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 centipedes of the familyScolopendridae.
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, 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 forcipules, which are not fangs or other mouthparts; rather, these are modified legs on the first body segment.
Ecology
''Scolopendra'' species are active predators, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates. Larger specimens have been observed preying on frogs, tarantulas, lizards, birds,
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 bats. Two southeast Asian species, '' S. cataracta'' and '' S. paradoxa'', as well as '' S. alcyona'' from the Ryukyu Islands, 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'' and '' Scolopendra dehaani'', are particularly potent, and have caused one reported fatality. In 2014, a fatality was reported for a bite from a '' Scolopendra gigantea''. The venom of certain ''Scolopendra'' species were found to contain compounds such as serotonin, haemolyticphospholipase, a cardiotoxic
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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'') as the type species.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
of
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 of South Africa.