# Largest Centipede?



## Geography Guy (Jun 29, 2006)

I have heard of 3 centipedes being the largest in the world. One I can't remember but it started with a V. Something like Virdicorins? Then the gigantea and the galapagoes one. What is actually the largest in th world?

Cheers,


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## KennyGee (Jun 29, 2006)

http://www.gedcasserley.saddleworth.net/html/hercules_centipede.html 

    Heres something i found


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## Scorp guy (Jun 29, 2006)

lol, that guy kinda overexagerates with it lol.


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## CopperInMyVeins (Jun 29, 2006)

Which is really the largest is still kind of up in the air, since there have been giants reported with all three species, the amount of intraspecific variations among centipedes doesn't make things any easier.  There could easily still be several undiscovered giant species as well, due to the secretive nature of centipedes, and the limited amount of serious research that's been done.  S. gigantea, S. viridicornis, and S. galapagoensis are all huge, that's for sure.


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## Geography Guy (Jun 29, 2006)

Does anyone have or know where I can see a pic of the Virdicorins?

Cheers


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## ShadowSpectrum (Jun 29, 2006)

Geography Guy said:
			
		

> Does anyone have or know where I can see a pic of the Virdicorins?
> 
> Cheers


http://markmlucas.com/images/invertabrates/amazon giant 1.jpg


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## Geography Guy (Jun 29, 2006)

ShadowSpectrum said:
			
		

> http://markmlucas.com/images/invertabrates/amazon giant 1.jpg



It's all black? I thought it had stripes? Ok does anyone know where I can get one?

Cheers,


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## Scorp guy (Jun 29, 2006)

http://markmlucas.com/images/invertabrates/amazon%20giant%201.jpg


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## Scorp guy (Jun 29, 2006)

argh! he beat me!


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## KennyGee (Jun 29, 2006)

Holy hell that guy is freakin huge :drool:


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## Scorp guy (Jun 29, 2006)

http://www.painetworks.com/photos/hq/hq0676.JPG

try that


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## Geography Guy (Jun 29, 2006)

Scorp_Lver said:
			
		

> http://www.painetworks.com/photos/hq/hq0676.JPG
> 
> try that



That's the one I seen but the stripes remind me of the Chinese Tiger leg Centipede?

http://www.zoocon.com/Herps/Inverts/Scolopendra_sp_Tiger_Leg_01.jpg

Cheers,


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## Geography Guy (Jun 29, 2006)

Geography Guy said:
			
		

> That's the one I seen but the stripes remind me of the Chinese Tiger leg Centipede?
> 
> http://www.zoocon.com/Herps/Inverts/Scolopendra_sp_Tiger_Leg_01.jpg
> 
> Cheers,


I think they look almost the same. 
http://www.painetworks.com/photos/hq/hq0676.JPG
http://www.zoocon.com/Herps/Inverts/...ger_Leg_01.jpg


Cheers,


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## KennyGee (Jun 29, 2006)

Man i need to get a centipede all i got is a centipede that i cant id and there everywere.


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## Scorp guy (Jun 29, 2006)

Viridicoris, and galapogoenesis, i get the two mixed up a lot.


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## Tleilaxu (Jun 29, 2006)

So where can you get them? Especial that black one the guy was holding.:drool:


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## Steven (Jun 30, 2006)

Sc.viridicornis isn't that big actually,...
i would say Scolopendra alternans + Sc.subspinipes dehaani can get even bigger !
Sc.angulata, Sc.heros, etc. also belong to the "larger" spec.



> Viridicoris, and galapogoenesis, i get the two mixed up a lot.


try the search button  
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=67454&highlight=viridicornis


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## CopperInMyVeins (Jun 30, 2006)

Steven, since you have the keys, can you tell me what the antenna segment count on Scolopendra galapagoensis is?  Is it 19 by any chance?


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## Steven (Jun 30, 2006)

CopperInMyVeins said:
			
		

> Steven, since you have the keys, can you tell me what the antenna segment count on Scolopendra galapagoensis is?  Is it 19 by any chance?


don't have the keys are at the office,... will look it up for ya and post them this weekend,... promise ! 

PS: total antennae segment count isn't that reliable as they can loose some when they get stuck etc...
amount of smooth basil antennea segments is more accurate tmo.


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## Randolph XX() (Jun 30, 2006)

just curious
what's the point of getting the id keys even u don't have the speciment?
BTW
Can u post some pics of Sc.angulata?
i've seen several pics under the name, but seem to be haitian alternans IMO


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## CopperInMyVeins (Jun 30, 2006)

Steven said:
			
		

> don't have the keys are at the office,... will look it up for ya and post them this weekend,... promise !
> 
> PS: total antennae segment count isn't that reliable as they can loose some when they get stuck etc...
> amount of smooth basil antennea segments is more accurate tmo.


