Rhysandfish
Arachnoknight
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- Jul 23, 2017
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Overview: Scolopendra dehaani Rhys R.
Preface:
Scolopendra dehaani is one of the most common, yet also one of the most biologically diverse species of Scolopendromorpha kept in captivity. Most hobbyists find this species very difficult to identify due to its broad range of locales, color forms, and misinformation.
Notes: I’m definitely not a professional, I’m definitely not the most knowledgeable, and I’m definitely not the best writer, but hopefully this helps.
Chapter One: Identification
Anatomy
S. dehaani is a larger species of Scolopendra, often reaching lengths of 20cm, and specimens as long as 25cm aren’t unheard of. S. dehaani possesses 3 major spines on the prefemur (First segment) of each terminal leg: two on the inside walls, and one on the end of the prefemur. In short, there are 3 spines on each leg that are key factors to physical identification.
Color Palate Identification
If you can’t view the specimen’s terminal legs, or the legs are missing altogether (common with freshly imported specimens), Color Palate Identification (noting the leg, head, and body color) can prove to be very useful. This is because most species have a distinct characteristic in at least one of those factors (leg, head, and body color). For example: Chinese Red-Headed centipede is a common name for Scolopendra mutilans as they have a distinct red-colored head.
Chapter Two: Venom Toxicity and First Aid
Venom
A study done in China on S. dehaani found that the venom contains neurotoxic components which act on ion channels. The same study also reports that scolopendra dehaani venom was found to have anticoagulant, hemolytic and platelet aggregation properties. A study done by the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology found that scolopendra dehaani has an LD-50 value of 0.75 mg/kg in mice as well, which is more potent than certain widow species. Centipede venom is known to act on the potassium ion channels in the nervous system, which regulate heartbeat and breathing. Where it applies, prey items effectively die due to the heart stopping, and oxygen not being able to be supplied to the brain. As for bites on humans, there are no or at least very rare and unsubstantiated reports of human deaths on record, but the venom is regardless a very painful experience.
Medicinal properties
Venom and body extracts from S. dehaani have been identified as having a future in treating diseases such as asthma, diabetes, angina, cardiac ischemia and hypertension to chronic inflammation, cancer and autoimmune disease.
Bite symptoms
There doesn’t seem to be the most scholarly information regarding their venom, however there is no shortage of firsthand experiences, or ‘bite reports.’ All of these reports share one thing in common, which is experiencing extreme pain that surpasses any other pain that person has felt. The pain usually starts out as mild to moderate, and will increase, eventually reaching its peak before gradually decreasing. Other common symptoms include: redness, swelling, sweating and nausea etc. Less common symptoms reported are: vomiting, dizziness, near loss of consciousness, temporary loss of eyesight and ringing in the ears etc.
Treatment
Many patients who were bitten by S. dehaani sought out medical attention. Common treatments for the bites include: various pain medications, including morphine (which usually do nothing for the pain), anesthetics, antibiotics, and a tetanus shot. Some reported that heat, usually done in the form of heat packs and warm water, reduced pain when applied to the bite. It would be recommended to immediately wash the bite site and continue to keep it clean to prevent infection. It is also important to remove from the affected area, any close fitted jewelry, watches, clothing etc. Although no evidence has shown this works in humans, another possible aid for centipede bites are GABA based seizure medications, which open up the KCNQ potassium channels conveniently allowing your body to treat the venom.. Overall, time is the most effective tool, as the pain usually won’t last more than 12 hours, although the swelling can persist for days after the bite.
Chapter Three: Locales and Color Forms
Vietnam
-Vietnam Yellow Legs: Body color solid dark brown, pleural membrane light tan, antennae and terminal legs reddish orange to red, legs light yellow or light orange.
Notes: Extremely common variety of centipede, commonly referred to as S. subspinipes or “Vietnamese Giant Centipede.”
Thailand
-Red Flame Legs: Body color solid dark brown, pleural membrane light tan, antennae and terminals legs reddish orange to red, yellowish legs with reddish tips starting from tarsi up.
