''Scolopendra'', from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical

centipede Centipedes (from Neo-Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', "lip", and Neo-Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, ...

s of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Scolopendridae Scolopendridae (or, in older documents, Scolopendridæ), from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a family of large centipedes (class Chilopoda). Description Nea ...

Description

The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world's tropics and warmer temperate areas. The species vary considerably in coloration and size. ''Scolopendra'' are mostly very large centipedes. The largest species found in tropical climates can exceed and are the largest living centipedes in the world. All ''Scolopendra'' species can deliver a painful

bite Biting is an action involving a set of teeth closing down on an object. It is a common zoological behavior, being found in toothed animals such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and arthropods. Biting is also an action humans participate ...

, injecting

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

through their

forcipule Forcipules are the modified, pincer-like, front legs of centipedes that are used to inject venom into prey. They are the only known examples of front legs acting as venom injectors. Nomenclature Forcipules go by a variety of names in both sci ...

s, which are not fangs or other mouthparts; rather, these are modified legs on the first body segment.

Ecology

''Scolopendra'' species are active

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates. Larger specimens have been observed preying on

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to ...

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

lizards Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The ...

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

snakes Snakes are elongated Limbless vertebrate, limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales much like other members of ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s, and even

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s. Two southeast Asian species, '' S. cataracta'' and '' S. paradoxa'', as well as '' S. alcyona'' from the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

, are amphibious, as these species can travel underwater by swimming or walking.

Venom

The venom of most species is not medically significant; however, bites from several species can cause intense and long-lasting pain and swelling. Large ''Scolopendra'' species from Asian/Pacific regions, such as ''

Scolopendra subspinipes ''Scolopendra subspinipes'' is a species of very large centipede found throughout southeastern Asia. One of the most widespread and common species in the genus ''Scolopendra'', it is also found on virtually all land areas around and within the In ...

'' and ''

Scolopendra dehaani ''Scolopendra dehaani'', the giant Vietnamese centipede, is a large scolopendrid centipede found across Mainland Southeast Asia.Nariman Vazifdar, Patrick W. Aust, Mervyn D’Costa, A Centipede (Scolopendra dehaani) Feeding on a Juvenile Andaman ...

'', are particularly potent, and have caused one reported fatality. In 2014, a fatality was reported for a bite from a ''

Scolopendra gigantea ''Scolopendra gigantea'', also known as the Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede or Amazonian giant centipede, is a centipede in the genus '' Scolopendra''. It is the largest centipede species in the world, with a length exceeding .PDFTandof onlin ...

''. The venom of certain ''Scolopendra'' species were found to contain compounds such as

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

haemolytic Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing (lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo ...

phospholipase A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C, and D, which are distinguished by the type of reaction which they catalyze: *Phospholipase ...

, a

cardiotoxic Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. This can cause heart failure, arrhythmia, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathy in patients. Some effects are reversible, while in others, p ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, and a

cytolysin Cytolysin refers to the substance secreted by microorganisms, plants or animals that is specifically toxic to individual cells, in many cases causing their dissolution through lysis. Cytolysins that have a specific action for certain cells are ...

Taxonomic history

''Scolopendra'' was one of the genera created by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point for

zoological nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

. Only two of the species originally assigned to the genus remain so: ''

'' and '' S. morsitans''; the latter was chosen to be the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

by Opinion 454 of the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

, overruling a previous designation by

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoology, zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained hi ...

, in which he chose Linnaeus' ''Scolopendra forficata'' (now ''

Lithobius forficatus ''Lithobius forficatus'', most commonly known as the garden centipede, brown centipede or stone centipede, is a common centipede of the family Lithobiidae. Description The species is between 18 and 30 mm long and up to 4 mm broad an ...

'') as the type species.

Species

The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains these species: *'' Scolopendra abnormis'' Lewis & Daszak, 1996 *'' Scolopendra afer'' (Meinert, 1886) *''

Scolopendra alcyona ''Scolopendra alcyona'', the Halcyon giant centipede, is a species of amphibious centipede found in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and Taiwan. It is the third amphibious member of the genus ''Scolopendra'' discovered so far, and the largest sp ...

'' Tsukamoto & Shimano, 2021 *'' Scolopendra algerina'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra alternans'' Leach, 1813 *'' Scolopendra andhrensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra angulata'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra angusticollis'' Murray, 1887 *'' Scolopendra anomia'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra appendiculata'' Daday, 1891 *'' Scolopendra arenicola'' (Lawrence, 1975) *'' Scolopendra arthrorhabdoides'' Ribaut, 1912 *'' Scolopendra attemsi'' Lewis, Minelli & Shelley, 2006 *'' Scolopendra aztecorum'' Verhoeff, 1934 *'' Scolopendra calcarata'' Porat, 1876 *'' Scolopendra canidens'' Newport, 1844 * ''

Scolopendra cataracta ''Scolopendra cataracta'' is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the first known amphibious centipede and grows to up to in length. Description ''Scolopendra cataracta'' is a giant centipede, growing to around in le ...

'' Siriwut, Edgecombe &

Panha Iran Helicopter Support and Renovation Company (IHSRC) (, abbreviated as , PANHA) is an Iranian helicopter manufacturing company. History Following the purchase by Iran of some Italian helicopters from Agusta Company, it became important to es ...

