Scolopendra

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Classis: Chilopoda
Ordo: Scolopendromorpha

Familia: Scolopendridae
Subfamilia: Scolopendrinae
Genus: Scolopendra
Species: S. abnormis – S. alternans – S. antananarivoensis – S. arthrorhabdoides – S. canidens – S. cataracta – S. cingulata – S. clavipes – S. cretica – S. dalmatica – S. gigantea – S. heros – S. morsitans – S. mutilans – S. oraniensis – S. paradoxa – S. polymorpha – S. subspinipes – S. valida
Name

Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758

Species names in synonymy:

Scolopendra puncticeps Walckenaer & Gervais, 1847 = Cormocephalus westwoodi (Newport, 1844)
Scolopendra rubriceps Newport, 1843 = Cormocephalus rubriceps
Scolopendra westwoodi Newport, 1844 = Cormocephalus westwoodi (Newport, 1844)

Synonyms

Calcaria Porat, 1878

References

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Tomus I. Holmiæ (Stockholm): impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. 824 pp. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542 BHL Reference page.
Chagas, A. Jr. & Jiménez, S.G. 2018. Taxonomic reassessment and redescription of Scolopendra arthrorhabdoides Ribaut, 1913, with a discussion on its related species (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae). Zootaxa 4425(1): 153–164. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4425.1.9 Paywall Reference page.
Doménech, C., Barbera, V.M. & Larriba, E. 2018. A phylogenetic approach to the Philippines endemic centipedes of the genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 4483(3): 401–427. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4483.3.1 Paywall Reference page.
Hu, C-Y., Wang, S-B., Huang, B-S., Liu, H-G., Xu, L., Hu, Z-G. & Liu, Y-F. 2020. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Scolopendra mutilans L. Koch, 1878 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae), with a comparative analysis of other centipede genomes. ZooKeys, 925: 73–88. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.925.47820 Open access Reference page.
Kronmüller, C., 2010. Scolopendra antananarivoensis spec. nov. – a new species of Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 related to Scolopendra morsitans Linnaeus, 1758 from Madagascar (Myriapoda, Chilopoda, Scolopendridae). Spixiana 33 (2): 281–288 (PDF).
Mercurio, R. J. 2016. Resurrection of Scolopendra longipes Wood and Scolopendra cubensis Saussure from synonymy with Scolopendra alternans Leach (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae): an enigmatic species-group needing phylogeographic analysis, with an overview on the origin and distribution of centipedes in the Caribbean region. Zootaxa 4111(1): 1–20. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4111.1.1. Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Mercurio, R. J. 2016. Erratum: RANDY J. MERCURIO (2016) Resurrection of Scolopendra longipes Wood and Scolopendra cubensis Saussure from synonymy with Scolopendra alternans Leach (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae): an enigmatic species-group needing phylogeographic analysis, with an overview on the origin and distribution of centipedes in the Caribbean region. Zootaxa, 4111(1): 001–020. Zootaxa 4136(3): 600–600. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4136.3.11. Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Siriwut, W., Edgecombe, G.D., Sutcharit, C., Tongkerd, P. & Panha, S. 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. Reference page.

Links

Scolopendra – Taxon details on Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).
Scolopendra – Taxon details on Fauna Europaea.
Scolopendra – Taxon details on Fossilworks.
Scolopendra – Taxon details on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Scolopendra – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Scolopendra – Taxon details on National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Scolopendra in the World Register of Marine Species

Vernacular names
català: escolopendra
English: Centipede
español: Escolopendra
français: Scolopendre
русский: Сколопендры

Scolopendra valida

Scolopendra (through Latin from Greek σκολόπενδρα, skolopendra) is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae.
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 30 cm (12 in) and are the largest living centipedes in the world.[2] All Scolopendra species can deliver a painful bite, injecting venom 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, rodents, and even bats.[3] 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.[4][5][6]
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.[7] In 2014, a fatality was reported for a bite from a Scolopendra gigantea.[8] The venom of certain Scolopendra species were found to contain compounds such as serotonin, haemolytic phospholipase, a cardiotoxic protein, and a cytolysin.[9]
Taxonomic history

