When Size Matters

[Travis K]

I currently only have Ts, but really want to Branch out into pedes.

I am a size freak. So what are the top three largest species of Centipedes and millipedes in the world? What are the top three for cents and millies that are commercially available in the US? The later question pertains to current availability BTW.

Cheers,

 

[bliss]

hey travis

dude, go for the Scolopendra subspinipes..... there are many color variations, and they get pretty darn big. i'd say go for that if you want something big without killing your wallet.

from what i've read and heard, Scolopendra gigantea and viridicornis are the biggest and would cost you an arm and a leg, and that's even if you had any luck finding them here.

Sc. alternans get pretty big too from what i've read and seen.

as far as milli's, A. gigas (AGBs) are the biggest (i think? )

 

[cjm1991]

Hi Travis,

If you are wanting big pedes I would suggest the De Haani species. hong kong giants and malaysian sp. along with many Asain species get big( around 10"). S. alternans get around 8 or 9'' also and look awesome, they are burrowed alot of the time though. As for milli's AGB is all i can really think of. I have a few Narceus Sp. that are local and they are about 5" and pretty cool colors. Good Luck.

-CJM-

 

[szappan]

Here's a great little webpage that 'cacoseraph' put up, it'll be helpful as well:

http://www.geocities.com/blight_child/centis/cfaq.html

and welcome to the world of myriapods!

 

[Quixtar]

The following centipedes can grow to 8" or more:

Scolopendra alternans
Scolopendra angulata
Scolopendra galapagoensis
Scolopendra gigantea
Scolopendra hardwickei
Scolopendra heros (arizonensis, castaneiceps, heros)
Scolopendra multidens
Scolopendra subspinipes (dehaani, subspinipes)
Scolopendra viridicornis
Scolopendra sp. "Malaysian Jewel"

 

[Galapoheros]

That's a great Xmas list! Some very knowledgeable person on this site said they read that "officially", the second largest is Scolopendra heros that comes in after those large pedes in S. America. Yeah I don't know if I believe it either. But there was a Scolopendra heros here in a store that was at least 10 inches long. But the way it looks to me even if heros is the second largest, a really big heros is pretty hard to come by. I wonder if it's a genetic thing that expresses itself in an individual now and then. I've caught a lot of them and have seen a lot of them but I've only seen one of the really big ones. So I think your odds of getting one that more often gets longer than an average Sc. heros would be Sc. subspinipes, dehaani. I think both are the biggest that are most available in the US, don't really know though.

 

[Travis K]

The following centipedes can grow to 8" or more:

Scolopendra alternans
Scolopendra angulata
Scolopendra galapagoensis
Scolopendra gigantea
Scolopendra hardwickei
Scolopendra heros (arizonensis, castaneiceps, heros)
Scolopendra multidens
Scolopendra subspinipes (dehaani, subspinipes)
Scolopendra viridicornis
Scolopendra sp. "Malaysian Jewel"

LOL, do you care to put this list in Largest to smallest? Thanks for all the replies. I am going out right now to try and catch some Scutigera coleoptara. I put an add in CL to see if any body had any running around thier houses. I think I would post pics and questions of Scutigera sp. in this forum, right?

 

[Quixtar]

LOL, do you care to put this list in Largest to smallest? Thanks for all the replies. I am going out right now to try and catch some Scutigera coleoptara. I put an add in CL to see if any body had any running around thier houses. I think I would post pics and questions of Scutigera sp. in this forum, right?

Out of those, gigantea, viridicornis, and galapagoensis are the largest, reaching lengths of up to 12-13" record size (though rare to see anything greater than 10"). Along with the smaller angulata, they are the more robust scolopendrids, and so have both great girth and length. Next up are the heros subspecies and colorforms, which have been known to attain 10". Unlike the South American pedes mentioned above, they have a lighter build and have less girth. The subspinipes vary greatly from subspecies to colorform, from the slender and smaller 6" S.s.mutilans to monstrous 9" Thai Giants with great girth. The multidens rivals the subspinipes in size. All other species can reach the 8" mark.

Out of the ones on that list, S. hardwickei and S. galapagoensis are nearly impossible to obtain. With the exception of one user here who has them, I've never seen hardwickei elsewhere. Exportation of WC galapagoensis is illegal, as are any of the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. S. viridicornis, S. gigantea, and S. sp. "Malaysian Jewel" are extremely rare but have been seen in the hobby from time to time. They command very high prices, often several hundred for a single unsexed individual.

The other species, with the exception of the S. heros arizonensis subspecies all fall under $100 and are relatively common in the pet trade with subspinipes being the most readily available. The arizonensis, depending on the colorform and size, ranges from $100-200.

 

[Galapoheros]

Also, personally, I keep many heros pedes and only have two subspinipes and two alternans. To me the subspinipes and alternans are more maintenance free, seem to do fine with a covered top as long as their coco fiber is moist since they're from a more tropical environment. Heros like it more on the dry side and are more susceptible to mycosis if it's too humid and/or if the sub is too moist so I have to watch the watering more with the heros pedes. Maybe it would be good to go for a tropical pede first for that reason, just an idea. And as mentioned and to sum it up, the easier ones to get here in the US right now are ...heros, subspinipes and alternans. Pedes just aren't as popular as Ts and scorps right now so there isn't a lot of motivation to breed them for the hobby except for the rare and hard to get pedes.

 

[SAn]

I would say that Subspinipes Dehaani and multidens attain much larger lengths than Heros and are more robust-fat.
That is based on my own keeping experience ofc.

(on the net i ve seen people claiming all types of sizes of species, but dont always trust them)

Dimitris

 

[Galapoheros]

Sc. heros can get pretty big. Here's one that was 9.5 found in Austin Tx. I felt bad for several days after it got out and couldn't find it. One time it got out and I found it a couple of months later walking across the floor and was fatter than when it got out. I know someone in w tx that says his neighbor has one in his fridge that is just over 12 inches. I'm sure he included stuff he wasn't supposed to when he measured it. I saw him at a snake show a few months ago and he said his neighbor still has it in his fridge so I plan on checking that out sometime to see what's up with that. This pic is old to a lot of people here. It's eating a big Sphinx moth in the pick.

 

[cjm1991]

Thats a huge S. Heros Cast. Awesome pic.

 

[Steven]

if size matters,...

i would suggest you take some small plings (subsp.dehaani or heros or....)
and measure the mother pede correctly (BL, from headplate to last tergite)

then start raising those plings in the best way you can, with 1 goal:
to outgrow their mother, so you'll end up with larger pedes as their parent-pedes

 

[Travis K]

sweet guys, I appreciate all the info. I am really excited to get started. Is ther any one in the US the currently breeds/trys to the top three?