Scolopendra heros arizonensis mating documentation.

[Lateralus]

Dear all, here is a compilation of the images and videos shot over the past few days documenting the sexing and mating of Scolopendra heros arizonensis.

First and foremost, the Gassing Chamber used. Inspiration and details pertinent to the construction of the chamber and gassing period drawn from this thread:

Male specimen:

Female specimen:

Comparison of genitalia:

Picture of the sperm web:

The mating process consisted of the male courting the female for approximately 2.5 hours and climaxing with him spinning a cradle to deposit his sperm packet before leading the female through.

Video of the mating process:
[YOUTUBE]97ES5i63arw&hd=1[/YOUTUBE]

Hope this thread is of some use to those interested in attempting the breeding of Scolopendromorpha. Kindly excuse the poor quality of the video as it is my first time attempting a project like this.

Special thanks to:

Gavin Choo (Draiman)
Steven Lenaerts
Turgut Kocer

Without whom this would not have been possible.

Regards,
Damien

 

[Steven]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:


very well done !!! :worship:



great pictures as always,
you even had that gassing device in a Softbox

 

[Lateralus]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:


very well done !!! :worship:



great pictures as always,
you even had that gassing device in a Softbox

Hahaha, yup didn't want a distracting background for the picture of the Gassing device.

Thank you for the kind compliments bro.

Hopefully we'll both have success with our new acquisitions.

Regards,
Damien

 

[chyguy]

you guys are great :worship: keep up the good work ...this may sound dumb but has anyone tried dry-ice for gasing pedes ? just an idea i had thought id ask thanks cheyenne

 

[Draiman]

you guys are great :worship: keep up the good work ...this may sound dumb but has anyone tried dry-ice for gasing pedes ? just an idea i had thought id ask thanks cheyenne

Cheers

Sure, it could work, but it would be very difficult, if not impossible (you'd have to calculate molar mass and volume and all that) to control the amount of carbon dioxide produced, and why go through all that trouble when it's so easy with the pressurized canister?

 

[Canth]

That looks amazing! I'm glad they ended up being a pair, I wish you luck with further broods!
Amazing footage.

 

[zonbonzovi]

Awesome stuff! I would love to give this a shot but finding an adequate co2 dispenser has proven difficult. The soda style canisters you're using are not cheap here. Has anyone here used whip cream dispensers or paintball canisters for this purpose?

 

[Xenomorph]

Wonderfull Pictures and very nice Video !

And I hope there is for breeding this beautiful species:worship:

 

[micheldied]

Hope you get a successful clutch soon!!
Congrats!

 

[JanPhilip]

Great pictures and movie! How do you controll the dosage with that CO2 canister - Do you just watch the pede?

Good luck on getting some eggs, and hopefully some healthy plings!

 

[Lateralus]

I'd like to thank all of you for the kind words and well wishes.

How do you controll the dosage with that CO2 canister - Do you just watch the pede?

The dosage is controlled by the valve at the side.

I started off by uncovering the vent at the top of the container and injecting a continuous stream of CO2 until the pede stops moving. Following that, I used a piece of electrical tape to cover the vent and let the specimen sit for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Did several trial runs on a few Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans and found that they showed no ill effects even after being gassed for 4 - 5 minutes. As always, your results may vary.

I would think the time needed would vary based on the size of the chamber and the specimen to be gassed.

Regards,
Damien

 

[peterbourbon]

Thanks so much for the trust and being so brave to sex arizonensis that still seems to be quite rare and valueable - and, of course, sharing the amazing pics.

I don't care much 'bout the sticky, but seeing people around the globe starting to experiment is worth the world.
Great you contacted some knowledgable and friendly guys like Steven - and being so motivated.

Good luck with the pedelings.
I still go for hibernation. S. heros seem to act strange when not being hibernated.

2 times I had healthy fat heros stop eating in the wrong season - they simply died - thin like a paper and starved to death. Consider season stimulation. At least my 2 ct.

Cheers to Singapore!
Turgut

 

[ophiophagus]

Fantastic info guys. I was wondering if the difference in genitalia is applicable for all Scolopendra or is each species different?
Thanks for the great work

 

[Lateralus]

Thanks so much for the trust and being so brave to sex arizonensis that still seems to be quite rare and valueable - and, of course, sharing the amazing pics.

