# Found a centipede in NJ...it's not Lithobiomorpha



## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 18, 2010)

Is anyone here familiar with the centipedes of New Jersey?  I found a centipede that's about 2 inches or a little less, and I usually find those belonging to the order Lithobiomorpha, but the turgites on this fellow are absolutely nothing like the Lithobiomorphs I've seen!  It looks  like it may be a scolopendromorph....I'll get pics as soon as I can.


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## cacoseraph (Mar 18, 2010)

there are a number of Scolopendromorpha in your state... either 4 or 5 depending on exact ranges
http://cacoseraph.exofire.net/centis/states/cent_NJ.php
you might need to try that link a few times. my hoster kinda sucks :/


they are all eyeless, first of all.  to figure out what you got you need to first count the number of leg pairs:

23 = Scolopocryptops sp.

21 = look at terminal legs... are they fat or skinny?



fat = Theatops sp.
skinny = Cryptops sp.



Scolopocryptops and Cryptops both potentially have two species in your range. i have to get my centipede book to remember how to tell them apart.




p.s. if you have anything but Scolopocryptops and get sick of keeping the little guy i would be happy to try to trade or buy it off of you.  i have always wanted to do a big breeding project with native USA centipedes 





edit:
oh... and congrats


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 18, 2010)

21 pairs, skinny terminal legs.  _Cryptops_ which is cool because I don't think they really occur down here often...according to the key 

EDIT: HOLY EXPLETIVES BATMAN!  I think I miscounted...it might be Scolopocryptops....yup....23 pairs....no money for scotty now  lol jk i enjoy pedes so even if it wasn't Scolopocryptops I would have kept it anyway

And looking at the ranges...I believe it's sexspinosus


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## cacoseraph (Mar 18, 2010)

well, i'm happy for you and sad for me, then =P



keep it like you would a more moist centipede.  if you have never have kept "giant" centipedes let me know and i can point you toward a care sheet or two.  i was going to link it but my internet connection said no way


http://cacoseraph.exofire.net/centis/S_subspinipes_x.php
victory at last!

obviously not that species... but my theory is that most centipedes fall into two care camps.... subspinipes and polymorpha.  these would be what i would keep like cooler temperature subspinipes


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## cacoseraph (Mar 19, 2010)

also, by all rights these should be REALLY easy to breed.  the babies could be really hard to move... but i could almost guarantee at least some scabies would be interested in a few each and probably have really random kinda cool stuff to trade


the real point being... i would be happy to do a write up on catching Scolopo's.  i would guesstimate i have seen 200+ in the wild, doing my bug thing over these last 7 years or so.  Very easily i could have seen 300, even.  If you know where to look you could find enough to do a very respectable breeding pool.  With this kind of centipede i would guesstimate the egg count at ~40-80+. I saw a female on at least 50-60 one time.  You could probably get a good 75% of whatever eggs make it to hatching  up to ~1.5" in maybe 18-24 months... and by then you would have enough notes to make a pretty darn good care sheet.  then it's FST time 

if you just keep a thread going on here with what you are doing i would be happy to help turn it into a pretty good care sheet, too.  i have kept these before, but not through all the stages and never got babies and stuff, as far as i can remember.  I am trying to get my local bug group going on breeding some local centipede species, too


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 19, 2010)

Well right now I simply have it in a jar with a moist crumpled up tissue.  Come sunday I should be able to get a nicer setup for him....my coco fiber is back at school (on spring break now).

I planned just keeping him on damp coco fiber with a water dish and a hide.

I assume flipping rocks would be the best way to find them?  I honestly just found this guy sitting on my porch one night!  I picked him up with my bare hands and he didn't bite!


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## cacoseraph (Mar 20, 2010)

yeah, flipping is how i find them


a good % of the ones i just grab don't bite me. some do, though.  the last one t bite me was ~3"BL and actually made me bleed


the coco setup you describe sounds perfect.  i would be surprised if your little dude spends a lot of time coiled up under the little water dish


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