Scolopendra galapagoensis

[Steven]

couldn't find the topic either, just the picture

 

[C_Strike]

Christ thats OOGE, lol
stunning pede too!

 

[Megaloblatta]

So what is the body length of the longest reliably measured Scolopendra? I don't mean just hearsay, I mean a photograph of a specimen alongside a tape measure, information from a reliable publication etc. I have been trying to find this info. for some time, without much luck so far!

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Scolopendra gigantea (Attems & Bucherl) 265mm -10.4"

Sandefer lists 12" AND 250mm (I don't know if the 2 is a typo or error but 250mm is less than 10"). People with 14" S.subspinipes are apparently including legs and antennae and then adding a few inches.

Keep in mind 10.4" is an incredible monster far more impressive than that little guy on the stick.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

BTW: that pic reminds me of the camel spiders in iraq that the soldiers say are a foot across (actually maybe 4") and there's at least one photo where they hold the animal close to the camera with the person's leg far away to give the impression that it's really huge (I would guestimate that centipede on the stick is from 5-9" trunk length).

 

[Androctonus_bic]

So what is this monster?

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=3APJA0EedSE

It's a black gigantea isn't it?

Cheers
Carles

 

[Steven]

remains of the shedded skin of gigantea
arrows on ruler indicate 30 cm

@Megaloblatta
the examined Sc.gigantea specimen in this paper from R.Shelley range from
111mm to 240mm BL

Shelley, R. M. and S.B. Kiser, 2000. Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889. Tropical Zoology 13: 159-170, 2000

@Carles
Looks like one, but can't see it clearly on YouTubevids

 

[szappan]

So what is this monster?

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=3APJA0EedSE

It's a black gigantea isn't it?

Cheers
Carles

I really should get around to changing that vid's info... :wall:

Anyways, hey Carles, it was sold to me as a sc. viridcornis by people that certainly didn't know better. It was identical to the centipede in post #101 of this thread... in short... if Steven says it's a black gigantea... it's a black gigantea...

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

remains of the shedded skin of gigantea
arrows on ruler indicate 30 cm

Isn't a molt always going to be longer than the real animal since the area between each tergite is stretched out?

 

[Steven Valys]

Isn't a molt always going to be longer than the real animal since the area between each tergite is stretched out?

It works that way with snakes. That's why there are 40 foot snakes out there waiting to be discovered.

 

[apidaeman]

So what is this monster?

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=3APJA0EedSE

It's a black gigantea isn't it?

Cheers
Carles

Scolopendra viridicornis

 

[Steven]

Isn't a molt always going to be longer than the real animal since the area between each tergite is stretched out?

offcourse,
that's why i also gave the measurements from the 2000 R.Shelley paper
the examined specimen in there don't exceed 240 mm.

 

[Nich]

I have a 7" N american not including terminals or antennae. There was a pic of a subspinipes at a strange angle that was well over 9 " body length on a guys arm here unles the guy was 5" tall.....lol. Look at the BL of some of the pedes on you tube, do the math on the corners of a ten gallon, the mouse, ect. Not hard to extrapolate that the are both well over 9" BL. Looking closley at the pic, the stick at the base is as thick as the mans index finger, even when angel compensation is given. At the thickest point it pails to the thickness of the pede. If the stick is 3/4" from the cameras perspective relative to the mans fingers, then the pede is more than "9" TL". Not trying to start another flame, just analysing the facts of the pics...id say the pede under the big one is 9" TL....the one its either eating or mating with.....looks to be the same sp. At least the same coloration.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

Shelley, R. M. and S.B. Kiser, 2000. Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889. Tropical Zoology 13: 159-170, 2000:
http://ejour-fup.unifi.it/index.php/tropicalzoology/article/view/43/42

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I have a 7" N american not including terminals or antennae. There was a pic of a subspinipes at a strange angle that was well over 9 " body length on a guys arm here unles the guy was 5" tall.....lol. Look at the BL of some of the pedes on you tube, do the math on the corners of a ten gallon, the mouse, ect. Not hard to extrapolate that the are both well over 9" BL. Looking closley at the pic, the stick at the base is as thick as the mans index finger, even when angel compensation is given. At the thickest point it pails to the thickness of the pede. If the stick is 3/4" from the cameras perspective relative to the mans fingers, then the pede is more than "9" TL". Not trying to start another flame, just analysing the facts of the pics...id say the pede under the big one is 9" TL....the one its either eating or mating with.....looks to be the same sp. At least the same coloration.

