Ethmostigmus rubripes

Ethmostigmus rubripes
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Myriapoda
Class:	Chilopoda
Order:	Scolopendromorpha
Family:	Scolopendridae
Subfamily:	Otostigminae
Genus:	Ethmostigmus
Species:	E. rubripes
Binomial name
Ethmostigmus rubripes (Brandt, 1840) [1]
Subspecies [1]
Ethmostigmus rubripes platycephalus Newport, 1845 Ethmostigmus rubripes rubripes(Brandt, 1840) Ethmostigmus rubripes spinosus(Newport, 1845)
Synonyms [1]
Ethmostigmus australianus Chamberlin, 1920 Heterostoma bisulcatum Tömösváry, 1885 Heterostoma crassipes Silvestri, 1894 Heterostoma fasciataNewport, 1845 Heterostoma flavaNewport, 1845 Scolopendra megacephalaNewport, 1844 Scolopendra rapaxGervais, 1847 Scolopendra scabriventrisNewport, 1844 Scolopendra spinulosaBrandt, 1840 Scolopendra squalidensNewport, 1844 Scolopendra sulcicornisNewport, 1844 Scolopendra sulcidensNewport, 1844 Heterostoma rubripes grossipes Pocock, 1891

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]}

Description

E. 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

E. 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

This 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. "Giant Centipede". The Australian Museum . Retrieved 14 November 2023.
4. 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.