopendra angulata* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra angusticollis* Murray, 1887
* *Scolopendra anomia* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra appendiculata* Daday, 1891
* *Scolopendra arborea* Lewis, 1982
* *Scolopendra arenicola* (Lawrence, 1975)
* *Scolopendra arthrorhabdoides* Ribaut, 1912
* *Scolopendra attemsi* Lewis, Minelli & Shelley, 2006
* *Scolopendra aztecorum* Verhoeff, 1934
* *Scolopendra calcarata* Porat, 1876
* *Scolopendra canidens* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra childreni* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra chlora* Chamberlin, 1942
* *Scolopendra chlorotes* C. L. Koch, 1856
* *Scolopendra cingulata* Latreille, 1829
* *Scolopendra clavipes* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra concolor* Newport, 1845
* *Scolopendra crassa* Templeton, 1846
* *Scolopendra cretica* Attems, 1902
* *Scolopendra cribrifera* Gervais, 1847
* *Scolopendra crudelis* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra dalmatica* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra ellorensis* Jangi & Dass, 1984
* *Scolopendra fissispina* L. Koch, 1865
* *Scolopendra foveolata* Verhoeff, 1937
* *Scolopendra galapagoensis* Bollman, 1889
* *Scolopendra gigantea* Linnaeus, 1758
* *Scolopendra gracillima* Attems, 1898
* *Scolopendra hardwickei* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra hermosa* Chamberlin, 1941
* *Scolopendra heros* Girard, 1853
* *Scolopendra horrida* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra inaequidens* Gervais, 1847
* *Scolopendra indiae* (Chamberlin, 1914)
* *Scolopendra indica* Meinert, 1886
* *Scolopendra inermipes* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra inermis* Newport, 1845
* *Scolopendra jangii* Khanna & Yadav, 1997
* *Scolopendra koreana* (Verhoeff, 1934)
* *Scolopendra labiata* C. L. Koch, 1863
* *Scolopendra laeta* Haase, 1887
* *Scolopendra langi* (Chamberlin, 1927)
* *Scolopendra latro* Meinert, 1886
* *Scolopendra limicolor* Wood, 1861
* *Scolopendra lucasii* Gervais, 1847
* *Scolopendra lutea* (Attems, 1928)
* *Scolopendra madagascariensis* Attems, 1910
* *Scolopendra malkini* Chamberlin, 1955
* *Scolopendra mazbii* Gravely, 1912
* *Scolopendra media* (Muralewicz, 1926)
* *Scolopendra melionii* Lucas, 1853
* *Scolopendra metuenda* Pocock, 1895
* *Scolopendra michoacana* Chamberlin, 1941
* *Scolopendra mima* Chamberlin, 1942
* *Scolopendra mirabilis* (Porat, 1876)
* *Scolopendra monticola* (Lawrence, 1975)
* *Scolopendra morsitans* Linnaeus, 1758
* *Scolopendra multidens* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra negrocapitis* Zhang & Wang, 1999
* *Scolopendra nuda* (Jangi & Dass, 1980)
* *Scolopendra occidentalis* F. Meinert, 1886
* *Scolopendra octodentata* Verhoeff, 1934
* *Scolopendra oraniensis* Lucas, 1846
* *Scolopendra pachygnatha* Pocock, 1895
* *Scolopendra paranuda* (Khanna & Tripathi, 1987)
* *Scolopendra pentagramma* Motschoulsky, 1886
* *Scolopendra pinguis* Pocock, 1891
* *Scolopendra polymorpha* Wood, 1861
* *Scolopendra pomacea* C. L. Koch, 1847
* *Scolopendra puncticeps* Wood, 1861
* *Scolopendra punensis* Jangi & Dass, 1984
* *Scolopendra robusta* Kraepelin, 1903
* *Scolopendra sanatillae* Bollman, 1893
* *Scolopendra silhetensis* Newport, 1845
* *Scolopendra spinipriva* Bücherl, 1946
* *Scolopendra spinosissima* Kraepelin, 1903
* *Scolopendra subspinipes* Leach, 1815
* *Scolopendra sumichrasti* Saussure, 1860
* *Scolopendra tenuitarsis* Pocock, 1895
* *Scolopendra valida* Lucas, 1840
* *Scolopendra violacea* Fabricius, 1798
* *Scolopendra viridicornis* Newport, 1844
* *Scolopendra viridipes* Dufour, 1820
* *Scolopendra viridis* Say, 1821
* *Scolopendra zuluana* (Lawrence, 1958)