Allothereua maculata

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Allothereua maculata
Allothereua maculata cropped.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Scutigeromorpha
Family: Scutigeridae
Genus: Allothereua
Species:
A. maculata
Binomial name
Allothereua maculata
(Newport, 1844)
Synonyms
  • Cermatia maculataNewport 1844
  • Scutigera maculata(Newport, 1844)
  • Allothereua australiana(Newport, 1845)
  • Allothereua latreillei(Newport, 1845)
  • Allothereua simplex(Haase, 1887)
  • Allothereua violacea(L. Koch, 1865)

Allothereua maculata is a species of centipedes found in Australia known as the house-centipede - a name applied elsewhere to other species. [1]

Contents

Description

The body of Allothereua maculata is made up of 15 segments and bears 15 pairs of long legs. [1] [2] The body is pale brown with dark markings, and grows to 20–25 millimetres (0.8–1.0 in) long. [2] [1] It bears one pair of antennae on the head and a similarly long pair of caudal appendages at the tail end. These organisms have a lot of small hairs and spindle-like bodies so scientists Haase and Heathcote believed that these features can behave as an organ but later discovered that it is not true; they have other functions. There was only limited research done but they understand that it was probably created to help with adaption. [1]

Distribution

Allothereua maculata is the most-common scutigeromorph centipede across southern Australia, [3] occurring from Western Australia to Queensland. [4]

Ecology

Allothereua maculata lives in urban areas and woodland. [3] Its occurrence in houses indicates that it prefers dampness and a lack of ventilation. [2] A. maculata is a predator of insects and other arthropods, but is generally considered harmless. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 George Gordh, Gordon Gordh & David Headrick (2003). "House centipede". A Dictionary of Entomology. CAB International. p. 454. ISBN   978-0-85199-655-4.
  2. 1 2 3 John Gerozisis & Ion Staunton (2009). "Spiders, mites, ticks and related arthropods". Urban Pest Management in Australia (5th ed.). University of New South Wales Press. pp. 208–229. ISBN   978-0-86840-894-1.
  3. 1 2 "House centipede fact file". Wildlife of Sydney. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  4. "Species Allothereua maculata (Newport, 1844)". Australian Faunal Directory . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.

Further reading

Hilken, & Rosenberg, J. (2006). Ultrastructure of the maxillary organ ofScutigera coleoptrata (Chilopoda, Notostigmophora): Description of a multifunctional head organ. Journal of Morphology., 267(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10392