Plz respond asap!

[Greenjewls]

The fact that their jaws are hard enough to eat it right after the molt, even though the exuvia is soft, supports they evolved to eat it for some reason. There are also centipede eating snakes in some areas. So it may also keep it's scent down at lower levels if they eat it, helping it stay hidden from predators.

Very good points. Also, do you think many of the hitchhiking mites are eliminated before they can get off the shed skin and back onto the centipede?

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Very good points. Also, do you think many of the hitchhiking mites are eliminated before they can get off the shed skin and back onto the centipede?

Unfortunately the mites are more likely to get an easy path up the mouthpards than to be consumed.
There doesn't have to be a reason for everything.
However, a guess based on species that do and do not eat their molts across the arthropod spectrum would be they risk nothing by eating the molt. Arthropods that molt out in the open such as house centipedes risk more by sticking around and being discovered than the meager reward of a trace of minor nutrients. Of course there are exceptions.

---------- Post added 08-03-2012 at 01:27 PM ----------

The fact that their jaws are hard enough to eat it right after the molt, even though the exuvia is soft, supports they evolved to eat it for some reason.

No, it doesn't. The 'fact' would only support your theory if you had evidence that any species does not eat the molt only because it has softer mandibles. There's no reason to believe house centipedes have softer mouthparts. Beetles have much harder mouthparts following a molt than centipedes and they do not eat the final instar or pupal exuvium. Many crustaceans have softer mouthparts but they molt in secret and simply wait till the mouthparts harden to eat the exuvium.

 

[Galapoheros]

Unfortunately the mites are more likely to get an easy path up the mouthpards than to be consumed.
There doesn't have to be a reason for everything.
However, a guess based on species that do and do not eat their molts across the arthropod spectrum would be they risk nothing by eating the molt. Arthropods that molt out in the open such as house centipedes risk more by sticking around and being discovered than the meager reward of a trace of minor nutrients. Of course there are exceptions.

---------- Post added 08-03-2012 at 01:27 PM ----------

No, it doesn't. The 'fact' would only support your theory if you had evidence that any species does not eat the molt only because it has softer mandibles. There's no reason to believe house centipedes have softer mouthparts. Beetles have much harder mouthparts following a molt than centipedes and they do not eat the final instar or pupal exuvium. Many crustaceans have softer mouthparts but they molt in secret and simply wait till the mouthparts harden to eat the exuvium.

Yeah a study would have to compare the hardness of mandibles compared to other arthropods right after a molt, that'd be interesting. But how do you know beetles have harder mouth parts right after a molt than centipedes do? I wonder if anybody has ever looked into this kind of thing.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Most of the beetles I keep have fully or mostly sclerotized mandibles prior to eclosion signified by coloration. Color is not a perfect indicator of much but it does tend to be reliable in indicating the hardness of the exoskeleton when the final coloration is black or dark. This is much harder to see on centipedes because of their cryptic molting pattern and the small size of the mouthparts.

 

[Metasolpuga]

It would definitely be safer to leave the molt to the centipede. From what I've read the molt is consumed as to provide the centipede with a quick meal before its exoskeleton hardens. They are very cool to look at for sure!