Scolopendra cingulata

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Scolopendra cingulata
Scolopendra cingulata - D7-08-2291.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Scolopendromorpha
Family: Scolopendridae
Genus: Scolopendra
Species:
S. cingulata
Binomial name
Scolopendra cingulata
Latreille, 1829
Synonyms [1]
  • Scolopendra hispanica (Newport, 1845)
  • Scolopendra nigrifrons (Koch, 1847)
  • Scolopendra thracia (Verhoeff, 1928)
  • Scolopendra hispanica
  • Scolopendra nigrifrons
  • Scolopendra thracia

Scolopendra cingulata, also known as Megarian banded centipede, [2] and the Mediterranean banded centipede, [3] is a species of centipede, [4] and "the most common scolopendromorph species in the Mediterranean area". [5]

Contents

Description

Underside of head showing forcipules Scolopendra fg02.JPG
Underside of head showing forcipules

The species has alternating bands of black and yellow-gold. [6] At approximately 15–18 centimetres (5.9–7.1 in), Scolopendra cingulata is one of the smallest species in the family Scolopendridae.

Its venom is also not as toxic as that of other scolopendrid centipedes. [3]

Distribution

Widely distributed, this species can be found throughout southern Europe, including Portugal and around the Mediterranean Sea, in such countries as Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Israel, and Greece, around the Black Sea in South Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, as well as parts of North Africa. [3] [7] It also has small relict populations in Austria and Hungary. [8]

Habitat

Scolopendra cingulata is a burrowing animal, preferring dark, damp environments such as beneath logs and in leaf litter. [3]

Diet

Scolopendra cingulata is an opportunistic carnivore. It will attack and consume almost any animal that is not larger than itself; this includes insects and small lizards. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "Scolopendra cingulata Latreille, 1789". fauna-eu.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Digimorph - Scolopendra cingulata (centipede)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Megarian Banded Centipede Care Sheet". Petbugs.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Megarian banded centipede (Scolopendra cingulata) Escolopendra Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Stylianos Michail Simaiakis, Sinos Giokas & Zoltán Korsós (2011). "Morphometric and meristic diversity of the species Scolopendra cingulata Latreille, 1829 (Chilopoda: Scolopendridae) in the Mediterranean region". Zoologischer Anzeiger . 250 (1): 67–79. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2010.11.006.
  6. ↑ "Megarian banded centipede (Scolopendra cingulata) Escolopendra". Wildsideholidays.com. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  7. ↑ de Jong, Y. et al. (2014) Fauna Europaea - all European animal species on the web. Biodiversity Data Journal 2: e4034. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e4034.
  8. ↑ "Mediterranean Banded Centipede (Scolopendra cingulata)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
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