i need ID please!!

[rochin]

this sp was found in Baja California Mexico, The pictures were taken while transfering him/her to his new home. thanks in advance guys!! in one of the pics you can see my friend's hand for size comparison.... cheers!!

 

[Comatose]

It appears to be a scolopendra...any chance of getting a closer shot of the head with antennae included?

 

[peterbourbon]

Hi,

very interesting and good looking pede.
I guess it will be impossible to ID without detail pics.
Actually there are 13 possibilities of Scolopendra living in Mexico.

Of course i personally would exclude 4 or 5, but nevertheless there will be some species left.

Regards
Turgut

 

[rochin]

thanks for the replies guys, i tought it was going to be kind of easy to identify because in my very little experience with scolopendras, i noticed that the colors of this scolopendra sp. are very peculiar especially the black head

 

[nissan480]

FANTASTIC lookin pede you got there!!!

Take some better pics of this guy and lets see what we can figure out.Very curious to see what we have here.

 

[szappan]

WOW! Gorgeous! I've never seen one like that... My first guess would've been a sc. heros color variant, but I'm not sure if they're found that far west. Second guess would be sc. polymorpha, but they don't get that big. Both the species I've mentioned have ring furrows, as does this one... OK, I'm stumped...

I eagerly await the experts to chime in...

 

[ahas]

Now, that' s beauty! Love the black head.

Fred

 

[Steven]

I would also say Scolopendra polymorpha,
basing on the antennae segments,size and locality,....
and i seem to remember that this colorform allready has been posted here before :razz:



@Turgut,
Baja California is quite a specific place,
i wouldn't count on mainland Mexican specie

 

[peterbourbon]

I would also say Scolopendra polymorpha,
@Turgut,
Baja California is quite a specific place,
i wouldn't count on mainland Mexican specie

I hope you considered all the valid Scolopendra viridis-subspecies since viridis is closely related to Scolopendra polymorpha and was even considered as variety of same species in past?

The short/thin terminals and very robust body confuses me a little bit.
But maybe you are right.

Regards
Turgut

 

[Steven]

Hey Turgut,

I hope you considered all the valid Scolopendra viridis-subspecies

yes, that's also why i wrote this

Baja California is quite a specific place,

since it's the hotspot of Scolopendra viridis lagunensis


maybe i'm wrong (or just lazy, not checking any articles )
but isn't the difference between viridis and polymorpha based on the smooth antennae segments (beside other things)? :?
it made me decide "polymorpha" instead of "viridis"

 

[peterbourbon]

but isn't the difference between viridis and polymorpha based on the smooth antennae segments (beside other things)? :?

Yes, and the side thorn on prefemur (which consists of only 2 spines in viridis and mostly 4 up to 9 spines in polymorpha). But we can't look it up

I'm really not so sure if i see more than 7 naked antenna segments.
Interesting nerd discussion.

Regards
Turgut

 

[Steven]

I'm really not so sure if i see more than 7 naked antenna segments.

me neither,
but you have to trow in a guess to start a discussion, isn't it ?

Interesting nerd discussion.

hehehe, yes indeed

 

[Comatose]

May I join the discussion?

Yes, and the side thorn on prefemur (which consists of only 2 spines in viridis and mostly 4 up to 9 spines in polymorpha). But we can't look it up

My literature indicates tha viridis can have 8-15 ventral spines on the prefemur...am I misinformed?

I'm really not so sure if i see more than 7 naked antenna segments.
Interesting nerd discussion.

Regards
Turgut

I don't know if I qualify for nerd yet as I have to ask what naked segments are...may I settle for geek?

 

[peterbourbon]

May I join the discussion?
My literature indicates tha viridis can have 8-15 ventral spines on the prefemur...am I misinformed?

You are right, but...hm...if you compare the spines of Sc. polymorpha and Sc. viridis on terminal legs you get a little bit confused, because the descriptions differ and can't really be compared. I give you a concrete example:

Sc. viridis: 8-15 ventrally, 3-5 above-medially
Sc. polymorpha: ventral-laterally 8-10, ventraly-medially, medially and above-medially together with 7-13 spines.

You see: To have a clear comparison the description lacks comparable material...if we sum up, Sc. viridis should have 11-20 spines and Sc. polymorpha 15-23 spines on prefemur.

Now we could say if it has less than 15 spines, it's definitely Sc. virdis...and if it has more than 20 it is Sc. polymorpha.

Nevertheless: It's not uncommon that centipedes have some more or even lack spines on terminals - due to regeneration, molt and variation.

I guess you refer to
Shelley R.M. (2002) "A synopsis of the North American centipedes of the order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda)" Virginia Museum of Natural History Memoir.

I only have the document at home - what does it exactly say about terminal spines of polymorpha?

BTW.: I guess it would be much easier to have detail pics of antenna since it's not that complicated to photograph.

(Naked, glabrous antenna segments..or better "sparsely hirsute antenna segments" are the segments that lack (better: have not that dense) hair counted from head).


Regards
Turgut

 

[Comatose]

Ah; so naked would be analogous to smooth...understood.

I have actually not read the shelley article but will...I was referring to some older literature by Carl Sandefer; he was one of the first hobbiests in the US to work with pedes and certainly the first to write a hobby oriented book on them.

I totally agree with you on variations within species on terminal leg spines...I've always viewed that as a secondary identification method. The trouble for me is I've been intermittantly in and out of the hobby over the past few years and it seems like leaps and bounds have been made in the area of ID'ing. I'm going to need to go through some of these articles to bring myself up to speed...

 

[rochin]

some more pics hope they help.... thanks for all the replies

 

[Comatose]

My money is on viridis...I love how the black fades over the first five tergites.

 

[peterbourbon]

My money is on Steven!

Regards
Turgut

 

[Comatose]

My money is on Steven!

Regards
Turgut

Lol...he does tend to change the odds doesn't he...

 

[Galapoheros]

I really like the look of that one! I have one that is that big and with the same look and color, except the head is a rusty red, almost orange like the rest of the body. It leans towards polymorpha too but I'm not convinced yet, have to call them something though. But it could be another species that happens to have the same naked antennomere count as polys do. I think it needs more looking into by professional scientists if it hasn't been done already. What city was closest to the spot where you found it? That's pretty rad, I like it.