# Pacific N.W. Centipedes



## jaijjs (Nov 10, 2003)

Up here in the Northwest corner of the map, I have been collecting what I beleave to be two different species of Centipedes. I have been stumped as to the names of these. If anyone has any suggestions as to what they are, and any books that might help, I sure would be greatful. 
  The first one is  yellowish orange, the legs are lighter colored. They seem to max out at around 4.5" to 5". These are VERY fast.
  The second one is more redish in color. Again, the legs are lighter. They run on the smaller size 1.5" to 2" long. I must apoligize for not having a camera to post pictures.. Thanks for any and all info.. :?


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## Steven (Nov 10, 2003)

very hard to tell without any pictures,...
did you count the pair of leggs and the segments on their antenna?
are they scolopendradidae?
if so, some very wild guesses would be:

polymorpha?,viridis?,alternans?,


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## Bob (Nov 10, 2003)

I have dozens of these guys in my back yard in Oregon. The red ones at least, are Lithobius sp. with 15 pairs of legs. Very small, about 1 inch. Too cold for Scolopendra !!


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## Bob (Nov 10, 2003)

Are you in the dessert area of Washington state? Oregon has Polymorpha or maybe Viridis way south towards california. Maybe these are found in eastern Washington too ?


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## Steven (Nov 10, 2003)

> Too cold for Scolopendra !!


just to show you how well i know all the states of your enormous country =D  guess i only know 3 states or so


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## jaijjs (Nov 10, 2003)

We live west of Seattle on the Straits of Jaun de fuca. Across from Victoria, B.C. The one that Bob from Oregon mentions sounds like the smaller of the two. There sure is a need for more published datta on Centipedes. I'm going to see if a friend can take some pics so I can post here. Thanks for the info.


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## Bob (Nov 11, 2003)

>The first one is yellowish orange, the legs are lighter colored. They seem to max out at around 4.5" to 5". 

Cool....this one is odd in the cold climate area where you live.....new to me !! Did you see more than one?  I would like if you could post a photo!

Bob


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## jaijjs (Nov 11, 2003)

The larger ones I've found are mostly around old areas where they have logged in years past.  I have found them near the rivers as well as near the extreme high tide zone. Always under wood, never under rocks. The little one I've found almost everywhere.  Old growth timber, clear cuts, rivers, around wood piles.  The little ones are by far the most common. I would say that I've found 10-15 little ones to each of the larger ones.


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## Snipes (Dec 31, 2005)

Here are some pics of a centipede i just captured.


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## 324r350 (Jan 1, 2006)

jaijjs said:
			
		

> We live west of Seattle on the Straits of Jaun de fuca. Across from Victoria, B.C. The one that Bob from Oregon mentions sounds like the smaller of the two. There sure is a need for more published datta on Centipedes. I'm going to see if a friend can take some pics so I can post here. Thanks for the info.


my dad used to be the director of the king county department of corrections
i lived just outside seattle 10 years of my life in a town called Issaquah (Sammamish now i think)

and yeah, way too cold for scolopendras but certainly wet enough for any tropical species


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## cacoseraph (Jan 3, 2006)

Snipes said:
			
		

> Here are some pics of a centipede i just captured.


good work!


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## cacoseraph (Jan 3, 2006)

324r350 said:
			
		

> my dad used to be the director of the king county department of corrections
> i lived just outside seattle 10 years of my life in a town called Issaquah (Sammamish now i think)
> 
> and yeah, way too cold for scolopendras but certainly wet enough for any tropical species


WA state scolopendromorphae

two scolocryptops, one of which extends to ALASKA!

no scolopendra genus, though polymorpha *almost* extends to south east


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