Blue Legged Centipede - Scolopendra sp. vs Ethmostigmus trigonopodus

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Gel

Arachnoknight
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While browsing the internet I've come across two references of Blue Legged Centipede, one being a Scolopendra sp. and another being Ethmostigmus trigonopodus.

I am confused as to whether they are actually one in the same and misidentified or separate and if separate how to identify the differences.

Thank you
 
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Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
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I don't completely ignore common names for "leads" on an ID, but when it comes down to accurate IDing, it's a good idea to completely ignore common names. Take the common name "snapping turtle" for example. I've met people that will call any turtle that opens it's mouth a "snapping turtle". So "Blue Legged Centipede" could mean any centipede that has blue legs, or a little blue on the legs, or a tiny bit of blue on one leg, or no blue on it at all if it's a color variation with no blue on the legs ..lol.
 
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Gel

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Galapoheros said:
I don't completely ignore common names for "leads" on an ID, but when it comes down to accurate IDing, it's a good idea to completely ignore common names. Take the common name "snapping turtle" for example. I've met people that will call any turtle that opens it's mouth a "snapping turtle". So "Blue Legged Centipede" could mean any centipede that has blue legs, or a little blue on the legs, or a tiny bit of blue on one leg, or no blue on it at all if it's a color variation with no blue on the legs ..lol.
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Thank you,

I am aware that you should avoid using common names when ID'ing however for one of them "Scolopendra sp." is all I have to go by.

I should add that both the pedes I am referring to occur in Tanzania and both are also referred to as "Tanzanian Blue Legged Centipede."
 
zonbonzovi

zonbonzovi

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Hard to say with out a view of the spiracles...Ethmostigmus has them on segment 7 & 8. I know there were imports of what was thought to be an outsized ET but I don't remember if they were IDed as such. Maybe someone that bought a couple will chime in. I think that the label attached to the photo from petbugs .jpeg is either speculative or just underinformed.
 
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Gel

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zonbonzovi said:
Hard to say with out a view of the spiracles...Ethmostigmus has them on segment 7 & 8. I know there were imports of what was thought to be an outsized ET but I don't remember if they were IDed as such. Maybe someone that bought a couple will chime in. I think that the label attached to the photo from petbugs .jpeg is either speculative or just underinformed.
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Thank you,

That is my impression as well from what I gather. Seems it is just a matter of misidentification. I don't think there is a Tanzanian Blue Legged Centipede Scolopendra sp. and a Tanzanian BLue Legged Centipede Ethmostigmus sp. that just happen to be almost identical. I think they are all Ethmostigmus and are just being mislabeled. This is just speculation on my part as well.

Are these rare to hobby?
 
zonbonzovi

zonbonzovi

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Gel said:
Thank you,

That is my impression as well from what I gather. Seems it is just a matter of misidentification. I don't think there is a Tanzanian Blue Legged Centipede Scolopendra sp. and a Tanzanian BLue Legged Centipede Ethmostigmus sp. that just happen to be almost identical. I think they are all Ethmostigmus and are just being mislabeled. This is just speculation on my part as well.

Are these rare to hobby?
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There is a Cormocephalus species from Australia that could be confused via photographic similarity. There's a possibility that the coloration exists in Africa but size isn't comparable.

Ethmostigmus isn't all that rare in Tanzanian imports but since very few even attempt to breed the WC animals that come in their availability is dependent on imports. Great species...wish I still had some.
 
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Gel

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zonbonzovi said:
There is a Cormocephalus species from Australia that could be confused via photographic similarity. There's a possibility that the coloration exists in Africa but size isn't comparable.

Ethmostigmus isn't all that rare in Tanzanian imports but since very few even attempt to breed the WC animals that come in their availability is dependent on imports. Great species...wish I still had some.
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Thank you,

The Cormocephalus sp. is smaller in size than the Ethmostigmus trigonopodus?
 
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Insektzuchen

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I'm not an expert on centipedes but the Tanzanian Blue-ring Legged Centipede (Ethmostigmus trigonopodus) and the Tanzanian Blue Legged Centipede (Scolopendra sp.) are two distinct species. The Blue-ring has a dark greenish brown body with blue rings or stripes on its legs, grows about 4-6", is a generally docile, tropical species which is commonly found in the U.S. pet trade. On the other hand, the Blue Leg has an electric blue coloration with solid blue legs, grows to about 9" with a wide girth, is an aggressive species which can never be handled. It inhabits the savannah and does not make a good display animal due to its habit of burying itself in the substrate for weeks at a time. For this reason, it is rarely if ever encountered in the U.S. hobby notwithstanding its remarkably, beautiful electric blue coloration. However, a few weeks ago, Ken Foose of ExoticPetsLV.com had one listed for sale on this and other forums.
 
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Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
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Then imo the odds are that it's going to be Ethmostigmus trigonopodus if it says "Tanzanian" in front of it. The last I heard, the larger solid blue legged E. trig further east in Africa is just a larger version of E. trig with solid blue legs, but I've never been able to find much info about it. I looked around pretty hard too but that was a while back, maybe there is new info posted on the net since then.
 
zonbonzovi

zonbonzovi

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^That was my impression, too.

Here's a solid blue leg ET(Madagascar? I wasn't aware that they were present there?): http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...hmostigmus-trigonopodus-quot-Madagascar-quot& Steven also mentions in that thread having a "true blue leg" but I couldn't find a photo and there is no mention of genus. This was also during the time of confusion on "neon blue legs/mirabilis" blah, blah, blah.

The ET's that I've had were quite variable...brown tergites, "cornflower" blue tergites, a mix of the two, legs w/ bright blue/yellow stripes, subdued blues & whites...but they all had the tell-tale spiracle pattern.

I would love to see this beast if it's out there. A large, blue, thick-bodied Scolopendrid with an anger management problem? Sign me up! Maybe someone has a pic with the those particular segments included?
 
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Gel

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Thanks everyone for your great posts. Keep them coming.
 
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Insektzuchen

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If you're really interested, there are several pictures of the Tanzanian Blue Leg Centipede (Scolopendra spp.) on tarantulaspiders.com's photo gallery but I think TG is referring to it as the Tanzanian Giant Blue Leg or something or other. Also if you do a search on this site for "Tanzanian Electric Blue Leg Centipede" a thread comes up wherein they're discussing it. The true Blue Leg and the E. trigonopodus are too dissimilar to be the same animal (coloring, length, girth, temperament, habit of staying buried for weeks, etc.). When you see one in person you'll know why they call it "electric blue."
 
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Gel

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I just want to clarify, the caresheet information on on petbugs.com (in correlation with my picture posting) for the Tanzanian Blue Leg Centipede (Scolopendra sp.) seems to be accurate and coincides with the information on this species posted by Insektzuchen.

Just want to give credit where credit is due.
 
zonbonzovi

zonbonzovi

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Insektzuchen, do you have a link for the photo? I could only find the presumed ET from the Congo.
 
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