Order SCOLOPENDROMORPHA

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Order SCOLOPENDROMORPHA

Compiler and date details

5 November 2013 - ABRS

Introduction

Members of the order Scolopendromorpha range from 10–300 mm, have 25 or 27 body segments and 21 or 23 pairs of legs, an enlarged coxopleuron, filiform antennae consisting of 17 to 35 segments, and may have four ocelli on each side of the head or none at all. There are no Tömösváry organs (Lewis 1981: 21). Tergites are variable in length, with longer ones interspersed with shorter ones (2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 being slightly shorter than the others). The pleurites are reduced and strongly chitinised and presternites are similar to those in geophiliomorphs (Lewis 1981: 24; Hoffmann 1982: 683). The large head capsule is rounded. Scolopendromorphs are strong, flexible animals with well-developed mandibles (Lewis 1981: 21).

The genitalia of both sexes can be retracted into the genital segment (Hoffmann 1982: 684). In females the genital segments are weakly sclerotised; the male penis is also weakly sclerotised (Hoffmann 1982: 683). There is sclerotisation of the pleurites on the 1st genital segment of the males, and some have a pair of conical genital appendages. The penis, which comprises two triangular valves, is located on the 2nd genital segment (Lewis 1981: 27). Eggs are laid in clusters and the mother guards the eggs and first two stages after hatching, the so-called peripatoid and foetoid stages.

Scolopendromorphs are adapted to fast running, having longer posterior than anterior legs to allow some crossing by limb tips and a greater leg arc, as well as varied tergite length as an anti-undulatory mechanism (the joints of the tergites and sternites thus do not coincide) (Lewis 1981: 44). They are predominantly tropical and found in soil, leaf litter, under rocks or bark, and range in colour through yellow, orange, red, blue and green, with many species also exhibiting darker markings (Hoffmann 1982: 684) and much colour variation in some species. The Scolopendromorpha include the largest centipedes, the most aggressive and, potentially, the most venomous. Although there are many myths about the potent and lethal toxicity of centipedes, there is only one known and documented human death from a centipede bite: that of a Filipino child bitten on the head. Underhill (1991) outlines a case of a near-fatal envenomation in Australia. There is large and scattered literature on envenomation by centipedes, and the subject is covered in most textbooks of medical entomology. An older (but still important) review of the subject is that by Minelli (1977).

The order is divided into two families, the Scolopendridae and the Cryptopidae (Hoffmann 1982: 683). Other authorities recognise a second family within Cryptopidae, splitting off the 23-legged Scolopocryptopinae as a family (Shelley 2002).

Many species have two paramedian grooves or sulci that extend longitudinally along the cephalic plate and tergites, as well as the sternites. The coxae of the 1st maxillae are separate, with a small sternum. The telopodite consists of two stunted segments. The sternum and coxae of the 2nd maxillae are fused together. The telopodite is larger than in other orders and is composed of three segments; a claw is located on the apical segment. The prosternum is large and does not exhibit a median suture; the anterior margin may be either smooth or dentate. The prehensors are sturdy and consist of three distal segments and a large basal segment. Spurs may be present on some tarsi, and short spines are present on basal segments. Club-shaped projections may be present on the femur. The coxae of the final leg pair are usually covered in gland pores (Hoffmann 1982: 683).