eyes of a scolopender

[karen anna]

I wonder if any of you could help me find out about eyes /sight of "my" scolopender? I live in the Spanish Canary islands off the coast of Morocco. I am currently writing a children's book and would like to inform my readers how the scolopender can see/find the cockroaches it catches.

 

[Canth]

Below is a link to a picture of the head of a centipede. The arrow labeled "B" is pointing to its eyes. I believe there are 4 of them.
http://www.scolopendra.info/anatomy/fig_1_head_plate.jpg

Another picture showing the eyes
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2186437121_2622f112bd.jpg?v=0

Hope this helps!

 

[dannyboypede]

Just want to clear up a few things:
It is not "Scolopender," it is "Scolopendra." (please don't publish anything using the incorrect spelling)

Here is a quote from Giant Centipedes; The Enthusiast's Handbook
"While some centipedes are completely blind and others (Scutigeromorpha) have advanced compound eyes, common species possess only four tiny ocelli on either side of the head. The presence of multiple ocelli is associated with limited ability to detect movement. They are nocturnal and use their antennae and legs to evaluate their environment and get along quite well without real sight. Scolopendra virtually ignore food animals until they come into contact with any part of the centipede, which only then attacks and coils around the prey." (McMonigle,7)

I hope this helps...

--Dan

 

[Ridoo]

Hi,

very nice Scolopendra valida!

The "eyes", a small cluster of ocelli, wich can only differentiate between bright and dark light. I read a paper some years ago, that centipedes don't prefer dark lights or rather shadow. I'll have to check up this paper again.

regards
René

 

[zonbonzovi]

Just want to clear up a few things:
It is not "Scolopender," it is "Scolopendra." (please don't publish anything using the incorrect spelling)

Skolopender is Danish(?) for centipede, I believe. Not sure where the OP is from, though?

 

[karen anna]

Thank you for your answers, pictures and correction in use of correct name. A final question: If the scolopendra just trots along hoping to accidentally bump into "food animal", a cockroach for example, how does that work? As I know the latter, they are very fast and have excellent detecting senses. (Please excuse my personalization of the scolopendra).
I had the idea of a hunter ...

 

[dannyboypede]

As most, if not all, inverts are opportunistic predators, they don't usually trot along, but rather wait for food to bump into them. Since they only really need to eat about once-twice a month it isn't much of a problem. Considering centipedes are some of the most effective and oldest predators on the planet, I would think this strategy works pretty well!

--Dan

 

[karen anna]

Thank you for your reply. I will contemplate on how to formulate this simply, but correctly. Cockroaches and centipedes are both very old species and probably "old enemies". I have already written about the cockroach and it's fabulous anatomy and detection-system, so I have a little explaining to do to my young readers. (Children are not stupid and often have very intelligent questions). Since both are night-active I would think the cockroach would detect centipede movement. Also it seems that centipede feet do not climb walls, but here I may be wrong. More questions are sure to pop up...