S. heros collection data base.

[Tanner Dzula]

kind of around kearny/cochranesqe area. We were heading through Pinal county to globe/san carlos area, and my buddy is a big fan of taking back roads/state routes and such and always prefers the less busy, more scenic routes then the direct highways when possible. i dont know the exact location myself, as he was driving and i was snoozing on and off. but when i awoke, i hopped on here, started reading your post and saw the locations and such, and we were kinda close to the gila river at the slightly higher elevations and mentioned that this looked like an area you were describing, and that was all my buddy had to hear to suggest going out tracking.

My buddy is big into Herping himself, and goes out on weekly/monthly trips around the state looking for rattlers and various geckos and such. he's not big into inverts, but he has a hell of a lot more experience out herping and looking for specimens and such, and the information you provided was all he really needed to help lead me around to the right spots. it was pretty late at night when we were driving through and i feel we got really lucky with what we found. we found a couple geckos and even a toad that he was pretty excited about as well, so all around it was a pretty fun little diversion from our rather boring overnight drive haha.

 

[DubiaW]

kind of around kearny/cochranesqe area. We were heading through Pinal county to globe/san carlos area, and my buddy is a big fan of taking back roads/state routes and such and always prefers the less busy, more scenic routes then the direct highways when possible. i dont know the exact location myself, as he was driving and i was snoozing on and off. but when i awoke, i hopped on here, started reading your post and saw the locations and such, and we were kinda close to the gila river at the slightly higher elevations and mentioned that this looked like an area you were describing, and that was all my buddy had to hear to suggest going out tracking.

My buddy is big into Herping himself, and goes out on weekly/monthly trips around the state looking for rattlers and various geckos and such. he's not big into inverts, but he has a hell of a lot more experience out herping and looking for specimens and such, and the information you provided was all he really needed to help lead me around to the right spots. it was pretty late at night when we were driving through and i feel we got really lucky with what we found. we found a couple geckos and even a toad that he was pretty excited about as well, so all around it was a pretty fun little diversion from our rather boring overnight drive haha.

Sounds like you guys did well. You saw two S. heros? Do you happen to remember the data? You can post it here on the database. Just copy my entry and adjust the info. For approximations just indicate that it is an approximation. You can use the satellite map elevation finder to determine the elevation if you remember the exact spot or approximate it if you know the general area. Those maps are kind of accurate. I can pick out areas that I know are ten meters in difference and it doesn't always work out that way on the map.....so it is kind of approximate within a few meters.

 

[DubiaW]

It's raining!

 

[Tanner Dzula]

Sounds like you guys did well. You saw two S. heros? Do you happen to remember the data? You can post it here on the database. Just copy my entry and adjust the info. For approximations just indicate that it is an approximation. You can use the satellite map elevation finder to determine the elevation if you remember the exact spot or approximate it if you know the general area. Those maps are kind of accurate. I can pick out areas that I know are ten meters in difference and it doesn't always work out that way on the map.....so it is kind of approximate within a few meters.

Yea, ill post what i can as far as information for you! i dont know many of the more technical terms for the geography or area, but ill describe what i can as accurately as i can! and ill use the satellite map to get a rough estimate of the altitude for you.


Apx 2300 hour, 4 Aug 2017
two S. heros arizonensis, one ~3 inches long underneath a Cluster of Rocks by what looks to be a Wash/old river bed
one ~4-5 inches, semi-out in the open by a large rock/boulder and a cluster of cacti, was eating some type of beatle but the looks of it, it took off before i could get very close and hid in the boulder/rock in a deep crevice. rock was on the edge of a small cliff overlooking the same wash as the other, but a good 500+ feet further on ahead.
Precipitation: Rain within the last day or 2 ( i believe the night of the 2nd iirc)
Temp: 84F (29C), [Daytime temp i dont know exactly]
Humidity: no idea on percentages, but notably humid in the area. id imagine around ~60%
Soil: Rocky in the area, moist packed earth with a lot of very small rocks, assumingly granite? not as fine as sand but definitely rocky.
Habitat: Sonoran desert mountains (i dont know how else to describe it, looks like anywhere else in the deserts around here, up in the smaller mountains)
Vegitation: Saguaros present, cholla, mesquite.
Elevation: Between 612.82 m / 2010.55 feet (908 m) an 749.31 m / 2458.36 feet approximately
Location: Pinal County Arizona, By the Gila River area to the East side of Pinal county.