-Black Flame Legs: similar to Red Flame Legs, but overall body color darker and with greenish black legs.
Notes: Both Red and Black Flame Legs are known to reach sizes of 25cm.
-Thai Dragons/Cherries: Body color dark red to light brown, often with greenish sheen, may have faint stripes, pleural membrane pale tan, legs red to orange. Their names should be synonymous with body color description added (ie. S. dehaani “Thai Red Green Form” for specimens with a significant amount of green pigment).
Malaysia
-Cherry Red: Highland and Lowland. Highland shows dark banding with prominent red color, the purest “cherry” color. Lowland has an earthier, more natural color, displaying greens and browns, along with a red undertone.
-Malaysian Jewel: Body dark bluish black, pleural membrane dark blue, first 6 and last 2 pairs of legs bright blue, the rest a vibrant dark red, regenerated legs may grow back blue regardless of original color, antennae pale yellow. (Not documented as dehaani, but it was felt that these should be added.)
China
-Hainan Brown and Xishuangbanna giant: Both achieve 20cm and appear to be identical to Thai and Vietnamese specimens, or at least extremely similar.
-Yunnan Tricolor: Identity of this species hasn’t been evaluated, but it is thought to be similar to the Malaysian Jewel with its color palate and body form. (Not documented as dehaani, but it was felt that these should be added.)
Credits: Lawn Shrimp, Tim Kropa, Corey Bandy, Nyan2773/NYAN, Hercules Hernandez, Andrew Chin, Brendan Lan
Citations:
-Venom:
Source: www.arachnoboards.com bite reports.
Notes:if any information is incorrect, wrong, or just stupid, please inform me. Don’t let it sit there and linger when you could just open your mouth. We’re all humans here.Thanks
Preface:
Scolopendra dehaani is one of the most common, yet also one of the most biologically diverse species of Scolopendromorpha kept in captivity. Most hobbyists find this species very difficult to identify due to its broad range of locales, color forms, and misinformation.
Notes: I’m definitely not a professional, I’m definitely not the most knowledgeable, and I’m definitely not the best writer, but hopefully this helps.
Chapter One: Identification
Anatomy
S. dehaani is a larger species of Scolopendra, often reaching lengths of 20cm, and specimens as long as 25cm aren’t unheard of. S. dehaani possesses 3 major spines on the prefemur (First segment) of each terminal leg: two on the inside walls, and one on the end of the prefemur. In short, there are 3 spines on each leg that are key factors to physical identification.
Color Palate Identification
If you can’t view the specimen’s terminal legs, or the legs are missing altogether (common with freshly imported specimens), Color Palate Identification (noting the leg, head, and body color) can prove to be very useful. This is because most species have a distinct characteristic in at least one of those factors (leg, head, and body color). For example: Chinese Red-Headed centipede is a common name for Scolopendra mutilans as they have a distinct red-colored head.
Chapter Two: Venom Toxicity and First Aid
Venom
A study done in China on S. dehaani found that the venom contains neurotoxic components which act on ion channels. The same study also reports that scolopendra dehaani venom was found to have anticoagulant, hemolytic and platelet aggregation properties. A study done by the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology found that scolopendra dehaani has an LD-50 value of 0.75 mg/kg in mice as well, which is more potent than certain widow species. Centipede venom is known to act on the potassium ion channels in the nervous system, which regulate heartbeat and breathing. Where it applies, prey items effectively die due to the heart stopping, and oxygen not being able to be supplied to the brain. As for bites on humans, there are no or at least very rare and unsubstantiated reports of human deaths on record, but the venom is regardless a very painful experience.
Medicinal properties
Venom and body extracts from S. dehaani have been identified as having a future in treating diseases such as asthma, diabetes, angina, cardiac ischemia and hypertension to chronic inflammation, cancer and autoimmune disease.
Bite symptoms
There doesn’t seem to be the most scholarly information regarding their venom, however there is no shortage of firsthand experiences, or ‘bite reports.’ All of these reports share one thing in common, which is experiencing extreme pain that surpasses any other pain that person has felt. The pain usually starts out as mild to moderate, and will increase, eventually reaching its peak before gradually decreasing. Other common symptoms include: redness, swelling, sweating and nausea etc. Less common symptoms reported are: vomiting, dizziness, near loss of consciousness, temporary loss of eyesight and ringing in the ears etc.
