Ethmostigmus rubripes, commonly known as the giant centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is a solitary nocturnal predator found across Asia and Oceania, with three subspecies currently described.[2][3]
| Ethmostigmus rubripes | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Scolopendromorpha |
| Family: | Scolopendridae |
| Subfamily: | Otostigminae |
| Genus: | Ethmostigmus |
| Species: | E. rubripes
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| Binomial name | |
| Ethmostigmus rubripes | |
| Subspecies[1] | |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editE. rubripes is a medium to extremely large centipede with 25 or 27 body segments and 21 or 23 pairs of legs. The tergites may be various shades of brown, green, orange, or yellow, sometimes with a dark border. The antennae are yellow and long to very long, typically composed of 19-20 segments with the first 3-4 segments being glabrous. The legs are yellow, and the morphology of the anal leg coxopleura may vary substantially.[2][4]
Distribution and habitat
editE. rubripes is widely distributed across Asia and Oceania and inhabits a variety of habitats across its range, including deserts, woodlands, rainforests, and urban areas. It tolerates dry and moist conditions alike, and can often be found sheltering beneath logs, bark, leaf litter, or rocks.[2][3]
Subspecies
editThis species includes the following subspecies:[1]
- Ethmostigmus rubripes platycephalus Newport, 1845 – Umboi, Duke of York Islands, New Britain, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Indonesia, Maluku Islands, Philippines, Spratly Island, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Australia (dubious)[2]
- Ethmostigmus rubripes rubripes (Brandt, 1840) – Indonesia, Borneo, Java (type locality), Laos, China, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Enderbury Island, New Guinea, Australia (widespread on mainland, also found on some offshore islands)[2]
- Ethmostigmus rubripes spinosus (Newport, 1845) – Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam[2]
References
edit
- ^ a b c d Bonato, Lucio; Chagas Junior, Amazonas; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Lewis, John G. E.; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis A.; Shelley, Rowland M.; Stoev, Pavel; Zapparoli, Marzio (2016). "Ethmostigmus rubripes (Brandt,1840)". ChiloBase 2.0 – A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Schileyko, Arkady; Stagl, Verena (2003). "The collection of scolopendromorph Centipedes (Chilopoda) in the Natural History Museum in Vienna: a critical re-evaluation of former taxonomic identifications". Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Serie B für Botanik und Zoologie. 105. Natural History Museum Vienna: 117–124. JSTOR 41767283.
- ^ a b "Giant Centipede". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Koch, Lucien E. (1983). "A Taxonomic Study of the Centipede Genus Ethmostigmus Pocock (Chilopoda: Scolopendridae: Otostigminae) in Australia". Australian Journal of Zoology. 31 (5). CSIRO Publishing: 835–849. doi:10.1071/ZO9830835.