Scolopendra morsitans

Scolopendra morsitans
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Scolopendromorpha
Family: Scolopendridae
Genus: Scolopendra
Species:
S. morsitans
Binomial name
Scolopendra morsitans

Scolopendra morsitans, also known as the Tanzanian blue ringleg[2] or red-headed centipede,[3] is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae.[4][5] S. morsitans is the type species for the genus Scolopendra.[6][7]

Adult Tanzanian blue ringlegs grow to around 13 centimetres (5.1 in) and are generally characterised by bright red heads and striated body segments;[8] however, their colouration varies widely across regional populations.[5] The species is found across all inhabited continents[9] and is highly invasive.[5][7] The centipede is an aggressive and opportunistic predator which hunts primarily at night and feeds on other arthropods and some small vertebrates,[10][11] using a neurotoxic venom and its strong jaws to capture, incapacitate and digest its prey.[10][12] The species prefers warm environments and is often found beneath leaves, bark and other substrate on the ground.[11]

S. morsitans should not be confused with the giant red-headed centipede (Scolopendra heros),[13] Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspines),[14] or the Tanzanian blue ring centipede (Ethmostigmus trignopdus), all of which have similar sounding common names to S. morsitans.

  1. ^ "0208. Los ciempiés escutigeromorfos (Scutigeromorpha), escolopendromorfos (Scolopendromorpha) y geofilomorfos (Geophilomorpha) de la selva tropical caducifolia de la reserva de Chamela, Jalisco, México". Insecta Mundi: 1–17. 29 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Scolopedra morsitans". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Red-Headed Centipede (Species: Scolopendra Morsitans) in Taxonomy (Gaia Guide)". Gaia Guide. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Scolopendra morsitans". Global Invasive Species Database. Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Siriwut, Warut; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Panha, Somsak (2015). "The Centipede Genus Scolopendra in Mainland Southeast Asia: Molecular Phylogenetics, Geometric Morphometrics and External Morphology as Tools for Species Delimitation". PLOS ONE. 10 (8): e0135355. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1035355S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135355. PMC 4536039. PMID 26270342.
  6. ^ "Chilobase". University of Padua. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b Shelley, R; Edwards, G; Chagas Jr, Amazonas (2005). "Introduction of the Centipede Scolopendra Morsitans L., 1758, into Northeastern Florida, the First Authentic North American Record, and a Review of Its Global Occurrences (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae: Scolopendrinae)". Entomological News. Vol. 116. pp. 39–58.
  8. ^ Koch, LE (1983). "Morphological Characters of Australian Scolopendrid Centipedes, and the Taxonomy and Distribution of Scolopendra Morsitans L. (Chilopoda:Scolopendridae:Scolopendrinae)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 31: 79. doi:10.1071/zo9830079.
  9. ^ Panha, Somsak; Siriwut, Warut; Edgecombe, Gregory; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Tongkerd, Piyoros (2016). "A taxonomic review of the centipede genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae) in mainland Southeast Asia, with description of a new species from Laos". ZooKeys (590): 1–124. doi:10.3897/zookeys.590.7950. PMC 4926625. PMID 27408540.
  10. ^ a b Hodges, Cameron W.; Goodyear, Jesse (2021). "Novel foraging behaviors of Scolopendra dehaani (Chilopoda: Scolopendridae) in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand". International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. 41 (4): 3257–3262. doi:10.1007/s42690-021-00431-9. S2CID 234097157.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Mohamed, A.H.; Abu-Sinna, G.; El-Shabaka, H.A.; Abd El-Aal, A. (1983). "Proteins, lipids, lipoproteins and some enzyme characterizations of the venom extract from the centipede Scolopendra morsitans". Toxicon. 21 (3): 371–377. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(83)90093-4. PMID 6623485.
  13. ^ "Giant Red-Headed Centipede". Missouri Department of Conservation.
  14. ^ Ali, Salwa Mansur; Khan, Naveed Ahmed; Sagathevan, K.; Anwar, Ayaz; Siddiqui, Ruqaiyyah (2019). "Biologically active metabolite(s) from haemolymph of red-headed centipede Scolopendra subspinipes possess broad spectrum antibacterial activity". AMB Express. 9 (1): 95. doi:10.1186/s13568-019-0816-3. PMC 6598926. PMID 31254123.