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)