Staehilomyces
Arachnoprince
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2016
- Messages
- 1,514
I'm only asking this because it seems a popular idea that the claws of a vinegaroon are especially effective on centipedes. I recently watched a Monster Bug Wars episode where a vinegaroon killed a stripe-tailed centipede (Scolopocryptops melanostomus) of similar length. In the comments, there was heated debate about whether the vinegaroon would have been able to beat the much larger "desert centipede" (Ethmostigmus rubripes, the "tiger" variant) which featured earlier in the show and earned itself a lot of hate after killing a scorpion. Some didn't believe so, as E. rubripes is over 10 times the size of S. melanostomus, while others maintained that vinegaroons were well-known predators of centipedes, and would be able to prey on any centipede, even Scolopendra gigantea. I did not find a shred of info to support the latter proposition, save a video from one of those Japanese bug fights in which a Mastigoproctus giganteus killed a S. dehaani. However, as those fights are in extremely unnatural conditions, and centipedes in particular seem to care more about getting out of the box than fighting, I am still looking for more evidence. I'm not being a centipede fanboy here, though I will admit that they are my favourite inverts, but I simply cannot imagine a 7cm M. giganteus being able to withstrain and prey on a pede as large as an Ethmostigmus rubripes (which can get to 25cm), let alone a Gigantea. Does anyone know if vinegaroons are actually centipede specialists?