Scolopendra morsitans Questions

[Staehilomyces]

Polymorpha, no doubt.

 

[Scoly]

Yep, that's a S.polymorpha, tell the seller to re-label

Here is a photo of a S.morsitans.

Note first of all the lack of median keel - the groove in what looks like the first segment (but is actually the second as the first isn't visible from above) which is present in S.polymorpha. And secondly the terminal legs, which are flattened on the top side, which is one of the ways to tell a S.morsitans (although other species may have this, I'm not sure).

In fact S.morsitans is rare among Scolopendra in that there is externally visible sexual dimorphism: males have a groove on the second segment of the terminal leg (which you can see in the picture - so this one is a male).

 

[sloth]

Polymorpha, no doubt.

Are you sure? He says he got it directly imported from Africa

 

[Staehilomyces]

He could either be lying, or have been lied to.

 

[NYAN]

Are you sure? He says he got it directly imported from Africa

Africa must be referring to a city in the southwestern United States.

 

[Bill S]

I would ask him if he imported it himself, or if he got it from the importer. If he says yes to the first - he's dishonest and you should be very careful in dealing with him. If he says yes to the second - he's being lied to and doesn't know any better - and you should therefore be careful in dealing with him.

 

[Bill S]

Africa must be referring to a city in the southwestern United States.

A couple possibilities come to mind:
https://outofafricapark.com/

https://california.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,2,fid,1799961,n,africa usa park.cfm

 

[Scoly]

I think you're better stay clear of this seller. He's selling S.polymorpha as S.morsitans and charging $45, and selling S.gracimila as S.spinosissima and telling you it will grow 3 times the size it does.

"If you have trouble distinguishing between malice and incompetence, then it doesn't really matter which it is."

Don't be fooled by prices either, a good deal from a bad shop can quickly turn into a dead deal.

I'd advise going with one of the many reputable online sellers. There's a few Facebook groups which cater predominantly for US based keepers where you can find people:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/119216928510118/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/165412163665087/

 

[NYAN]

and selling S.gracimila as S.spinosissima

It’s acually a spinosissima and dehaani hybrid. I am familiar with the person who bred the Pedes, and he happened to have traded some to a couple sellers. They aren’t supposed to be sold.

 

[Scoly]

It’s acually a spinosissima and dehaani hybrid. I am familiar with the person who bred the Pedes, and he happened to have traded some to a couple sellers. They aren’t supposed to be sold.

Sorry, typo. Its Scolopendra gracillima not gracimila.

Just to be clear, we are talking about this photo here right? http://arachnoboards.com/threads/scolopendra-spinosissima-care.318611/#post-2919107

To me that looks like a textbook gracillima. We had some in the UK a while back (a quick spin on Google images, unreliable as that often is, will show you a number of examples). It seems highly unlikely that a dehaani X spinosissima hybrid would come out looking exactly like another species. Especially with the characteristic mark on the head, and antennae changing colour mid way up, which neither dehaani nor spinosissima have.

So maybe the guy you know who crossed them has been selling them (which he shouldn't be doing!) however the specimen in that photo is not one of those, but a S.gracillima. Then again, with everything else this seller is doing, who knows if that's even a photo of what he's actually got?

 

[Staehilomyces]

Actually, I've noticed a difference. All the photos I've seen of S. gracillima have only a white cephalic plate, whereas this specimen has a white first segment as well. Don't know if that's just variation or something else.

 

[NYAN]

Sorry, typo. Its Scolopendra gracillima not gracimila.

Just to be clear, we are talking about this photo here right? http://arachnoboards.com/threads/scolopendra-spinosissima-care.318611/#post-2919107

@Mastigoproctus crossed dehaani and spinosissima. He came out to California and had the plings at one of the most recent expos. He apparently traded some as well. @Andrew101 went there and saw them, and unfortunately I wasn’t able able go. He said that they look the same.

It would make sense for these to be the hybrids.

 

[Scoly]

Actually, I've noticed a difference. All the photos I've seen of S. gracillima have only a white cephalic plate, whereas this specimen has a white first segment as well. Don't know if that's just variation or something else.

Well spotted! I hadn't noticed that. I suppose we just need to wait for @Mastigoproctus to confirm whether these are the dehaani x spinosissima. Would also be good to put a cap on these and avoid them getting sold off as something they are not, or at the very least labelled correctly.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Are you sure? He says he got it directly imported from Africa

Yep. if I had five testicles, for instance (instead of two only) I could had been a living Basketball Team