Centipede with bubble eyes? - Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

Moved

Moved from Tropical Centipedes.

… john and jane balaban, 10 March, 2007 - 2:44pm

Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (

Scolopocryptops sexspinosus (Say, 1821).

… Rowland Shelley, 7 March, 2007 - 9:28pm

Moved from ID request

Image edited to add information and thumbnail

… Donna K Race, 1 November, 2006 - 1:31pm

Looks like an injured individual.

The "bubbles" are likely the centipede's blood oozing from broken antennae; note how these spheres are larger in the second photo. This individual was probably attacked by another creature more aggressive than itself. Note also that the centipede's left forcipule (jaw-like venomous claws) seems to be missing (again, compare with the other photo). No wonder why it was quite upset at your intrusion!

… Stephen Luk, 31 October, 2006 - 11:00pm

Oh my...

"Aggressive creature", hope it wasn't me...I was turning the soil when it appeared. No wonder I couldn't find anything similar looking, where are its eyes anyway? Sorry, I don't know anything about centipede anatomy, but did know not to pick it up. :)

… Donna K Race, 31 October, 2006 - 11:18pm

Hope it wasn't you :)

I've had similar encounters with centipedes while turning rocks and soil, though I've yet to find one in as similar condition as the one you discovered. Centipedes rely heavily on vibrations, taste and smell to sense their surroundings; that's why their eyes are small and largely limited to detecting light. In fact, some cave-dwelling species lack eyes completely! In your specimen, I think the right eye is just barely visible in the second image as the tiny black oval (caught in the glare) near the base of the antennae.

… Stephen Luk, 31 October, 2006 - 11:38pm

Other than

me with the shovel, what predator would it likely have encountered? It's the first one I ever recall seeing...lots of millipedes around, but nothing quite like this. It was still moving, and disappeared back into the soil.

Thanks for the information, it is very much appreciated.

… Donna K Race, 1 November, 2006 - 12:02am

Tons of things to watch out for

At least for these guys. Shrews and moles will happily eat up centipedes. In the southeast, a species of snake specializes in eating centipedes. It's called the Southeastern Crowned Snake. The whole genus is known for this.

… Ed Corey, 1 November, 2006 - 8:33am

Interesting

We do have many shrews and voles here. Oct 16th I took one picture of a snake in the garden before it disappeared under a piece of wood edging very near the same location as this centipede was found. It had a red forked tongue that it kept flashing at me...a garter snake I think? Do they feed on predators?

This afternoon I will upload the picture of the snake to the order page and call it "environment", then put a link here as a matter of interest.

These can all be frassed if there is no benefit to the guide.

… Donna K Race, 1 November, 2006 - 9:12am

Interesting shot

Looks like a Scolopocryptops to me. Possibly S. sexspinosus. Nice coloration on it though.

… Ed Corey, 31 October, 2006 - 10:07pm

Tropical centipede?

I did some web research and it appears that S. sexspinosus is in the family Scolopocryptopidae which is not included in the Bug Guide Taxonomy at this time. This image looks very similar to mine, scroll down the page: University of Kentucky Entomology

Following a link on that site I found a Taxonomy list at: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

… Donna K Race, 31 October, 2006 - 11:07pm