# Missouri centipede



## arrowhd (Oct 24, 2007)

I found this little guy while turning rocks at a relatives house.  It was found in Southwest Missouri around Shell Knob (Table Rock Lake).  Its only about 1 inch in size.  Best ID I could figure was Scolopocryptops sexspinosus.  What do you think?


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## Greg Pelka (Oct 24, 2007)

It's Lithobius sp. 
100% sure


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

well, i'm sure it's Lithobiomorpha, but i can't go farther than that. something like over 2000 sp there.

diagnostics breakdown like this, between the orders:

Scolopendromorpha - 21 or 23 walking legpairs. weak tergite heteronomy (tergites/bodysegments that are right next to each other are just about the same size)
Lithobiomorpha - 13 or 15 legpairs (it's one or the other, not both... just can't remember which =P ). strong tergite heteronomy.  you can see some body segments are very skinny and some are "normal". this is a speed adaption

Geophilomorpha - adults have > (>>) 23 walking legpairs. typically long and thin in shape.

Scutigeromorpha - adults have... crap... um... well, less than 21 legpairs. can't remember how many. good diagnostic is that this the only order that has a single spiracle (breathing hole) located in the top center of some of its body segments. the other three orders have pairs of spiracles located on the sides of their bodies. legs obviously increase in length moving from head to tailend.


Craterstigmomorpha (er, might have messed up spelling) is actually the fifth order... but only is AU & NZ part of world. is like right inbetween lithobio- and scolopendro-, though


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## REAL (Oct 24, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> well, i'm sure it's Lithobiomorpha, but i can't go farther than that. something like over 2000 sp there.
> 
> diagnostics breakdown like this, between the orders:
> 
> ...



:wall:  :wall:  :wall:


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

REAL said:


> :wall:  :wall:  :wall:


i don't understand?


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## REAL (Oct 24, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> i don't understand?


Just all that info is so overwhelming to me its crazy how u know all that. Thats why I can't ever be a scientist (a serious one that is), a lawyer, doctor, or an engineer.

Whats with Asian families always telling us that, damn...

Complicated stuff that requires alot of memory makes me depress thats why I suck at school...well I hate school mainly cause it doesn't seem to lead me anywhere.


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

REAL said:


> Just all that info is so overwhelming to me its crazy how u know all that. Thats why I can't ever be a scientist (a serious one that is), a lawyer, doctor, or an engineer.
> 
> Whats with Asian families always telling us that, damn...
> 
> Complicated stuff that requires alot of memory makes me depress thats why I suck at school...well I hate school mainly cause it doesn't seem to lead me anywhere.


ah

well... it's not like i just memorize random stuff.  er, i do... but not in this case. i found various centipedes in my local adventures and researched them. it made all that stuff up there more personal to me.  one sure way for me to get lost and frustrated is to bite off too big of a piece at one go.  and that is SOOO easy to do with bugstuff.  i mean... there are literally millions of SPECIES out there.  so i sort of try to find the stuff that is important to me and learn that pretty good.


plus, i've probably wrote and said that same little breakdown 20+ times now... and when you write something it uses slightly different parts of your brain than when you just read/hear it or even say it... and that helps with memory.  lol... pretty much what they told us in school. hehehe


that is part of why i like the giant centipedes... there are not *that* many species in the whole world and less than 30 in the USA.  much more reasonable than the stone centipedes (2000+ species in the world and hundreds in the USA)




one interesting point about stoners.... they can often times take about the same length of time to mature as the giants!  the cent pictures above is probably something like 3-5 years old!  think about that next time you are in the garden or flipping rocks... 20 large adults easily equals 100 years of ordered growth!

damn i love bugs!


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## arrowhd (Oct 24, 2007)

Excellent information.  Thank you for all the input.  After looking at this little guy more carefully, he does have 15 pairs of legs.  So, we do indeed have Lithobius sp. of some sort.

Cacoseraph, I referred to the information you have compiled on species of centipede found from state to state.  However, Lithobius is not listed.  I suppose there are just to many of them to list?


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

arrowhd said:


> Excellent information.  Thank you for all the input.  After looking at this little guy more carefully, he does have 15 pairs of legs.  So, we do indeed have Lithobius sp. of some sort.
> 
> Cacoseraph, I referred to the information you have compiled on species of centipede found from state to state.  However, Lithobius is not listed.  I suppose there are just to many of them to list?


way too many


and i didn't compile anything. i just digested Rowland Shelley's site. there is no way in hell i could do something that in depth. that was like, thousands of Shelley and other peoples hours of work. i think that part of my website took me about 25h to make, total.




also, andi know i am being an anal retentive stickler... but Lithobius refers to a specific genus of Lithobiomorpha centipedes.  the above specimen *could* be a Lithobius, but until conclusive id has been made it would probably be better to just call it a lithobiomorpha, stone centipede, garden centipede... or my personal fav... a stoner. hehehehehe 

/analretentiveness


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## REAL (Oct 24, 2007)

Lol Andrew, you look like one of those brilliant but eccentric closet scientists.

We all expect great things from you. Keep it up man!


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

REAL said:


> Lol Andrew, you look like one of those brilliant but eccentric closet scientists.
> 
> We all expect great things from you. Keep it up man!


lol. thanks dude!

i will do my best


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## arrowhd (Oct 24, 2007)

> and i didn't compile anything. i just digested Rowland Shelley's site. there is no way in hell i could do something that in depth.


Well in that case, I'll send my thanks to Rowland Shelley.lol

Oh and you are being anal retentive, but I get your point.


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## cacoseraph (Oct 24, 2007)

arrowhd said:


> Well in that case, I'll send my thanks to Rowland Shelley.lol


please do!  he posts on the ATS forum sometimes or can be reached at
mailto:rowland.shelley@ncmail.net
rowland.shelley@ncmail.net


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## arrowhd (Oct 25, 2007)

Will do. Thanks again.


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## Greg Pelka (Oct 26, 2007)

Ok Caco
Lithobius sp. or Lamyctes sp.


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