Scolopendra hardwickei - pictures and video

[Draiman]

I'm not absolutely sure about it, I do cool mine down though because it's a natural occurrence in their native range. Even far south from Texas into Mexico it cools off a bit. ime, heros can be a little challenging, some young healthy individuals kick the bucket and leave me scratching my head, then right next door is another individual, same age, healthy, and might live for several years. I have a couple of CB heros I kept from around 2006, they are still doing great. I've noticed that if the room is in the high 60's, it's enough for them to stay under for months. They(8) are still under right now, they went under sometime in October. But I have a male that I see out about once every 3 weeks, don't know why. I don't expect him to last much longer.

Ah cool, thanks for the info. My female only went underground less than a couple of weeks ago, she came back up once or twice and went back down again and has stayed down since. Her underground "chamber" is right next to the enclosure wall so I can see exactly what she's doing. This is the first time in my care that she has spent such a long time burrowed, she normally just sits on the surface, so surely something is going on. It can't be a molt since she she molted recently, so either she's going to lay or maybe I screwed up her seasonal cycles and stuff and maybe she's going into hibernation only now (is that even possible/plausible?). To be honest all the signs point towards egglaying; the only reason I have any doubt about it is the fact she's been under for so long and still hasn't laid. In all other pedes I've kept and raised captive born pedelings from the mother would dig a pit or depression in the substrate and lay eggs only 2-3 days later. This one however has been under for quite a while and done absolutely nothing. In your experience how long does this process take in this species?

 

[micheldied]

Ah cool, thanks for the info. My female only went underground less than a couple of weeks ago, she came back up once or twice and went back down again and has stayed down since. Her underground "chamber" is right next to the enclosure wall so I can see exactly what she's doing. This is the first time in my care that she has spent such a long time burrowed, she normally just sits on the surface, so surely something is going on. It can't be a molt since she she molted recently, so either she's going to lay or maybe I screwed up her seasonal cycles and stuff and maybe she's going into hibernation only now (is that even possible/plausible?). To be honest all the signs point towards egglaying; the only reason I have any doubt about it is the fact she's been under for so long and still hasn't laid. In all other pedes I've kept and raised captive born pedelings from the mother would dig a pit or depression in the substrate and lay eggs only 2-3 days later. This one however has been under for quite a while and done absolutely nothing. In your experience how long does this process take in this species?

I've had Mutilans and the recent Dehaani stay weeks underground before laying.

 

[Draiman]

I've had Mutilans and the recent Dehaani stay weeks underground before laying.

That's cool, I've never had any of my pedes lay eggs underground, not even S. alternans, which is supposedly a species more inclined to burrowing than others. Interesting.

 

[micheldied]

That's cool, I've never had any of my pedes lay eggs underground, not even S. alternans, which is supposedly a species more inclined to burrowing than others. Interesting.

Really?
That Alternans was underground, in a den under a piece of cork bark, when I found it with the eggs, dead.

 

[Draiman]

Really?
That Alternans was underground, in a den under a piece of cork bark, when I found it with the eggs, dead.

Yep she laid her clutch above ground. And so did my hardwickei and Chinese tigerlegs and various S. s. mutilans and S. s. subspinipes in the past. They all had more than enough substrate to burrow in but chose to lay their eggs above ground. I don't know why.

 

[micheldied]

Yep she laid her clutch above ground. And so did my hardwickei and Chinese tigerlegs and various S. s. mutilans and S. s. subspinipes in the past. They all had more than enough substrate to burrow in but chose to lay their eggs above ground. I don't know why.

Maybe it has to do with the substrate?

I use peat, and it holds pretty firmly, I believe you use something else?

 

[Draiman]

Maybe it has to do with the substrate?

I use peat, and it holds pretty firmly, I believe you use something else?

I don't think so, cause the pedes were burrowing and making tunnels before and after they laid. I use cocopeat (which when moist works very well for burrowing) for my tropical species; for the S. heros arizonensis I use cocopeat + sand in a 60:40 ratio.

 

[micheldied]

I don't think so, cause the pedes were burrowing and making tunnels before and after they laid. I use cocopeat (which when moist works very well for burrowing) for my tropical species; for the S. heros arizonensis I use cocopeat + sand in a 60:40 ratio.

Interesting.

Well, we can never say for sure with pedes. I've had them lay up top as well.
Best of luck!

 

[Draiman]

Interesting.

Well, we can never say for sure with pedes. I've had them lay up top as well.
Best of luck!

Cheers, I'll be sure to post an update if/when she finally gets things going.

 

[Galapoheros]

The heros here at the house go under for around 5+ months when it gets cold, go under around mid to late Oct, start coming out when it warms around April.