I don't care much 'bout the sticky, but seeing people around the globe starting to experiment is worth the world.
Great you contacted some knowledgable and friendly guys like Steven - and being so motivated.

Good luck with the pedelings.
I still go for hibernation. S. heros seem to act strange when not being hibernated.

2 times I had healthy fat heros stop eating in the wrong season - they simply died - thin like a paper and starved to death. Consider season stimulation. At least my 2 ct.

Cheers to Singapore!
Turgut

Hi Turgut, I should be the one saying thank you as it is largely thanks to yourself, Steven and a few others that this hobby has advanced quite a fair bit in the recent years. I recall that it was not too long ago that breeding attempts consisted of placing two pedes together and hoping for the best.

I will admit that the toughest part of embarking on this breeding project was getting over the trepidation at losing a potentially valuable specimen. In retrospect, I am glad that I finally mustered the courage to proceed, hopefully with promising results.

Indeed, I am fortunate in that sense as Steven and I have known each other since 2004, with him proving to be a friendly, helpful and patient mentor to me over the years.

However with that being said, it really is a shame to see you leave the hobby and i can only hope more people will be inspired to take up where you left off.

Thank you once again for the detailed information on the husbandry requirements of this particular species; I will definitely try to put what you have suggested into practice.

Fantastic info guys. I was wondering if the difference in genitalia is applicable for all Scolopendra or is each species different?
Thanks for the great work

Hi ophiophagus, you're most welcome. I do not have enough experience to comment but I'd think that the differences are generally quite distinct for all species of Centipedes with the exception of those lacking Gonopods. Once again i point to you this thread as it houses an excellent collection of pictures detailing the sexual differences.

Regards,
Damien

 

[Ridoo]

Hey!

Holy crap, to write this sticky was not for nothing!

I admit...I was a really dissatisfied so less people used this knowledge. But you thead confute my fears. Perfect work! That corrects this prejudice this method is all but impossible.

I was wondering if the difference in genitalia is applicable for all Scolopendra or is each species different?

For the most of the scolopendra species. The lack of gonopods didn't match for example in S. multidens. I'm sure there are a lot more scolopendra species without this characteristic. But not only Scolopendra, also Rhysida shows gonopods too (without looking at the pictures again - i think it was R. stuhlmanni)

Otherwise the spinning organ ist aviable near to all (there is one species, nothing pulls out of the 21th sternite) scolopendra species. And its well-known in males. General: in comparison with another sex, I would say you have the chance to sex near all pedes like Ethmostigmus spec.- I didn't saw any spinning organ, but the genital region was quite different. And mating was sucessful.

regards René

 

[zonbonzovi]

I admit...I was a really dissatisfied so less people used this knowledge. But you thead confute my fears. Perfect work! That corrects this prejudice this method is all but impossible.

No doubt...great work! Worry not, Rene, there are a few of us following up on your fantastic leg work:worship:

I have only tried the "trailer park" methods of making co2 as money is a bit tight after a couple of ill considered purchases. They didn't turn out well...not enough co2 produced. To anybody attempting this: buy the proper equipment and forget about the other, less effective methods.

 

[Peter Heule]

Hey Folks (Especially Damien and Gavin),

I work for the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton Alberta Canada and we are working on building and designing a new museum, including our live invertebrate gallery. For that purpose I am sourcing images for species that I don't currently have on hand to photograph. Gavin's beautiful shot of the Scolopendra heros arizonensis on the white background is exactly what I'm looking for. How would I go about contacting him for permission to use the image? Sorry for the late post on an old thread!

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Cheers,

Pete

 

[zonbonzovi]

That may be difficult as most of these folks are long gone. However, you can try clicking on the name of the member to go to their profile, then click on "Start a Conversation" to send a message. If the email connected to the account is still active they will receive the message. Good luck!

 

[Peter Heule]

That may be difficult as most of these folks are long gone. However, you can try clicking on the name of the member to go to their profile, then click on "Start a Conversation" to send a message. If the email connected to the account is still active they will receive the message. Good luck!

Hey There,
Thanks, I knew it was a bit of a shot in the dark. Thanks for the tip, I did manage to find an email for one of the photographers so fingers crossed...

Cheers,

Pete