 

[chanda]

Thank you so much for posting these observations! Finding and collecting a wild S. heros is at the top of my current wish list, so it really helps to have a better idea of what kind of conditions to look for! Keep up the good work!!!

 

[DubiaW]

Thank you so much for posting these observations! Finding and collecting a wild S. heros is at the top of my current wish list, so it really helps to have a better idea of what kind of conditions to look for! Keep up the good work!!!

Let me know if you are ever in Southern Arizona and I will act as your guide. I always enjoy meeting new peeps in the trade. If you are not familiar with the Sonoran Desert it is a good idea to have someone that is experienced with you or be extremely careful to stay close enough to your vehicle that you can see it.

The optimal trip is one where you enter a conducive area that has received a lot of rain. Sometimes this means chasing down storms and hiking during flash flood advisories. Safety has been foremost in my mind since people are using this database to look for heros in what adds up to dangerous environmental and habitat conditions if they are doing it right. I had an encounter with a javelina boar two nights ago that shook me up pretty bad. There is a story about it on the myriapod forum. I had sleep deprivation when I wrote it and haven't had the time to proof read it after last night's trip. I was thinking of all the safety hazards that new heros collectors would face in the Sonoran Desert and distracted flipping rocks when I encountered it. It had come into see what I was and -by my best guess- got disoriented by the light and almost fell off the cliff when it tried to bolt.

 

[DubiaW]

Apx 0030 hour, 18 August 2017
One S. heros arizonensis Tiger morph, (pling) apx 2 inch long (5 cm) found under a large boulder on a dry sand bar in a creek bed.
Precipitation: Ground still moist from rain a few days earlier.
Temp: Apx 65F (18C), [Daytime temp apx 89F(31.6C)]
Humidity: 25-35% estimation by feel.
Soil: Exposed soil dry, soil moist under some large rocks, rocky sandy soil, with limestone boulders.
Habitat: Transitional zone between Chihuahua Desert and the Chiricahua Sky Island Oak and Pine forest, foot hills, less than 15 m (50 ft) from running creek, riparian area.
Vegetation: Domestic grass, Mexican Blue Oak, mesquite, soaptree yucca, Sycamore, cedar, some pine, agave.
Elevation: 4745 ft (1446 m).
Location: Chiricahua Mts. Cochise County Arizona
Notes: Centipede collected. Tiger morph with red head with a small black spot!

Apx 0130 hour, 18 August 2017
One S. heros arizonensis (Tiger morph), (pling) apx 2 inch long (5 cm) found under a large boulder on the top of the side of a creek bed.
Precipitation: Ground still moist from rain a few days earlier.
Temp: Apx 65F (18C), [Daytime temp apx 89F (31.6C)]
Humidity: 25-35% estimation by feel.
Soil: Exposed soil dry, soil moist under some large rocks, rocky sandy soil, with limestone boulders.
Habitat: Transitional zone between Chihuahua Desert and the Chiricahua Sky Island Oak and Pine forest, foot hills, less than 30 m (100 ft) from running creek, riparian area.
Vegetation: Domestic grass, Mexican Blue Oak, mesquite, soaptree yucca, sycamore, cedar, some pine, agave.
Elevation: 4754 ft (1449 m).
Location:Chiricahua Mts. Cochise County Arizona
Notes: centipede not collected.

Apx 1000 hour, 18 August 2017
One S. heros arizonensis (Tiger morph), apx 7 inch long (18 cm) found under a large boulder apx 15 meters away from a running creek at the base of a mountain.
Precipitation: Rained the day before, cool cloudy day.
Temp: Daytime temp apx 75F (found in the day)
Humidity: 30-40% estimation by feel
Soil: Surface soil moist, deep soil also moist, all soil moist under rocks, rocky soil/with clay, decomposed limestone.
Habitat: Transitional zone between Chihuahua Desert and the Chiricahua Sky Island Oak and Pine forest, foot hills, less than 15 m (50 ft) from running creek, non-riparian.
Vegetation: Tall grass, Mexican Blue Oak, mesquite, soaptree yucca, manzanita, cedar, some pine, agave.
Elevation: 5386 ft (1642 m).
Location: Chiricahua Mts. Cochise County Arizona
Notes: Boulder was up against a decomposing agave (Photo of habitat below). Centipede was collected.



