# Scolopendra gigantea



## Naetze (Oct 14, 2010)

Hi all,
today a dream came true


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## Androctonus_bic (Oct 14, 2010)

Damm! There is somebody out there who has their blood boiling now!

Congratulations man!

And keep us posted!

Cheers
Carles


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## Steven (Oct 14, 2010)

nice specimen.

have you sexed it yet ?


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## Pennywise (Oct 14, 2010)

Mine came in too, he dug in right away so I will wait till
he comes out hungry for a photo session.


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## Inverts4life (Oct 14, 2010)

I want some of these so bad.... is anyone trying to breed them?


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## Travis K (Oct 14, 2010)

Pennywise said:


> Mine came in too, he dug in right away so I will wait till
> he comes out hungry for a photo session.


Nice, are we starting to get these imported again?


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## Naetze (Oct 14, 2010)

Hi Steven,
this one is not sexed until right now. I hope to find some time this weekend.


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## Draiman (Oct 14, 2010)

Pennywise said:


> Mine came in too, he dug in right away so I will wait till
> he comes out hungry for a photo session.


Can't wait to see those pics


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## ophiophagus (Oct 14, 2010)

Where did you get one? I haven't seen one for sale in YEARS




Pennywise said:


> Mine came in too, he dug in right away so I will wait till
> he comes out hungry for a photo session.


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## Pennywise (Oct 14, 2010)

goto petbugs.com see if the ad is still there

Mine is a juvie


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## zonbonzovi (Oct 14, 2010)

Oh my!  (Hurriedly digs up wallet, abandons common sense, follows link)


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## Alejandro45 (Oct 14, 2010)

wow 200$ isnt too bad for a young one.


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## JC (Oct 14, 2010)

Oh boy, I have to save up for this one fast!


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## Crawly (Oct 14, 2010)

Very Nice!  Congrats!


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## thebugfreak (Oct 14, 2010)

that is a very impressive pede. i love the white transition in the legs.


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## Steven (Oct 15, 2010)

Naetze said:


> Hi Steven,
> this one is not sexed until right now. I hope to find some time this weekend.


Let me know when it's a male  still having a young female over here.


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## micheldied (Oct 15, 2010)

The holy grail... In my opinion...


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## chyguy (Oct 15, 2010)

looks like im one of the lucky ones i ordered 2


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## Travis K (Oct 15, 2010)

DO you guys know for sure that this is S. gigantea?


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## HW Auer (Oct 15, 2010)

Travis K said:


> DO you guys know for sure that this is S. gigantea?


Yes, it´s for sure...

Regards

HW


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## Steven (Oct 16, 2010)

Not to start a discussion here, but i was a bit surprised about the collection data on these (Northern Peru) 

If we trust the distribution map on page 166 of the R. Shelleys publication on gigantea and galapagoensis, i would rather say they are _Scolopendra galapagoensis_
(ALSO a very large and attractive specie  ) then Sc.gigantea. 

Tropical Zoology 13: 159-170, 2000
Neotype designation and a diagnostic account
for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758,
with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889
R.M. SHELLEY 1 and S.B. KISER
page 166, fig 7, Fig. 7. — Comparative distributions of S. gigantea (dots) and S. galapagoensis (squares).

you can click and read/download the article.

Please also read the part on _S. gigantea weyrauchi_ (Sc.galapagoensis) from Pucara near Jaen in North Peru !

Might i ask that someone could give me the exact collection data on these (can go trough PM if prefered).
And some detailed pictures on the needed taxonomic features would be nice too,... to proof these are gigantea and not galapagoensis.

As i said in the beginning,... this is not to start a discussion or questioning the people involved in this import,... but i have a small doubt these are gigantea.
(or Shelly didn't do a good job on the distribution map of gigantea)

all the best,
Cheers
Steven


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 16, 2010)

for sure, this is a gigantea.


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## EndlessForms (Oct 16, 2010)

beautiful creature...


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## Steven (Oct 17, 2010)

krabbelspinne said:


> for sure, this is a gigantea.


Hey Christian, then i guess you have ID'd it and i trust you did a good job.
But are you sure they have been collected in North Peru then ? and anyone who could tell if they live in humid forests or more dry scrubland ?


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 17, 2010)

Hi Steven,

long time no see!!!

Yes, fortunaly I had the possibilty to examine the Scolopendra gigantea seen on the picture. It perfectly fits to the description after Attems as well as the neotyp description of Shelley. I am not sure, but I think I have seen some preserved specimen of Scolopendra gigantea from Peru in the ZSM collection, too - so I think, Shelley`s paper does not include all informations about the distribution of Scolopendra gigantea.

