# Texas centipede ? ? ?



## Arachnokid 93 (May 29, 2007)

Hello all,

I just got back from a camping trip in the texas hill country and found a little centipede. But I do not know what kind it is. I am sorry but my camera is so bad all you will see is a large pale pixle. So I was wondering if you can give pics of baby centipedes native to texas. this centipede is about 1.5 inches. I think this centipede is eather a giand texas red head or a giand desert centipede so if you could start with baby pics of those two it would help me a lot. 
thanks for any help,
Arachnokid 93


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## Gsc (May 29, 2007)

You have a few choices...

Scolopendra heros castineceps (sorry about spelling)...even the babies are BLACK with yellow le\gs and a red head... can't mistake them.

There are alot of the Texas "tiger" centipedes in the hill country - Scolopendra polymorpha...they vary in coloration... do a google image search for "Scolopendra polymorpha"..

There is alot alot of what I call "stone centipedes"...small (ie less than 2") that are a unicolor reddish brown/orange...

MY guess from just your locality and size would probably be a Scolopendra polymorpha...even a bad picture could help ID your 'pede...  

I doubt that helped any....  good luck


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## cacoseraph (May 29, 2007)

there are actually a couple few species in TX that are tigerish. S. polymorpha, S. viridis, and Arthrorhabdus pygmaeus all can look somewhat similar


basic easy way to distinguish what order of centipede is to count legs

=15 pairs, all legs (except last pair) about same length = stone centipede = lithobiomorpha
= 15 pairs, legs get longer towards end of body = shield/common/house centipede
= 21 or 23 pairs = giant centipede = scolopendromorpha

>23 pairs = soil centipede = geophilomorpha



also, see if your cam has a macro/flower mode. also, try taking pics through various maginfying glasses. if you get good at it, it is surprising how helpful it is

oh yeah, TX giant centipedes
http://www.geocities.com/blight_child/centis/states/cent_TX.html


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## Arachnokid 93 (May 29, 2007)

When you say even the babies are BLACK with yellow legs and a red head. Do you mean that they are born with there adult colors ? If they are not at what size do they get there adult colors ?


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## Gsc (May 30, 2007)

I have found them alittle over an inch that were black with yellowlegs and a red head.  If yours isn't this color, it isn't a S.h. cast. ..... sorry bro.... They may hatch out lighter, but by the time they disperse from mom, they have adult coloration.... ask Galpaheros...He has had babies before and is raising up a bunch....  Did you do a google search for pics of Scolopendra polymorpha?


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## Galapoheros (May 30, 2007)

Yeah, S. polymorpha pretty common like gsc in thinking.  Could be others mentioned.  Were you around Uvalde when you found it?  Here's a pic of the S. polymorpha I see around central tx.  Between 2 and 3 inches is a common adult size for these guys around here.  Hey Caco, you have a pic of that Arthrorhabdus pygmaeus diddly?  I don't know if I've seen one of those.  I can't find a pic when I Google.  Well Arachno93, what's it look like?  At least that'd be something.  I wonder if it could be H. marginata?


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## Stylopidae (May 30, 2007)

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=93905


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## cacoseraph (May 30, 2007)

Galapoheros said:


> Yeah, S. polymorpha pretty common like gsc in thinking.  Could be others mentioned.  Were you around Uvalde when you found it?  Here's a pic of the S. polymorpha I see around central tx.  Between 2 and 3 inches is a common adult size for these guys around here.  Hey Caco, you have a pic of that Arthrorhabdus pygmaeus diddly?  I don't know if I've seen one of those.  I can't find a pic when I Google.  Well Arachno93, what's it look like?  At least that'd be something.  I wonder if it could be H. marginata?






Cheshire said:


> http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=93905



check out that thread gala. damn Arthrorhabdus look like tiger centipedes!  you can differentiate them by the way their head capsule abuts the next tergite. most other giants their is some overlap, but in arth they don't overlap AT ALL. well, i guess when the cent is moving they *could* overlap. ah hell, just check out the link and think of that overlapping thing. i think i am not being very clear again


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## Galapoheros (May 30, 2007)

Daahhh, man I'm getting Alzheimer's.  Yeah I saw that thread.  I remembered it right before I fell asleep last night.  If I've seen those, I might have mistaken it for H. marginata.


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## cricket54 (May 30, 2007)

I have a 4 inch to 5 inch centipede I found pretty quickly here at my new house in the high desert area of CA's Mohave Desert. It is young and turquoise with an orange head. neshan has e-mailed me thinking its a S.polymorpha. He is probably right. I don't know how to post pictures, and hoping my husband can do that for me from MS where he is working. Anyway, my daughter that lives here says she finds black centipedes in her house so its probably a S. polymorpha. He is real long and skinny. Also he is eating crickets for me. This is my first centipede, and probably a good one for my first. I just don't know how often to give him water. He is drinking water I dripped in for him on one side right now. it hasn't rained here in Morongo Valley for months. I'm near Yucca Valley, up the hills from 29 Palms Hwy.
Love this little centipede though. He is as fast as a Pokie tarantula, but has not showed any interest in biting me. crawls over my hand and sits with his back parts on it as he is exploring. Not too interested in holding him though as you do cacoa. I am sure he is big enough to bite, and I've been bitten by an OBT, P. murinus tarantula before that escaped.

Sharon


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