Scolopendra was one of the genera created by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, the starting point for zoological nomenclature. Only two of the species originally assigned to the genus remain so: Scolopendra gigantea and S. morsitans; the latter was chosen to be the type species by Opinion 454 of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature,[2] overruling a previous designation by Pierre André Latreille, in which he chose Linnaeus' Scolopendra forficata (now Lithobius forficatus) as the type species.[10]
Species

The genus Scolopendra contains these species:[1][11]

Scolopendra abnormis Lewis & Daszak, 1996
Scolopendra afer (Meinert, 1886)
Scolopendra alcyona 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 Siriwut, Edgecombe & Panha, 2016[11]
Scolopendra childreni Newport, 1844
Scolopendra chlora Chamberlin, 1942
Scolopendra chlorotes C. L. Koch, 1856
Scolopendra cingulata 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
Scolopendra dehaani Brandt, 1840
Scolopendra ellorensis Jangi & Dass, 1984
Scolopendra fissispina L. Koch, 1865
Scolopendra foveolata Verhoeff, 1937
Scolopendra galapagoensis Bollman, 1889
Scolopendra gigantea Linnaeus, 1758
Scolopendra gracillima Attems, 1898
Scolopendra hainanum Kronmüller, 2012
Scolopendra hardwickei 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 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 Haase, 1887
Scolopendra langi (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[12]
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 Linnaeus, 1758
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 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 Bollman, 1893
Scolopendra silhetensis Newport, 1845
Scolopendra spinipriva Bücherl, 1946
Scolopendra spinosissima Kraepelin, 1903
Scolopendra subspinipes Leach, 1816
Scolopendra sumichrasti Saussure, 1860
Scolopendra tenuitarsis Pocock, 1895
Scolopendra valida Lucas, 1840
Scolopendra violacea Fabricius, 1798
Scolopendra viridicornis Newport, 1844
Scolopendra viridipes Dufour, 1820
Scolopendra viridis Say, 1821
Scolopendra zuluana (Lawrence, 1958)

One fossil species, †Scolopendra proavita, is known from Baltic amber deposits from the Eocene of Poland.[13] Fossil remains of a species tentatively assigned to S. morsitans (as S. (cf) morsitans) are also known from Pliocene-aged rocks in the Makapansgat of South Africa.[14]
See also

Gu (poison)

References

"Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758". ChiloBase. Università di Padova. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
R. M. Shelley & S. B. Kiser (2000). "Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889 (Chilopoda Scolopendromorpha Scolopendridae)" (PDF). Tropical Zoology. 13 (1): 159–170. doi:10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129. S2CID 83560131.
J. Molinari, E. E. Gutiérrez, A. A. de Ascenção, J. M. Nassar, A. Arends & R. J. Márquez (2005). "Predation by giant centipedes, Scolopendra gigantea, on three species of bats in a Venezuelan cave" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 41 (2): 340–346. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-09.
Holmes, O. (1 July 2016). "Giant swimming, venomous centipede discovered by accident in world-first". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
Bates, M. (26 June 2016). "'Horrific' First Amphibious Centipede Discovered". National Geographic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
Doménech, Carles; Barbera, Victor M.; Larriba, Eduardo (24 September 2018). "A phylogenetic approach to the Philippines endemic centipedes of the genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae), with the description of a new species". Zootaxa. 4483 (3): 401–427. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4483.3.1. PMID 30313775. S2CID 52975027."A phylogenetic approach to the Philippines endemic centipedes of the genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae), with the description of a new species". 24 September 2018.
S. P. Bush, B. O. King, R. L. Norris & S. A. Stockwell (2001). "Centipede envenomation". Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. 12 (2): 93–99. doi:10.1580/1080-6032(2001)012[0093:CE]2.0.CO;2. PMID 11434497.
Aguilera, María; Díaz, Gienah (13 November 2014). "Niño de 4 años murió tras ser picado por ciempiés gigante". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
Robert L. Norris (November 19, 2008). "Centipede Envenomation". eMedicine. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
Ralph E. Crabill Jr. (1955). "Proposed use of the plenary powers to designate for the genus "Scolopendra" Linnaeus (Class Myriapoda) a type species in harmony with the accustomed usage". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 11 (4): 134–136. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.2832.
Siriwut, Warut; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Tongkerd, Piyoros; Panha, Somsak (May 17, 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.
GBIF https://www.gbif.org/species/10427121 Scolopendra lufengia
"Fossilworks: Scolopendra proavita". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
"Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.