Just now, we will try to have a look if it is a male or female. Do you have some photos to compare???

greetings

chris


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## ZergFront (Oct 17, 2010)

Jeez, it's so big I would have thought it was a toy.


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## DELV55 (Oct 17, 2010)

How big do these guys come at? When you first get them in the mail?

How long are they expected to live?

I've been searching for these guys for half a decade or more!


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## DELV55 (Oct 17, 2010)

Just a confirmation so I dont order the wrong one or something, it's the one from reptkingdom right?


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## DELV55 (Oct 18, 2010)

GD!!

Sold out. Now my aggression is justified.


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## Canth (Oct 18, 2010)

ZergFront said:


> Jeez, it's so big I would have thought it was a toy.


That's what she said.

Sorry...I couldn't help it.

But congrats on the cool pede!!! I hope all of y'all who ordered one get what you ordered.


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## Quixtar (Oct 18, 2010)

DELV55 said:


> GD!!
> 
> Sold out. Now my aggression is justified.


How did you know they were sold out? I never got a response back from them after sending both an email and leaving a voice mail.


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## DELV55 (Oct 18, 2010)

Quixtar said:


> How did you know they were sold out? I never got a response back from them after sending both an email and leaving a voice mail.


Voice mail? You got their number?

I know cause I got a response.

It's probably for the best though since $200 would probably make my wallet commit suicide. But I'm sooooo tempted. I've waited for over 5 years or so.

Anyone have any idea when peru is gonna let us pull in more of their pedes? Man....

:wall::wall::wall::wall:


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## Quixtar (Oct 18, 2010)

DELV55 said:


> Voice mail? You got their number?
> 
> I know cause I got a response.
> 
> ...


I'm in the same boat man... been looking for these for about that long as well.

When did you email them? I sent one to reptkingdom as soon as I saw this thread on Thursday and never got a response. I found their phone number on their website and called them 2 or 3 times each day before finally leaving a voice mail.

Perhaps if they'd call or email back, I'd be able to find out what their source was.


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## J Morningstar (Oct 18, 2010)

I got no e-mail response either... and I hAd the money in hand, and I told them that.


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## DELV55 (Oct 18, 2010)

I think you musta overwhelmed him with your ecstatic, abundant messages. Try using another email and sending just one. If I get a reply back, I'll tell you. I'm guessing he has to deal with A LOT of people, this is a highly sought after pede.

I just emailed a few hours ago today.

Man, my gf is going to have a cow.

"It's me or ....that thing!"

"Hello, I want an answer any day now!"

lol... Man this is going to take some sleep out of me tonight, why can't I get hooked on 'normal' things like drugs and booze


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## J Morningstar (Oct 18, 2010)

because those would be available and conveient...


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## Quixtar (Oct 18, 2010)

DELV55 said:


> I think you musta overwhelmed him with your ecstatic, abundant messages. Try using another email and sending just one. If I get a reply back, I'll tell you. I'm guessing he has to deal with A LOT of people, this is a highly sought after pede.
> 
> I just emailed a few hours ago today.
> 
> ...


For the measure, I only sent *one* e-mail and then left *one* voicemail when I didn't get a response for 3 days. I don't think it takes a long time to reply to an email saying "yes they're available" or "no we're sold out" especially if they're committed to making a business out of this.

Even if this is a highly sought after pede, it is still only something a select few, even among pede hobbyists, would be interested in purchasing. It's not like tickets for a Lady GaGa concert or something...

Let me know if you hear back!


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## KyuZo (Oct 19, 2010)

would you guy still get some if they decide to boost up the price on us? like due to the high demand? 

i wouldn't support that kind of business if they decide the sell them for $250 or $300 a pop


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## DELV55 (Oct 19, 2010)

If I had the money maybe, but if it becomes like a bidding war, na.

I think I'm not going to get it anyway, in all honesty, reality kicks in and I really can't afford it and I don't think I'll be able to deal with it if something goes wrong.

Love the pede, but $200 can be used elsewhere for me, like supplies for school and transportation and all that stuff. Maybe a few years from now.

Major sobbing alert.

I even actually thought of buying the whole batch at $200 a pop and go around selling it for $300 each and make a profit, but that's just evil and wrong :evil:

Gn


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## KyuZo (Oct 19, 2010)

that's not wrong, that's how you invest and do business.  as long as you don't screw people over or ruin lives in the process, then you're straight. that's how all these dealers do it.  they buy them in at wholesale and resell them at the retail.