Yeah, I was thinking that, but since gigantea and virdicornis both have 17 total, and no more, something having 19 would have to be something else, unless extra segments can be added when they regenerate.  Also, there is some amount of variation in the number of smooth basal segments, and total segments, even among the same species.  Knowing the number would just make it easier to rule certain species out.


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## Tarantula (Jun 30, 2006)

Scolopendra gigantea






These are said to be the largest one.. but there is some rumors (that is very hard to belive) that S. galapagoensis can reach 25".


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## 236260 (Jun 30, 2006)

Twenty-five inches?! Wouldn't that be a find? Imagine how thick that would be. I swear, if the reports were reliable, I'd go hunt for one myself.


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## crashergs (Jun 30, 2006)

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2005/august/news_6293.html

whats the difference between

scolopendra gigantea 

and

scolopendra gigantea robusta

?


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## 236260 (Jun 30, 2006)

The article says it should live for decades.

Perhaps, he should leave it to his grandchildren.


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## Steven (Jul 1, 2006)

CopperInMyVeins said:
			
		

> Steven, since you have the keys, can you tell me what the antenna segment count on Scolopendra galapagoensis is?  Is it 19 by any chance?


_Scolopendra galapagoensis:_
17 antennomeres *
first 4-7 antennomeres sparsely hirsute. **
mostly 4 or 5 *



references:
*_Attems, C. G. von, 1930. Myriapoda 2. Scolopendromorpha. Das Tierreich, 54: 1-308_
**_Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889 (Chilopoda Scolopendromorpha Scolopendridae) - R.M. SHELLEY 1 and S.B. KISER 2 - Tropical Zoology 13: 159-170, 2000_


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## Stylopidae (Jul 1, 2006)

236260 said:
			
		

> Twenty-five inches?! Wouldn't that be a find? Imagine how thick that would be. I swear, if the reports were reliable, I'd go hunt for one myself.


About two inches or so

Three maybe?

Massive pede, that's for sure


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## Mister Internet (Jul 3, 2006)

crashergs said:
			
		

> whats the difference between
> 
> scolopendra gigantea
> 
> ...


The difference is that one is a genuine, scientifically-described species, and the second is a made-up, non-scientific name that a hobbyist once gave to a species of what he assumed was _gigantea_ that simply looked another species that he though was a _S. robusta_... people assumed that the hobbyist was all but a centipede God because he printed a book on the subject, and the name has been (mis)used ever since.  _Scolopendra gigantea robusta_ is not a valid species name, has never been a valid species name, and should not be used as a species name designation.  The best one could hope to do and still remain legitimate is _Scolopendra "gigantea robusta"_, as there's not really been any proof that the red/yellow giant specimens are in fact gigantea at all...

Of course, if all you want is to sell it for a quick profit, why worry about the name?


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## crashergs (Jul 4, 2006)

mister internet, you still on that whole selling factor? 
i wouldnt worry about it, not like you would see a penny from the sellers profits.

by the way, ive been hearing about them only naming that type of species gigantea, so how are they going to name the reddish white legged species from the yellow legs?


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## Thoth (Jul 4, 2006)

Here's a pic of Sc.gigantea from an OLD ad in For Sale section.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=562216&postcount=1


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## Mister Internet (Jul 4, 2006)

crashergs said:
			
		

> mister internet, you still on that whole selling factor?
> i wouldnt worry about it, not like you would see a penny from the sellers profits.


Let's just say the true hobbyists in this forum will have trouble taking you seriously for a while. We've seen more wanna be dealers burn out than I could possibly recall.


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## Steven (Jul 4, 2006)

Mister Internet said:
			
		

> The best one could hope to do and still remain legitimate is _Scolopendra "gigantea robusta"_, as there's not really been any proof that the red/yellow giant specimens are in fact gigantea at all...


The red yellow giants are tmo surely no gigantea,
for those who _really_ are interested in ID-ying South American scolopendrids, keep your eyes open for the publication of R.Shelley on Central and South American scolopendrids to be published by ZooTaxa,... coming in august or september. ! Guess the "gigantea robusta" will surely be in their with his proper name. 



> so how are they going to name the reddish white legged species from the yellow legs?


mmmm,.. can ya direct me to a picture ? :?


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## Spiderface (Jul 4, 2006)

cool i can't wait to read it


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## 236260 (Jul 4, 2006)

I hope there is an announcement of the availability of the publication once it is released.


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## 8ball (Jul 5, 2006)

Damn that hercules centipede's big, I have a T blondi and a 23 foot Anaconda both from the amazon, and now I hear about this centipede it seem's like everything in the amazon's supersized lol.


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