# Staehilo's centipedes



## Staehilomyces (Feb 10, 2018)

Well, it seems I finally have enough pedes to make my own photo thread. Enjoy!

Dark Tiger form _Ethmostigmus rubripes_. These come from somewhere in Central Queensland, and are one of the largest _rubripes_ variants. The collector I got this one off finds ~20cm individuals with a degree of frequency.





Regular tiger rubripes feeding on a grape. I attempted interaction with this individual the "old" way, and now it's bitey as hell, so I can't handle it. I worked with another tiger (the one shown after this one) a different way, and it's fully calmed down now.






Tiger form rubripes #2. This one I worked with using the same method I used on my late S. morsitans, with excellent results. No handling pics as of yet.





Small green form _E. rubripes_.

Reactions: Like 10 | Love 2


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## LeFanDesBugs (Feb 11, 2018)

Nice! I'm waiting for the kurandas now


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 11, 2018)

LeFanDesBugs said:


> Nice! I'm waiting for the kurandas now


Definitely my favourite rubripes morph, I hear they get real big too


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 11, 2018)

Yeah, those Kurandas are amazing, it's just a pity they lose their blue coloration when they get big (though their mature green/aqua is still very nice). I'm just waiting for a response from the collector now. I may also get another dark tiger from him as well.


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 11, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Yeah, those Kurandas are amazing, it's just a pity they lose their blue coloration when they get big (though their mature green/aqua is still very nice). I'm just waiting for a response from the collector now. I may also get another dark tiger from him as well.


What's the collector's name? I'm really itching to get one but I don't know if minibeast wildlife is gonna have them soon, seems like it takes a while for them to get some of their stock

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 11, 2018)

His name is Geoff O'Connor. He collects/sells dark tiger, black, Kuranda, yellow-legged and green E. rubripes, in addition to the classic Aussie scorps and Ts (Urodacus, Selenotypus, Phlogius etc.). His FB page is called Intrinsic Enterprises. If you don't have FB, I can message you his phone number if you wish. Just know that he is often out collecting for days on end, so don't expect a prompt response.

As for Minibeast Wildlife, I don't think they know a good deal about breeding centipedes. I messaged them very recently, expressing interest in another rubripes variant (the nQLD blue-tip, see attached image), and they said they have several adults, but haven't paired anything yet. I also read their book, Bugs Alive. While it is an excellent book, a read of their section on centipedes showed that they don't know how to sex them, falling for the common misconception that you can tell from the terminal legs (this only works for morsitans).

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 11, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> His name is Geoff O'Connor. He collects/sells dark tiger, black, Kuranda, yellow-legged and green E. rubripes, in addition to the classic Aussie scorps and Ts (Urodacus, Selenotypus, Phlogius etc.). His FB page is called Intrinsic Enterprises. If you don't have FB, I can message you his phone number if you wish. Just know that he is often out collecting for days on end, so don't expect a prompt response.
> 
> As for Minibeast Wildlife, I don't think they know a good deal about breeding centipedes. I messaged them very recently, expressing interest in another rubripes variant (the nQLD blue-tip, see attached image), and they said they have several adults, but haven't paired anything yet. I also read their book, Bugs Alive. While it is an excellent book, a read of their section on centipedes showed that they don't know how to sex them, falling for the common misconception that you can tell from the terminal legs (this only works for morsitans).
> View attachment 266086


Thank you so much! You're a massive help man. And yeah, some of the stuff in bugs alive is wrong or outdated like how they recommend sponges in spider's water dishes. Otherwise it's a pretty good book


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 11, 2018)

No problem. Do you want me to send you his phone number?


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 11, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> No problem. Do you want me to send you his phone number?


I'll PM you if I need it, but for now I'm just trying to find his fb which is a bit of a pain


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 11, 2018)

Here, I'll save you the trouble: https://www.facebook.com/Intrinsicenterprises/

Reactions: Like 1


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 11, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Here, I'll save you the trouble: https://www.facebook.com/Intrinsicenterprises/


Thanks


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## LawnShrimp (Feb 11, 2018)

Beautiful 'pedes. Rubripes are far more polymorphic than I though when I first saw pictures of them; ditto on the Kurandas!


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 12, 2018)

LawnShrimp said:


> Beautiful 'pedes. Rubripes are far more polymorphic than I though when I first saw pictures of them...


That's probably because there isn't much on offer. I know few people breed pedes worldwide in general, but literally no one does it in Australia, save those that chance upon a WC gravid female. As such, the only rubripes variants that are available to most people are the green and tiger variants, as they're the most commonly encountered in the wild. You need to do a lot more probing to source anything else; simply browsing "for sale" ads and pet stores will only ever get you those two variants.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 12, 2018)

Good news: I've just found another guy selling Kurandas on FB! I've messaged him, and should hopefully have some news soon!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 13, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Good news: I've just found another guy selling Kurandas on FB! I've messaged him, and should hopefully have some news soon!