Me with my first adult Tiger morph S. heros!!

 

[Staehilomyces]

Fabulous pede! Looks a little like my E. rubripes. Look at those maxillipeds going to work on that lid though!

 

[DubiaW]

It's still in his catch container with some coco peat right now. This afternoon it will get rehomed in a secure acrylic display cage. Not sure if it should be housed like a desert centipede since it came from a more more moist area in an desert oak forest near running water. Got something in mind? I'm open to ideas.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Congratulations on that find man!

 

[DubiaW]

Thanks!

 

[LawnShrimp]

Wow! Nice catch. Never kept heros myself but I assume that one found near a wet area could use a little more misting than others.

 

[Greenjewls]

great thread, thank you. very beautiful "tiger" heros you got. one tip about feeding your plings; often when my heros won't eat bugs I feed them some "people food", eggs, chicken, or beef. They usually eat it. Best of luck with your upcoming sexing/breeding!
PS did you know "tiger" heros can be found as far north as Superior, AZ? perhaps even further, I'm not sure but the distribution is interesting.

 

[LawnShrimp]

I feed them some "people food", eggs, chicken, or beef. They usually eat it.

Yep, prekilled insects or slivers of raw meat make good pling food.

 

[DubiaW]

great thread, thank you. very beautiful "tiger" heros you got. one tip about feeding your plings; often when my heros won't eat bugs I feed them some "people food", eggs, chicken, or beef. They usually eat it. Best of luck with your upcoming sexing/breeding!
PS did you know "tiger" heros can be found as far north as Superior, AZ? perhaps even further, I'm not sure but the distribution is interesting.

I'm very near Superior AZ. I've been wondering if the tiger phase is found in riparian habitats and high woodlands. Everything that I have found in the desert has been the standard orange phase. In McMonigle's book he has a range map of texas that covers the different sub-species and phases. It shows the Banded form of S. h. heros being restricted to the Rio Grande and one mountain range east of the Rio Grande. I suspect the banded S. h. h. can also be found in the Guadalupe Mountains (The peak of which barely goes into Texas). This weekend I started to form a hypothesis that Banded S. h. arizonensis "Tiger Heros" have similar habitat restrictions. One post on a similar thread shows a tiger phase collected around Mt Lemon AZ. Being familiar with that area I can tell you that the vegetation and elevation is similar to Chiricahua Mt and there is enough moisture that there are running streams for at least part of the year. Superior has similar habitat and higher precipitation and I have been meaning to get up that way. I think I know exactly where to look now.

 

[Greenjewls]

well there are certainly lots of places to look and information is hard to come by. that's why i really love what you have done with this thread. personally I have found 5 or 6 heros on Mt Lemmon, all regular orange ones. a friend of mine collected one with stripes in or near Hayden, AZ. another friend of mine collected a striped one near Portal, AZ. I collected a striped specimen in the western Superstition Mountains in the saguaro zone. I know this information does not paint a picture. it has been suggested that orange and striped specimen can be found in the same are. for all I know it's possible to have different color morphs emerge from the same clutch of eggs. user Galapoheros would know more about that than I. I also want to make a distinction that the banded morph from SE AZ has more orange on the head/neck segments than striped heros from further north which have solid black head and neck segments like the normal orange morph. also the black bands are usually narrower which i refer to as stripes. anyways i am willing to share any information/photos i have.
PS i recently watched a YouTube video of a young man handling S. heros and it started eating his hand but did not envenom him. pretty interesting! it looked to be striped.

