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]
| Scolopocryptops sexspinosus | |
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| Specimen from Georgia, United States on wood surface | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Scolopendromorpha |
| Family: | Scolopocryptopidae |
| Genus: | Scolopocryptops |
| Species: | S. sexspinosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Scolopocryptops sexspinosus Say, 1821
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Morphology and diet
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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
edit- ^ a b "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus Say, 1821". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ Shelley, R. M. "The myriapods, the world's leggiest animals". University of Tennessee. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^ a b c Shelley, Rowland M. (1992). "Distribution of the centipede Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) in Alaska and Canada (Scolopendromorpha: Cryptopidae)". Insecta Mundi. 6 (1).
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
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Media related to Scolopocryptops sexspinosus at Wikimedia Commons
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