Southern Californian looking for some centipede answers

[Terrified]

Hi everyone,
My name is Katie and first of all I am in no way a bug or arachnid enthusiast, rather I just need some answers and you all seem perfect for the job!
I live in Santa Ana, CA and I recently found a (dead but still equally as terrifying as if it had been alive) 6-inch centipede under my bed while I was cleaning it. I was freaked out beyond words.
So now I'm wondering if this kind of Jurassic creature is indigenous to SoCal because in my 21 years of living I've never seen anything like this outside of a zoo...
Or could this kind of centipede be someone's lost pet?
If any of you know much about the kinds of centipedes that roam the streets of Santa Ana, please help me out. It's greatly appreciated
- Katie

 

[awesome17]

It kinda sorta looks like my scolopendra subspinipes. But they are not native to your area at all.

 

[Cavedweller]

I commend you for joining this site just to research the weird bug you found! Perhaps we can persuade you to stick around...

If you haven't disposed of the corpse yet, I'd suggest keeping it for identification.

I am no centipede expert either, but a quick search on google told me that Scolopendra polymorpha is the only scolopendra (the genus I assume that guy is in) native to california. Their coloring is quite different (though I believe they can come on other colors as well). Someone with superior centipede-fu will have to tell you exactly what that is and where it's from.

You'd be surprised at what can live in urban areas, though. I live in Austin and once found an 8 inch Scolopendra heros at Town Lake (which is right in the middle of the busiest downtown area). Heck, I found a FREAKING TARANTULA HAWK on my porch a few months ago.

 

[Greenjewls]

Looks to be Scolopendra aztecorum. Although S. polymorpha comes in a myriad of colormorphs, this coloration would be very rare. Also, for S. polymorpha to attain this size (size before dessication would have been much greater) would again be very rare. Although S. aztecorum is not popularly recognized as a common species to the US, many pictures of "mystery centipedes" are cropping up that fit the description, specifically in Southern California. Please post the clearest, most magnified photo you can possibly get of the specimen, then fully dry it and seal it. The world needs to know - there are 3 giant centipede species in CA; S. viridis, S. polymorpha, S. aztecorum!
Also, if you could be so kind, flip over some boards and rocks near your property one day when the ground is not dry. Please collect any centipedes that don't look like the standard S. polymorpha. Be very careful - they bite. Any large centipedes are highly sought after in this community and I sure would love to make you an offer!

 

[zonbonzovi]

A bit fuzzy but it looks like Scolopendra dehaani to me...someone's escaped pet Is there a ring furrow('smile' on the first segment behind main head section)? Have you lived there long?

 

[satchellwk]

I was looking back in the "What's your largest Scolopendra sp.?" thread, and Galapoheros did post some pics of a big heros that has some rather subspinies/dehaani-esque coloration; maybe that's the culprit? I'm not sure if they've been recorded in Cali, though, and the individual that Gala found was apparently in Austin, but it seems more plausible than a random escaped dehaani finding its way into your house and dying (unless you recently moved in, and the previous owner had one). It's extremely unlikely that there could be any invasive populations of them around there; the climate is just too arid.

 

[Terrified]

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm sorry to admit that at soon as I discovered the beast I had my friend drive 20 miles to dispose of it because I was frozen :/ My landlord claims that the group of guys who live in the other half of my duplex own a number of eclectic animals, so I'll follow up when I ask if they're missing any...
I'm really hoping it was a pet!!!

 

[zonbonzovi]

My landlord claims that the group of guys who live in the other half of my duplex own a number of eclectic animals, so I'll follow up when I ask if they're missing any...
I'm really hoping it was a pet!!!

I'd bet my pinky on it

 

[Cavedweller]

Aww now I feel bad that someone probably lost their pet. Maybe they'll up their tank security, now. I hear centipedes are notorious escape artists.

 

[Mordecai]

I live in Northern California. Just found 3 centipedes right outside my house. They are all similar looking to yours (as far as i can tell in the blurry picture.) But they are each less then an inch long. I would love to find a Centipede that large under my bed!

 

[Terrified]

IT WASN'T MY NEIGHBORS! I don't feel good about this at all. Ugh what if it has a family??!?

 

[Cavedweller]

Will it make you feel better to know that centipedes are solitary, so your many-legged intruder probably doesn't have family around?

Just remember that they aren't actively seeking you out to get you. Most venomous bugs aren't nearly as fearsome and agressive as people think. Some people on this site even handle their pet centipedes.

Scolopendras do pack a nasty sting, but it's not lethal. Stings tend to happen from startling bugs that are hiding in discarded clothes/shoes, so just make sure to shake everything out before you put them on.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... I am in no way a bug or arachnid enthusiast, ...

Ah, but there is still hope for you! You found your way here. We can all hope and prey that you'll find the true path. (And, for those of you lost souls, that was a deliberate misspelling!)

... I live in Santa Ana, CA and I recently found a (dead but still equally as terrifying as if it had been alive) 6-inch centipede under my bed while I was cleaning it. I was freaked out beyond words. ...

Almost everybody's first reaction. Even those of us who keep them as pets jump a little when we find one of ours under the bed, dead or alive!

... So now I'm wondering if this kind of Jurassic creature is indigenous to SoCal because in my 21 years of living I've never seen anything like this outside of a zoo...