You're saying you think the pede on the stick is over 9" trunk length? That may or may not be true. It's all a guestimate, there's no way to know without a definite point of reference. That critter could be 3" or 24" long but I think a realistic estimate is 5-9". There could be a 50ft snake or 18" centipede but until there's definitive proof it's all rumor and urban legend. I don't see why that has something to do with you having a 7" N American (though if S.heros it's believable but it would be nice if you could offer a photo with a ruler since you state it like it's questionable) or a S. subspinipes possibly being over 9" because it looks like it could be compared to the pinky mouse it's eating. You could always experiment by taking real measurements of your pedes with vernier calipers and then taking photographs with various sticks and pinky mice to see how accurate of measurements people can come up with (of course you would want to take an actual measurement of the animal vesus a visual questimate as it would be really a waste to compare a guess to guesses). That could be a really neat thread if you employ angles and various specimens. After you get a bunch of replies you could post the real measurement to show the accuracy or inaccuracy of visual guesses.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I haven't read this thread in years and forgot it's beginnings. That link doesn't pull up the S. galapagoensis info any more. So Steven, up to this point what is the maximum size centipede -not exuvium- you've seen any proven evidence of?


How big would you guys say this mature S.gigantea is?
(Sorry about the quality, it's a pic taken in 93' with filters and a 35mm and then the new lexmark scanner I have isn't kind to photos and makes it far worse than the original.)

 

[hairmetalspider]

Where are people getting they don't exist?

You Google or Yahoo it and get a ton of results, some being scientific studies and the like.

 

[Nich]

You're saying you think the pede on the stick is over 9" trunk length? That may or may not be true. It's all a guestimate, there's no way to know without a definite point of reference. That critter could be 3" or 24" long but I think a realistic estimate is 5-9". There could be a 50ft snake or 18" centipede but until there's definitive proof it's all rumor and urban legend. I don't see why that has something to do with you having a 7" N American (though if S.heros it's believable but it would be nice if you could offer a photo with a ruler since you state it like it's questionable) or a S. subspinipes possibly being over 9" because it looks like it could be compared to the pinky mouse it's eating. You could always experiment by taking real measurements of your pedes with vernier calipers and then taking photographs with various sticks and pinky mice to see how accurate of measurements people can come up with (of course you would want to take an actual measurement of the animal vesus a visual questimate as it would be really a waste to compare a guess to guesses). That could be a really neat thread if you employ angles and various specimens. After you get a bunch of replies you could post the real measurement to show the accuracy or inaccuracy of visual guesses.

Look I stated that my reference of size was in relation to the mans finger, even if he is around my GF's size his index is around 3/4" in width when viewed from the top at an angle as in the base of the pic, follow the stick, and with a bit of lens/angle compensation (again favoring awkward angles to exaggerat the size) it can give you a rough estimate of girth and thus length.....

The above gal measures out at exactly 6 3/4" NOT including the head plate or terminals, head plate included she is a tad over 7" without antennae or terminals.
You have a pretty solid refernce point in the pic, given the fingers, to judge the diameter of the stick within reason.

You have an obvious opinion which is very valid.....the majority of invert owners exaggerate on size. If you bring the pic into photoshop (or even paint) and have a base measurement of a finger at a resembling angle, you can get a rough estimate of the pede. Mine is off of the head, but imho what Ill stick by. Ill definatley side with the fact that most pedes are claimed around 10" when they are really 6-7 bl tl or whatever you want to reference. As far as my reference to N. americans, its relative to WC sales of heros complex and the average length I've seen online, and in person. The factor of judgement being that the gigantea, angulata (questionable classifi), and galapo's have many pics of them around the 7-9" TL mark. I use corners of a ten gallon cage, a known brand of water dish, and what ever else may lie in the footage/pic to give an estimate.
Again its somewhat objectional, but not as much as the pic the above gigantea, that is almost pointless to the thread as there is NOTHING to reference size with in that pic....UNLESS you realize that all kritterkeepers have the same size divet from the molding process. If the lid was visible ot it was a known to be a KK, a size reference could be made, ild put it at 5-5.5" TL if thats a KK.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

There's a finger on the left.
In the other photo if you blow it up you can easily imagine the fingers are the same size as the stick but they don't come into contact with it in the same plane or angle. If angles and reference don't matter that thing stretches halfway down one arm and reaches the other shoulder.

 

[Nich]

It is pretty obvious that the end of the stick opposite of the fingers is considerably wider.