DELV55 said:


> I even actually thought of buying the whole batch at $200 a pop and go around selling it for $300 each and make a profit, but that's just evil and wrong :evil:
> 
> Gn


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## DELV55 (Oct 19, 2010)

KyuZo said:


> that's not wrong, that's how you invest and do business.  as long as you don't screw people over or ruin lives in the process, then you're straight. that's how all these dealers do it.  they buy them in at wholesale and resell them at the retail.


Yeah I was just playing it safe and acting innocent.

Well my thought is that I would have cheated a few of you guys out of the batch at $200 and I'm thinking a few of you guys will be sore seeing a classified here in the following days from me saying...now i want $300-400.

I think that sorta goes into the area of screwing someone over in a sense.


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

Is there Scolopendra gigantea in Peru? According to the Shelley paper, there is no Scolopendra gigantea population known in northern Peru, but....

after final examination of the imported peruvian specimen, I finally come to that conclusion:

The headplate has two longitudinal sutures...


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

antenna with 9-10 glabrous segments (9-12 is gigantea, 5 is galapagoensis)


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

coxopleural process with 7-8 spines (4-9 is gigantea, 9-12 galapagoensis)


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

3-4 apical spines on prefemurs of the locomotory legs (2-4 is gigantea, 4-5 is galapagoensis)


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

and finally: 4+4 big teeth (4+4 is gigantea, 3+3 is galapagoensis), basic sutures of coxosternal toothplates nearly 90 degress ankle, triangular coxosternal sutures...


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 23, 2010)

Beside the listed and documented characters, the description of Scolopendra gigantea perfectly fits to the imported peruvian specimen...       so here we are: Scolopendra gigantea !!!


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## micheldied (Oct 23, 2010)

:clap:
Nice work krabbelspinne. You really went all out to prove it's gigantea.:worship:

Anyways, you guys think 200 on a pede is a lot, but you should see how much I spend on fish.
I would get the pede as long as I had the money.


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## Steven (Oct 24, 2010)

Good work Christian !
now i'm also convinced (99,9% ) that these are Scolopendra gigantea and this makes it even more interesting to know from what kind of habitat these originate.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Oct 25, 2010)

Anybody have pictures of the ones recently sold in the USA? Are they believed to be from the same source as those in Germany and, if so, why?


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## Michiel (Oct 25, 2010)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> Anybody have pictures of the ones recently sold in the USA? Are they believed to be from the same source as those in Germany and, if so, why?



Probably because the Germans tap into the same sources as the Americans....I see a parallel with the import of scorpions. Some species from Peru turned up in the US and later the same species popped up in Germany. So it is plausible that these animals come from the same country (Peru) and maybe even the same exporter......


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## Elytra and Antenna (Oct 25, 2010)

Last time I heard of someone selling "gigantea" over here it turned out to be subspinipes and it was a reptile vendor rather than an invert vendor. This time they're 'juveniles' coming from some reptile vendor I've never heard of posting on a site that is completely down.


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## SAn (Oct 25, 2010)

Usually shipments that go to Europe from N.America make a short stop to US. At least thats something a dealer told me once, dont know if its true


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## KyuZo (Oct 25, 2010)

SAn said:


> Usually shipments that go to Europe from N.America make a short stop to US. At least thats something a dealer told me once, dont know if its true


did you mean S. America?


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## SAn (Oct 25, 2010)

erm, yeah


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi Steven, I don`t know the habitat of the peruvian gigantea but yesterday I read an interesting paper about Sc. gigantea weyhrauchi and its occurence....


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## Steven (Oct 27, 2010)

Hey Christian,
you mean the part that they live in rather dry scrublands without much vegetation ?


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## krabbelspinne (Oct 27, 2010)

rather dry seems to be understated..... isn`t it?


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## Steven (Nov 6, 2010)

krabbelspinne said:


> Do you have some photos to compare???


sorry it took so long,...
but here are some details of my _Scolopendra gigantea_ female,.. as you can see all features also match 
this one is from the coastline of Venezuela.


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## Steven (Nov 6, 2010)

And as you can see,... the "outer" appearance is quite different 







PS:
would you mind posting pictures of:
- the paramedial sutures of the sternites and a toothplate of a different specimen of those Peruvian ones (if possible a male?)
that could be very interesting to compare.


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## Canth (Nov 6, 2010)

Very informative pictures! I don't know if I'll ever have this species, but I enjoyed learning 

Thanks, Steven!


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