Treatment
Many patients who were bitten by S. dehaani sought out medical attention. Common treatments for the bites include: various pain medications, including morphine (which usually do nothing for the pain), anesthetics, antibiotics, and a tetanus shot. Some reported that heat, usually done in the form of heat packs and warm water, reduced pain when applied to the bite. It would be recommended to immediately wash the bite site and continue to keep it clean to prevent infection. It is also important to remove from the affected area, any close fitted jewelry, watches, clothing etc. Although no evidence has shown this works in humans, another possible aid for centipede bites are GABA based seizure medications, which open up the KCNQ potassium channels conveniently allowing your body to treat the venom.. Overall, time is the most effective tool, as the pain usually won’t last more than 12 hours, although the swelling can persist for days after the bite.
Chapter Three: Locales and Color Forms
Vietnam
-Vietnam Yellow Legs: Body color solid dark brown, pleural membrane light tan, antennae and terminal legs reddish orange to red, legs light yellow or light orange.
Notes: Extremely common variety of centipede, commonly referred to as S. subspinipes or “Vietnamese Giant Centipede.”
Thailand
-Red Flame Legs: Body color solid dark brown, pleural membrane light tan, antennae and terminals legs reddish orange to red, yellowish legs with reddish tips starting from tarsi up.
-Black Flame Legs: similar to Red Flame Legs, but overall body color darker and with greenish black legs.
Notes: Both Red and Black Flame Legs are known to reach sizes of 25cm.
-Thai Dragons/Cherries: Body color dark red to light brown, often with greenish sheen, may have faint stripes, pleural membrane pale tan, legs red to orange. Their names should be synonymous with body color description added (ie. S. dehaani “Thai Red Green Form” for specimens with a significant amount of green pigment).
Malaysia
-Cherry Red: Highland and Lowland. Highland shows dark banding with prominent red color, the purest “cherry” color. Lowland has an earthier, more natural color, displaying greens and browns, along with a red undertone.
-Malaysian Jewel: Body dark bluish black, pleural membrane dark blue, first 6 and last 2 pairs of legs bright blue, the rest a vibrant dark red, regenerated legs may grow back blue regardless of original color, antennae pale yellow. (Not documented as dehaani, but it was felt that these should be added.)
China
-Hainan Brown and Xishuangbanna giant: Both achieve 20cm and appear to be identical to Thai and Vietnamese specimens, or at least extremely similar.
-Yunnan Tricolor: Identity of this species hasn’t been evaluated, but it is thought to be similar to the Malaysian Jewel with its color palate and body form. (Not documented as dehaani, but it was felt that these should be added.)
Credits: Lawn Shrimp, Tim Kropa, Corey Bandy, Nyan2773/NYAN, Hercules Hernandez, Andrew Chin, Brendan Lan
Citations:
-Venom:
- (Liu, Z.C.; Zhang, R.; Zhao, F.; Chen, Z.M.; Liu, H.W.; Wang, Y.J.; Jiang, P.; Zhang, Y.; Wu, Y.; Ding, J.P.; et al. Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of centipede Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani. J. Proteome Res. 2012, 11, 6197–6212. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]).
- Bradding, P.; Wulff, H. The K+ channels Kca3.1 and Kv1.3 as novel targets for asthma therapy. Br. J. Pharmacol. 2009, 157, 1330–1339. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed
- Jenkinson, D.H. Potassium channels-multiplicity and challenges. Br. J. Pharmacol. 2006, 147 (Suppl. 1), S63–S71. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Wickenden, A. K+ channels as therapeutic drug targets. Pharmacol. Ther. 2002, 94, 157–182. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Source: www.arachnoboards.com bite reports.
Notes:if any information is incorrect, wrong, or just stupid, please inform me. Don’t let it sit there and linger when you could just open your mouth. We’re all humans here.Thanks
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