Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

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Scolopocryptops sexspinosus
Eastern Red Centipede - Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (50055626578).jpg
Specimen from Georgia, United States on wood surface
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Scolopendromorpha
Family: Scolopocryptopidae
Genus: Scolopocryptops
Species:
S. sexspinosus
Binomial name
Scolopocryptops sexspinosus
Say, 1821
Synonyms [1]
  • Cryptops sexspinosaSay, 1821
  • Otocryptops punctatusPocock, 1891
  • Scolopocryptops georgicusMeinert, 1886
  • Scolopocryptops punctatusPocock, 1891

Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, the eastern red centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopocryptopidae. [1] [2] [3] [4] This common centipede is found in eastern North America. [5] [6] This species is large, reaching about 7 cm in length, and venomous. [7] These centipedes move swiftly and can inflict a painful bite. [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1821 by the American zoologist Thomas Say. [8] He originally described this centipede as a new species in the genus Cryptops . In 1845, the English zoologist George Newport placed this species in the genus Scolopocryptops instead. [9]

Distribution

This species is widespread across eastern North America from Florida and the Gulf Coast to Ontario in Canada. This range extends up the East Coast into New England and as far west as eastern Texas and Nebraska. [5] [6] This centipede is found from sea level to as high as 1,950 m (6,400 ft) above sea level. [5] In Canada, this species is known only from the Niagara Gorge. [5] Specimens found in British Columbia initially thought to be S. sexspinosus were later identified as specimens of S. spinicaudus . [10]

Morphology

The eastern red centipede is relatively large and can attain a length of 69 mm. [11] This species is usually orange or reddish-orange, although southeastern specimens may be browner. [12] Like other species in the family Scolopocryptopidae, this species features 23 leg-bearing segments, with one pair of legs on each segment, and lacks ocelli and is thus blind. [5] [13]

The posterior (left, with ultimate legs) and the fangs (right) of Scolopocryptops sexspinosus Wood 1865 Myriapoda of North America 12-13.png
The posterior (left, with ultimate legs) and the fangs (right) of Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

The antennae feature very short but dense hair, [8] with the first antenna segment (antennomere) less hirsute (hairy) than more distal segments. [12] The second trunk segment behind the head is the shortest, and the fourth and then the sixth segments are the next shortest. [8] [13] The tergites (dorsal plates) feature a pair of longitudinal grooves that are each incomplete and confined to the posterior part of the tergite. [13] [12] [14] The ultimate legs are elongated, and each leg features two spines near the base: one conspicuous and nearly triangular spine on the ventral side of the base and another smaller spine on the inner side nearer the middle of the most basal segment of each leg. [8] [15]

Ecology, diet, and habitats

The eastern red centipede occurs in a wide variety of habitats but often hides under decaying logs or leaf litter and is thus difficult to find. In the summer, females can be found in rotting wood or under bark, coiled around their brood of eggs or recently hatched young to protect them from predators. This species feeds on spiders, insects, earthworms, and smaller centipedes. Adults are active throughout the year. [5] This centipede can thermoregulate and maintain performance across a broad range of temperatures. [11]

Phylogeny

A study of DNA extracted from specimens of this species collected from the southern Appalachian Mountains finds that S. sexspinosus is a species complex. This genetic evidence indicates that the population sampled includes two deeply divergent clades, a northern lineage with a range extending to West Virginia and Virginia, and a more southern lineage with a range extending to Georgia and South Carolina. The ranges for these two lineages overlap in the William B. Bankhead National Forest in Alabama as well as in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. The mitochondrial divergence between these two lineages is comparable to the divergence between different species in the genus Scolopocryptops , suggesting the presence of cryptic species. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus Say, 1821". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ↑ "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  3. ↑ Shelley, R. M. "The myriapods, the world's leggiest animals". University of Tennessee. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  4. ↑ Bonato, L.; Chagas Junior, A.; Edgecombe, G.D.; Lewis, J.G.E.; Minelli, A.; Pereira, L.A.; Shelley, R.M.; Stoev, P.; Zapparoli, M. (2016). "Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say,1821)". ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda). Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hoffman, Richard L.; Roble, Steven M. (2012). "Observations on the Distribution, Habitat, and Seasonality of the Centiped Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) in Virginia (Scolopendromorpha: Cryptopidae)". Banisteria : A Journal Devoted to the Natural History of Virginia. 40: 36–41 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. 1 2 Ellsworth, Schyler A.; Nystrom, Gunnar S.; Ward, Micaiah J.; Freitas de Sousa, Luciana Aparecida; Hogan, Micheal P.; Rokyta, Darin R. (2019-10-01). "Convergent recruitment of adamalysin-like metalloproteases in the venom of the red bark centipede (Scolopocryptops sexspinosus)". Toxicon. 168: 1–15. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.06.021. ISSN   0041-0101. PMID   31229627.
  7. 1 2 Garrick, R. C.; Newton, K. E.; Worthington, R. J. (2018-12-01). "Cryptic diversity in the southern Appalachian Mountains: genetic data reveal that the red centipede, Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, is a species complex". Journal of Insect Conservation. 22 (5): 799–805. doi:10.1007/s10841-018-0107-3. ISSN   1572-9753.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Say, Thomas (1821). "Descriptions of the Myriapodae of the United States". Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 2 (1): 102–114 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  9. ↑ Newport, George (1845). "XXVIII. Monograph of the Class Myriapoda, Order Chilopoda". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 19: 349–439. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1842.tb00370.x.
  10. ↑ Langor, David W.; Langor, Stephen D. (2022). "The biota of Canada: checklist of the centipedes of Canada (Myriapoda: Chilopoda)". The Canadian Entomologist. 154 (1): e8. doi:10.4039/tce.2021.58. ISSN   0008-347X.
  11. 1 2 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. PMID   33292996.
  12. 1 2 3 Shelley, Rowland M. (1992). "Distribution of the centipede Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say) in Alaska and Canada (Scolopendromorpha: Cryptopidae)". Insecta Mundi. 6 (1): 23–27.
  13. 1 2 3 Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Zapparoli, Marzio (2011). "Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview". In Minelli, Alessandro (ed.). The Myriapoda. Volume 1. Leiden: Brill. pp. 363–443. ISBN   978-90-04-18826-6. OCLC   812207443.
  14. ↑ Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Lewis, John G. E.; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis A.; Shelley, Rowland; Zapparoli, Marzio (2010-11-18). "A common terminology for the external anatomy of centipedes (Chilopoda)". ZooKeys (69): 17–51. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.69.737 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   3088443 . PMID   21594038.
  15. ↑ Wood, H. C. (1865). "The Myriapoda of North America". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 13 (2): 137–248. doi:10.2307/1005211. ISSN   0065-9746 – via JSTOR.
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