Scolopendra hainanum

[LeFanDesBugs]

The 30cm dehaani are no big deal. They are black flame leg variants from thailand which are reportedly even larger than the regular dehaani. In general they get to 28+cm in BL
Also Galapoheros there were way higher levels of oxygen in the atmostphere which allowed for a tremendous amount of growth in inverts.

 

[Galapoheros]

I think evolution adjusts to O2 content, I don't think it's a factor. O2 can be toxic in concentrated amounts. Pilots OD on O2 from supplementing and miss work the next day and those pilots stay the same size, the O2 thing doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Staehilomyces]

Perhaps it's less of a growth thing then, and more to do with lifespan. When pedes are given a varied diet, they apparently live much longer. Thus, they have more time to grow. Could that be a possibility?

 

[Galapoheros]

I think it's no different from humans. You see the difference in size from you and your friends, from your dad and his friends, your mom and her girlfriends, a poodle and a German Shepard. A poodle and a German Shepard are the same species, but different genetics within the same species. I really do think it is this simple, some will grow larger than others within the same species. Of course, it's all "imo", just going with my logic here.

 

[Salvador]

@Galapaheros Hey, any chance you could reup some of your centipede pics on a different host sometime? Photobuckets change is a real pain, some of your old pictures are legendary.

Might be time for everyone here to start showing off how big some of their pedes are. Always read a lot about big ones, don't see much of them. Or this just an excuse to see more, of course

 

[LawnShrimp]

I think it's no different from humans. You see the difference in size from you and your friends, from your dad and his friends, your mom and her girlfriends, a poodle and a German Shepard. A poodle and a German Shepard are the same species, but different genetics within the same species. I really do think it is this simple, some will grow larger than others within the same species. Of course, it's all "imo", just going with my logic here.

True, but humans and dogs are vertebrates with defined adulthood where they stop growing. A centipede is an invertebrate that never stops molting and growing after it matures. A centipede alive for 10 years is much larger than a five-year-old of the same species simply because of this constant growth. Think of insects as an example. Beetle breeders, especially in Japan, have cultivated a special died of rotten wood and mycelia for Lucanid beetles, which helps males attain a large size and grow more points on their mandibles than an undernourished beetle eating the wrong fungi. Feeding the incorrect diet to other insects and arthropods will result in them being stunted. A varied diet and fruit possibly affects this in centipedes. While it is true that genetics are definitely a factor, they are probably not as influential as age. With invertebrates like centipedes which often are wild-caught and hard to tell the age and are so poorly studied, it is difficult to tell what defines their size.

Either that, or they're just really good at Photoshop.