Do you know how many he has? I'd really love one of these, they're absolutely stunning


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 13, 2018)

Don't know. Just messaged him about it.


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 13, 2018)

Sorry to say that I just bought the biggest one, plus another 12cm individual. He still has a few left, at about 9-12cm.
To judge from the fact that one of my posts got a like from someone named Dennis Nedry, I presume you're in the Australian Centipedes FB group. In which case, it should be pretty easy to find his post.


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 13, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Sorry to say that I just bought the biggest one, plus another 12cm individual. He still has a few left, at about 9-12cm.
> To judge from the fact that one of my posts got a like from someone named Dennis Nedry, I presume you're in the Australian Centipedes FB group. In which case, it should be pretty easy to find his post.


Yeah, that was me. I should've checked the group again, is it the guy named Steve?


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 13, 2018)

Yep.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 14, 2018)

Saw your comment. Has he responded yet? Try messsaging him.


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 15, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Saw your comment. Has he responded yet? Try messsaging him.


Haven messaged him yet, haven't had time. I'll be able to soon


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 22, 2018)

One of my two new Kuranda _E. rubripes_. The other was very freshly molted upon arrival, and as it hid under a clump of sphagnum upon being introduced to the enclosure, I didn't photograph it as I did not want to disturb it.
I already handled one of them, albeit unintentionally, and while they seem very jumpy, I don't think they'll be too much of a problem to socialize.
These two are quite large - the bigger of the two is a little under 15cm BL, and the other one is quite close. Oh, and also, seeing photos _will not_ prepare you for seeing one of these in the flesh. They are simply stunning.

Reactions: Like 5


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 22, 2018)

I saw your video, absolutely stunning colours. I need to empty up some space before I get any more pedes, really kicking myself over not getting one


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 22, 2018)

Honestly, their colours in the video are nothing to how they look in real life. I'm sorry you were unable to get one - I'll let you know right away if I see them available again.
Here's another pic. It was taken on my phone, but is probably the photo closest to doing their colours justice.

Reactions: Like 3 | Love 2


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 22, 2018)

Just saying, pedes don't exactly take up much room. You might still be able to get some from him.


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## Rhysandfish (Feb 22, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Honestly, their colours in the video are nothing to how they look in real life. I'm sorry you were unable to get one - I'll let you know right away if I see them available again.
> Here's another pic. It was taken on my phone, but is probably the photo closest to doing their colours justice.
> View attachment 267245


That thing is amazing. Saw the video earlier but I didn’t expect them to be this pretty.


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## NYAN (Feb 22, 2018)

Wow, the legs are beautiful!


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 22, 2018)

I know, I honestly wasn't prepared for their colours. In the photos sent by the seller (will show them later), the pedes looked nice, but not too remarkable, and put me under the impression that only young Kuranda rubripes were blue. It was quite a shock to see that larger individuals still have the beautiful coloration.


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 23, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Just saying, pedes don't exactly take up much room. You might still be able to get some from him.


Yeah, same goes for the vast majority of inverts. But I'm running out of space as is and I need to get many of my animals into better enclosures, I get a lot of problems with mould and all sorts of stuff so I'd like to get everything under control before I get any more inverts. I'm also planning on getting either a monitor lizard or a conure so I'm gonna need as much space, money and time as I have for them

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 24, 2018)

Some more pics of my Kuranda rubripes. These do its colours some justice, but mark my words, they look a whole lot better in the flesh.



And here's a pic of one of my tiger form rubripes. This one is currently the only fully socialized and handleable centipede in my collection. I intend to start working with one of the Kurandas (the non-post-molt one) tomorrow.

Reactions: Like 1 | Love 1


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## LawnShrimp (Feb 24, 2018)

Wow. Those colors are amazing! I hope handling goes well... having such a beautiful centipede in hand must be quite an experience.


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 24, 2018)

It would be indeed. I'm so happy I've actually gotten the hang of the whole handling thing now. I'd hate not to be able to handle those Kurandas.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Feb 27, 2018)

My fully socialized tiger _E. rubripes_.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Mar 3, 2018)

Just in case you missed it, here is a feeding video of most of my current collection.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Staehilomyces (Mar 11, 2018)

Couple more pics, of Gurthang and the smaller of my two Kurandas:

Reactions: Like 2


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## Daniel Edwards (Mar 11, 2018)

Excellent pics! Question: are those mites a commensal species or parasitic? And sad news my  E. sp "Tiger" (african import) escaped in my bug room!!!


