Kentucky red cent

[finman31]

This is a species here in kentucky,all I know is it is referred to as "scolopendramorph".The pedelings look totally different.The first is almost full grown,the second is a crappy shot of a pedeling..any ideas of species? They breed really easy and are communal if kept in a large enough cage, and are quite often found together in the wild.This one is my buddies,these are set up at his house,and its the best his camera can do.I will post some of mine this weekend.

 

[finman31]

another shot....

with a penny, these get about another inch..

 

[cacoseraph]

those are so glossy!

ok, i have been reading some of the freely available online stuff
and this is neat, if a bit confusing and missing patches
Jui-Lung Chao thesis
mentioned in the centipede references sticky

specifically, check this out:

Scolopendromorph are divididedinto two families:
...Scolopendridae (ocelli ~simple eyes present)
...Cryptopidae (ocelli lacking)

Cryptopidae is divided into three sub-families
...Scolopocryptopinae (23 pairs of legs)
...Cryptopinae (21 POL, last legs "normal")
...Theatopsinae (21 POL, last legs "long and thin")

i'm pretty sure i count 23 leg pairs in this guy, and only Scolopocryptopinae have 23 POL. that is a frickin long name, by the way.

 

[finman31]

trying

I am going tommorow to look at digital cameras...I want to get a good shot of the "eyes"...they have them,but they aint very pronounced...they look like skin growed over the eyes...you can see the "eyeball" under the skin,plus the pedelings have eyes..

 

[cacoseraph]

I am going tommorow to look at digital cameras...I want to get a good shot of the "eyes"...they have them,but they aint very pronounced...they look like skin growed over the eyes...you can see the "eyeball" under the skin,plus the pedelings have eyes..

hmm
well, the "normal" centipedes have very clear beady black eyes

you know, that is really interesting that teh plings have eyes... it's like those flouder fish that lose or move their eyes.

also, when baby humans developin the womb they sort of go through the stages of evolution that came before our current form. evidence of gills early on, evidence of tail later...

perhaps the centipede babies developement mirrors that effect somehow?

i really don't know enough to know what's going on for sure... but i'm pretty sure if its 23 leg pairs it has to be Scolopocy,,,,etc

hopefully one of the big guys will comment, or we can eventually just ask Steven what he thinks

ok, here is what "official" ocelli look like:

Hi-Res
like, 98.5% (or more!) of the scolopendromorph centipedes in the pet trade have eyes like these.

the "blind" centipedes, like Scolopocryptops sexsp might have like vestigial eyes or nerve clusters, but that's just speculation

oh, check this out:
http://www.emporia.edu/ksn/v45n3-march1999/slideshow/pages/ggg_gif.htm

great picture of Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, which is what i think yours might be

there is one other Scolopocryptops species in Kentucky: S. nigridius
only pic of nigridius is a deader... but it's like most of your state centeipdes (cuz NC is by you... i guess...)
http://www.naturalsciences.org/research/inverts/centipedes/NC_scolopendromorphs.html