Not being a true centipede guy (my specialty is tarantulas, not things with mouth parts) I can't give you any truly authoritative words from the Holy Book. But, several comments that I might make are:

1) Learn as much as you can about them. Google (I prefer Yahoo!, though) centipede and do a little reading about them. They'll be a lot less scary after you know a little about them.

2) The fact that you've never run into one before in something like 1/5 of a century strongly suggests that they're fairly scarce or make themselves pretty invisible. Certainly it's remarkable, but maybe as much for its scarcity as its creepiness.

3) How many people do you know who have died of a centipede bite? Name them! (Trick question: The answer is a big, fat zero (0)!)

4) How many people do you know who have suffered lasting or permanent harm from the bite of a centipede (other than a brief bout of incontinence)? (Trick question: The answer is a big, fat zero (0)!)

It's beginning to sound like they're not all they're cracked up to be, maybe?

So, should you lie awake nights, terrified of another one?

I think not.

Should you fumigate the house or the entire apartment building (since I don't know your living arrangements)?

Don't be silly! Trust me, the pesticides are far worse for you than the centipedes.

Should you save a large pickle or mayonnaise jar (with a secure lid) just in case you find a live one?

Most definitely! In fact, you might get a very light pair of leather gardening gloves (while their bite is far from truly dangerous, it can hurt a little) and go looking for one as a pet. They tend to live in abandoned animal burrows, under old boards, garden trash, junk that's been in the weeds long enough to have "settled in." They make neat pets and real conversation pieces on your coffee table.

As far as the "kind" of centipede: As you might have already deduced, there are a number of possibilities. However, the chance that it was an escaped pet is highly unlikely. That would require that the escaped centipede, whose first inclination would be to find a place to hide, would have to have found its way out of its owner's home, across yards and yards of real estate, then up and into your home, then (when it was preparing to die) expire under your bed. That may happen once in 100,000 years. But, probably not yesterday or even in your lifetime.

My guess is that it's a native species that got flushed out of its normal home by a thunderstorm or lawn sprinkler, and somehow managed to invade your planet. There is at least one species with a fairly wide distribution (reputedly from Florida to Arizona by one account I've seen, maybe into California) that reaches that size. It also occurs in several different color forms. It's called Scolopendra heros. Here's a photo of one I caught in west Texas. (Click the tumbnail to see a larger version.)


Scolopendra heros castaneiceps

You can try these links for more information:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p="scolopendra+heros"

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...colopendra+heros+castaneiceps&rs=0&fr2=rs-top

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...scolopendra+heros+arizonensis&rs=1&fr2=rs-top


You should consider yourself quite fortunate to have found such a beauty, even if it was dead!


Enjoy your little multi-legged housemates!

 

[Zumie]

It's a blurry pic but I've had many S. Subspinipes and that does indeed look like Subspinipes. It may not have belonged to your neighbors but I'm gonna say it's an escaped pet.

 

[kmiller]

My name is Katie and I am a bug and arachnid enthusiast. And I really don't care how much of a bug-lovin I am, there are some things I just do not want to crawl up next to in bed. Discoveries like yours are enough to make me lose sleep and I keep these critters as pets! Here's a few tips from the folks at the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture:

"Minimize Moisture, Remove Debris - Problems with these pests often coincides with excessively wet weather; patience and drier conditions often will correct the problem. The most effective, long-term measure for reducing entry of centipedes and their prey is to minimize moisture and hiding places, especially near the foundation. Leaves, grass clippings, heavy accumulations of mulch, boards, stones, boxes, and similar items laying on the ground beside the foundation should be removed, since these often attract and harbor pests. Items that cannot be removed should be elevated off the ground.

Don't allow water to accumulate near the foundation or in the crawl space. Water should be diverted away from the foundation wall with properly functioning gutters, down spouts and splash blocks. Leaking faucets, water pipes and air conditioning units should be repaired, and lawn sprinklers should be adjusted to minimize puddling. Homes with poor drainage may need to have tiles or drains installed, or the ground sloped to so that surface water drains away from the building. Humidity in crawl spaces and basements should be reduced by providing adequate ventilation, sump pumps, polyethylene soil covers, etc.

Seal Pest Entry Points - Seal cracks and openings in the outside foundation wall, and around the bottoms of doors and basement windows. Install tight-fitting door sweeps or thresholds at the base of all exterior entry doors, and apply caulk along the bottom outside edge and sides of door thresholds. Seal expansion joints where outdoor patios, sunrooms and sidewalks abut the foundation. Expansion joints and gaps should also be scaled along the bottom of basement walls on the interior to reduce entry of pests and moisture from outdoors.

Insecticides - Application of insecticides along baseboards and other interior living areas of the home are of little use in controlling centipedes. Most wandering centipedes which end up indoors soon die from a lack of moisture. Removal with a vacuum or broom is all that is needed. "

What they are saying is very true!

Over the last 2 years, I have found at least seven 3-5" long tiger centipedes in my home. One was found mid-day sitting halfway up the staircase on one of the steps. I don't know where it came or where it was headed. All of the other centipedes were found while they were "on the move" and they were all found after dark. All 6 of them had also made obvious entry through an open door or window. All 7 pedes appeared after or during a weather change.

There's no way of knowing how the Centipede ended up in your bedroom, but I think he ended up under your bed because the area was inviting. It was nice and dark and he retreated there because it felt safe. If I were you, I'd clear our any clutter from under my bed and hike up the bedskirt, if I had one.

Hope this helps...

Your fellow Southers Californian,
Katie