Blue ring and yellow leg questions

[J Morningstar]

I have taken some pics of my good ole' Captian Stupid and his newer cell mate across the plexiglass.
I just don't see them as the same species or "build", the one that looks like a yellow leg has striped legs but yellow fang legs as well with indeterminate colors on his antenna,exteremely stocky build, also his sides are totally pine green as where blue rings (in all the pics I have seen) have whiteish sides. Where as my other has perfect antenna for a blue ring but his legs are almost entierly blue,long thin body, light skin on the sides. I have a third which I could not get pics of that looks exactly as the "blue ring is suppose to".
What do you guys think.
Oh yea about 6 inches and 5 1/2 inches respectively.Yellow one being bigger.
The pics were croped and re-sized with a program I have never used before sorry .....

 

[Bigboy]

I really don't know as much about pedes as you (working on it though), but perhaps it just has to do with geographic morphology.

 

[Jmadson13]

Two completely different species though from the same regions. I'll try my best, S. mortistans or the Blue rings/legs are a smaller species at 5 to 6 inches. Scolopendra sp. Tanzanian yellow legs get up to 10 inches. This is all I know besides the fact they are both fascinating captives that eat well. The yellow legs definitely are a bit more agressive though. Judging from the pictures, the last two are definitely S. mortistans and have the distinct blue rings. I'm no taxonimist though.

 

[Randolph XX()]

I'm no taxonimist though.

so what amkes u think it's Scolopendra sp. again?
check the head plate and the segment after it
the same saying has been repeated for many times...
Ethmostigmus...

 

[Jmadson13]

so what amkes u think it's Scolopendra sp. again?
check the head plate and the segment after it
the same saying has been repeated for many times...
Ethmostigmus...

Did I miss something? well I'm sorry for being wrong in either case, it's a learning experience for all of us.

 

[J Morningstar]

Randolph,
I do know it has been the subject of disscussion before and I do realize they are of the species Ethmostigmus...but I guess that I was trying to differentiate wrather the classification of Blue ring fit the one and Yellow leg the other, so by hobiest definition I could make some guess about the liniage and size of each.
Do you think they look like different "types" of Ethmostigmus? :?

 

[Steven]

Yow Jason,
i understand your confusion,

but different bodycolor, thickness, dark legs, light legs etc....
are (as far as i know) no keys to ID scolopendrid spec.

if they got the same spines, spurs, antennae-count, borders on tergite, grooves on sternites etc... you can be pretty sure they are the same spec.


Cheers
Steven

 

[J Morningstar]

Steven ..
I don't know how not to sound rude but I am seiously asking ...
How do you get close enough to do that when they are usually such spazes when people approach?
Most of mine freak if you get too close and my tanks are usually too tall to get a good look.
Oh totally forgot to ask... Are Blue ring and yellow leg different in the respects of the markers you have mentioned and do you have a clue of what they are
(I am sure you do)
Thanks
J

 

[Captante]

I was just wondering that myself ... somhow I'd prefer to skip being the next entry in the "bite" section & I'm going to get a Tanzanian Yellowleg as my next 'pede... be nice to be sure thats what I ended up with.

 

[Steven]

How do you get close enough to do that when they are usually such spazes when people approach?

You use a digicam. and shoot Close-ups of the parts you want to have a closer look at,... or put them in a glass-cup so you can have a clear look at them from all sides. (that's how i do it)

 

[danread]

J,

if you want to get close enough to see the taxonomic features, try feeding them, usually when a pede is eating they are so preoccupied you can get close as you want. As far as i know, both the individials you have are Ethmostigmus trigonopodus. Is the first body segment higher than the headplate on both of them?

Cheers,