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## Staehilomyces (Mar 11, 2018)

I'm pretty sure they're commensal, but I've been trying to get rid of them either way, as they seem to irritate the pede. 
Shame that pede escaped, that was a pretty cool looking one. Stay alert, it might show up when you're least expecting it!


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## Staehilomyces (Mar 12, 2018)

Kuranda eating a grape:

Reactions: Like 3


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## Staehilomyces (Apr 21, 2018)

Haven't posted here in AGES! Time to start again!

Cairns locale E. rubripes eating a banana slice:

Reactions: Like 4


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## 7Fin (May 15, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Haven't posted here in AGES! Time to start again!
> 
> Cairns locale E. rubripes eating a banana slice:
> View attachment 273246
> ...


Wow, they are stunning! You seem to have more luck feeding fruit even with centipedes than I have had with my millipedes ;>w<


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## Staehilomyces (May 18, 2018)

Yeah haha, same here! My millipedes don't seem too partial to fruit either.


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## Staehilomyces (May 18, 2018)

Some more pede pics:

Kuranda rubripes (my remaining one) eating a grape.



Green rubripes doing nothing in particular.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Staehilomyces (Jun 24, 2018)

Green rubripes eating a pinky mouse:


Dark tiger rubripes, filled right up after taking a pinky.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Staehilomyces (Jun 30, 2018)

Here are some of my new additions:

I have several individuals of a form of _E. rubripes_ from Townsville. While they don't get as large as some of the other _rubripes_ variants (only ~150mm or so), they are extremely robust. They're fast becoming one of my favourite pedes, due to their stocky build, generally docile temperaments, and unquenchable appetites. 

This is stubby, the biggest. It's pushing 140mm body-length, but is almost as thick as Azog (who measures 170mm). Though it looks significantly darker in the pic, it's a similar colour to the regular tiger form. It also has a wholly black cephalic plate, which looks neat.



Here is another (you can see the true coloration on this one), which stuck its head under a rock when the camera came out, even though it had been sitting in the open all day before. I gave it a cricket, which it dragged into its lair. 





These two come from the same locale, and have the same build, but are more darkly coloured, especially toward the front.







Finally, here's a tiny blue-legged morsitans. It's a surprisingly voracious feeder for its size.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Staehilomyces (Jun 30, 2018)

And here's a wild _Cormocephalus brachycerus_.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ShaakTee (Jul 22, 2018)

What gorgeous pedes! Those Kurandas are gorgeous. I take it from the name they are from around the Kuranda region? Because if so, next time I am in Kuranda, I think I might have to go have a look.


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## Staehilomyces (Jul 23, 2018)

Sure are! And those aren't even true Kuranda rubripes. The true Kuranda tableland variant is apparently even more vibrant.


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## ShaakTee (Aug 10, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Sure are! And those aren't even true Kuranda rubripes. The true Kuranda tableland variant is apparently even more vibrant.


I'll be around Kuranda/Tablelands in October so I think a little exploring is in order!


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## Staehilomyces (Aug 10, 2018)

Good luck! Apparently, they're often found at higher elevations - lower down are other rubripes variants such as tigers and Cairns greens.


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## ShaakTee (Aug 10, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> Good luck! Apparently, they're often found at higher elevations - lower down are other rubripes variants such as tigers and Cairns greens.


Well I will definitely keep a look out!


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## Staehilomyces (Sep 16, 2018)

Handling my young Kuranda rubripes. To my current knowledge, this is a true Kuranda rubripes, with significantly deeper blue on the legs than the pedes I've called "Kuranda" earlier on this thread.

Reactions: Like 1


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## BB8 (Jan 20, 2019)

nice dude, my tiger sucked on apple for 12hrs straight lastnight after she downed 3 medium crickets.... what a pig eh? OHH that reminds me, i got slow mo video of the 3rd cricket beat down  i'll copy it off my phone. (crickets are hilarious in slow mo)


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## patrick nimbs (Dec 5, 2019)

Staehilomyces said:


> Sorry to say that I just bought the biggest one, plus another 12cm individual. He still has a few left, at about 9-12cm.
> To judge from the fact that one of my posts got a like from someone named Dennis Nedry, I presume you're in the Australian Centipedes FB group. In which case, it should be pretty easy to find his post.


I recently got a FB account! Can you please tell me how to get into the Australian Centipedes group so I could talk about my new rubripes and also about the life of my former and larger and older rubripes as well!! Your help will be much appreciated and taken to heart!!


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## Staehilomyces (Jun 24, 2020)

Some new pedes: 
Unbanded Scolopendra morsitans from inland Queensland:


Ethmostigmus rubripes from Silver Valley in North Queensland:

Reactions: Like 1


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## scolopendra277 (Jun 19, 2021)

Awesome pedes! They've got some pretty interesting names too!


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