, 2016 *'' Scolopendra childreni'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra chlora'' Chamberlin, 1942 *'' Scolopendra chlorotes'' C. L. Koch, 1856 *''

Scolopendra cingulata ''Scolopendra cingulata'', also known as Megarian banded centipede, and the Mediterranean banded centipede, is a species of centipede, and "the most common scolopendromorph species in the Mediterranean area". Description The species has altern ...

'' Latreille, 1829 *'' Scolopendra clavipes'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra concolor'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra crassa'' Templeton, 1846 *'' Scolopendra cretica'' Attems, 1902 *'' Scolopendra cribrifera'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra crudelis'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra dalmatica'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra dawydoffi'' Kronmüller, 2012 *''

'' Brandt, 1840 *'' Scolopendra ellorensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra fissispina'' L. Koch, 1865 *'' Scolopendra foveolata'' Verhoeff, 1937 *'' Scolopendra galapagoensis'' Bollman, 1889 *''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

*'' Scolopendra gracillima'' Attems, 1898 *'' Scolopendra hainanum'' Kronmüller, 2012 *''

Scolopendra hardwickei ''Scolopendra hardwickei'', the Indian tiger centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae Scolopendridae (or, in older documents, Scolopendridæ), from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔν� ...

'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra hermosa'' Chamberlin, 1941 *'' Scolopendra heros'' Girard, 1853 *'' Scolopendra horrida'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra inaequidens'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra indiae'' (Chamberlin, 1914) *''

Scolopendra indica ''Scolopendra'', from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ...

'' Meinert, 1886 *'' Scolopendra inermipes'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra inermis'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra jangii'' Khanna & Yadav, 1997 *'' Scolopendra japonica'' Koch, 1878 *'' Scolopendra koreana'' (Verhoeff, 1934) *'' Scolopendra labiata'' C. L. Koch, 1863 *''

Scolopendra laeta ''Scolopendra'', from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family (biology), family Scolopendridae. Desc ...

'' Haase, 1887 *''

Scolopendra langi ''Scolopendra'', from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ...

'' (Chamberlin, 1927) *'' Scolopendra latro'' Meinert, 1886 *'' Scolopendra leki'' (Waldock & Edgecombe 2012) *'' Scolopendra limicolor'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra lucasii'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra lufengia'' S. Kang ''et al.'', 2017 *'' Scolopendra lutea'' (Attems, 1928) *'' Scolopendra madagascariensis'' Attems, 1910 *'' Scolopendra malkini'' Chamberlin, 1955 *'' Scolopendra mazbii'' Gravely, 1912 *'' Scolopendra media'' (Muralewicz, 1926) *'' Scolopendra melionii'' Lucas, 1853 *'' Scolopendra metuenda'' Pocock, 1895 *'' Scolopendra michoacana'' Chamberlin, 1941 *'' Scolopendra mima'' Chamberlin, 1942 *'' Scolopendra mirabilis'' (Porat, 1876) *'' Scolopendra monticola'' (Lawrence, 1975) *'' Scolopendra morsitans''

*'' Scolopendra multidens'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra negrocapitis'' Zhang & Wang, 1999 *'' Scolopendra nuda'' (Jangi & Dass, 1980) *'' Scolopendra occidentalis'' F. Meinert, 1886 *'' Scolopendra octodentata'' Verhoeff, 1934 *'' Scolopendra oraniensis'' Lucas, 1846 *''

Scolopendra paradoxa ''Scolopendra paradoxa'' is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. The centipede is endemic to the Philippines. It is one of the few known amphibious centipedes along with ''Scolopendra cataracta'' and ''Scolopendra alcyona ''S ...

'' Doménech, 2018 *'' Scolopendra pachygnatha'' Pocock, 1895 *'' Scolopendra paranuda'' (Khanna & Tripathi, 1987) *'' Scolopendra pentagramma'' Motschoulsky, 1886 *'' Scolopendra pinguis'' Pocock, 1891 *'' Scolopendra polymorpha'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra pomacea'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra puncticeps'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra punensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra robusta'' Kraepelin, 1903 *''

Scolopendra sanatillae ''Scolopendra'', from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ...

'' Bollman, 1893 *'' Scolopendra silhetensis'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra spinipriva'' Bücherl, 1946 *'' Scolopendra spinosissima'' Kraepelin, 1903 *''

'' Leach, 1816 *'' Scolopendra sumichrasti'' Saussure, 1860 *'' Scolopendra tenuitarsis'' Pocock, 1895 *'' Scolopendra teretipes'' (Porat,1893) *'' Scolopendra valida'' Lucas, 1840 *'' Scolopendra violacea'' Fabricius, 1798 *'' Scolopendra viridicornis'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra viridipes'' Dufour, 1820 *''

Scolopendra viridis ''Scolopendra'', from Ancient Greek σκόλοψ (''skólops''), meaning "thorn", and ἔντερον (''énteron''), meaning "earthworm", is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family (biology), family Scolopendridae. Desc ...

'' Say, 1821 *'' Scolopendra zuluana'' (Lawrence, 1958) One

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

species, †'' Scolopendra proavita'', is known from

Baltic amber Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...

deposits from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Fossil remains of a species tentatively assigned to '' S. morsitans'' (as ''S. (cf)'' ''morsitans'') are also known from

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Makapansgat Makapansgat () (or Makapan Valley World Heritage Site) is an archaeological location within the Makapansgat and Zwartkrans Valleys, northeast of Mokopane in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is an important palaeontological site, with the loca ...

of South Africa.

Species gallery

References

{{Authority control Centipede genera