 

[Greenjewls]

PPS this young man mentioned in the video that he collected the centipede himself. he may have some interesting information. maybe try to reach out to him i think his username is anubis77 or something close

 

[DubiaW]

I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I read that it started eating his hand. That is why I love centipedes so much. They are challenging and always keep you on your toes. I have a taboo about handling venomous animals on video. It's not really a superstitious thing. It is just that trying to perform for video is distracting and therefore increases the probability of something going wrong. I don't want to be the guy that gets bitten on camera. It's not good PR for the hobby.

The first heros that I ever found was a long time ago in Patagonia before I was ever aware of the species. I distinctly remember finding a centipede with a black body and a red head and tail. The area is known for it's red body phase heros but different phases can be found outside of the ranges where they are normally dominant. It is rumored that black bodied centipedes can also be found in Chiricahua but I haven't seen a report on that yet. In the case of a black bodied morph showing up in S. h. arizonensis territory is it safe to call it a black phase S. h. a.? I'm not sure if the Banded morph is typical of Madrean habitats or riparian areas or if it is just typical in the area I was in. I love the southern AZ banded morph. The mostly read head is very beautiful. Which side of Mt. Lemon were you collecting on? You can PM me if you don't want to say on here. I don't usually post specific locations for the public.

 

[Atrox084]

I saw a VERY large specimen, 8"-9", on the road while herping on Vulture Mine Rd. near Wickenburg a few weeks ago. Can't remember the exact date, but guessing the last week of July/first week of August around 10pm immediately following an extremely heavy rainstorm (2.5"-3" of rain) with washes flowing and Sonoran Desert/Colorado river and Couch's spadefoot toads COVERING the road. The 'pede was very mudstained and looked wet. It was cool, too cool for snakes, somewhere in the 68-72 degree range. In fairly lush, rocky desert scrub at the base of the Vulture Mtns.. Typical low/mid Sonoran Desert flora, (Creosote, cholla, saguaro, Palo Verde) and fauna (C. atrox, scutulatus, cerastes, with pyrrhus and molossus, chuckwallas further in to the hills). If you are at all familiar with the foothills surrounding Tucson, it is a very similar habitat. I'm not especially well versed when it comes to 'pedes so I couldn't tell you what sex or phase it was. Straw colored body with black banding, black head. I have seen others, though, in similar conditions. The only reason that I will divulge the precise location here is because this is a very well known spot and if you are a herper in AZ you most likely already know about it. I've also seen them last season in August and Sept. in Santa Cruz county at the base of the Santa Ritas and the Rincons in Cochise/Pima county. Both under rocks between 9-11am on somewhat cool (for late summer in southern AZ), somewhat overcast mornings after a previous night's rain. Again, I am more of a reptile guy so I wasn't more detailed in my notes with these guys. I'll be sure to PM you in the future though when I do see them.

 

[DubiaW]

Apx 2100 hour, 3 September 2017
One S. heros arizonensis, apx 6 inch long (15 cm) crossing the dirt road 30 meters from a dry creek with standing pools of water.
Precipitation: Unk.
Temp: Temp 71°F(21.6°C),[Daytime temp apx 90F (31°C)]
Humidity: 30-40% estimation by feel
Soil: Surface soil dry, some soil moist under rocks near washes, rocky soil, limestone.
Habitat: Sky Island Oak and grassland mountainside, less than 30 meters from dry creek with standing pools of water in places.
Vegetation: Tall grass, Oak, mesquite, soaptree yucca, agave.
Elevation: 3893 ft (1187 m).
Location: Santa Cruz County, AZ.
Notes: Centipede was collected. Warning: The mountains of Santa Cruz County are right against the border of Mexico. Although they are much safer than they were 17 years ago it is still a drug and human trafficking passage. I was advised by the Border Patrol that college age women have been abducted and taken across the border in the area on occasion. They also advised me that the canyon I was planning on going to was an active drug mule passage. Talk to the Border Control agents and ask them where it is safe and tell them where you plan to go. They will help you. They hike that area for a living. Stay in well traveled areas and hike with a group if you plan to hike into isolated areas. If you are trained in firearms it is advisable to carry one when you are near the border. People do camp in the area all of the time. There are plenty of herpers and invert people. Usually drug mules and human traffickers will avoid you but you can still walk into an unfolding incident unexpected. Just use common sense when you are there.