''Allothereua maculata'' is a species of

centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...

s found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

known as the house centipede – a name applied elsewhere to other species.

Description

The body of ''Allothereua maculata'' is made up of 15 segments and bears 15 pairs of long legs. The body is pale brown with dark markings, and grows to long. It bears one pair of antennae on the head and a similarly long pair of caudal appendages at the tail end. These organisms have a lot of small hairs and spindle-like bodies so scientists Haase and Heathcote believed that these features can behave as an organ but later discovered that it is not true, they have other functions. There was only limited research done but they understand that it was probably created to help with adaption.

Distribution

''Allothereua maculata'' is the most common

scutigeromorph The centipedes or Chilopoda are divided into the following orders. Scutigeromorpha The Scutigeromorpha are anamorphic, reaching 15 leg-bearing segments in length. Also known as house centipedes, they are very fast creatures, and able to withstan ...

centipede across southern Australia, occurring from Western Australia to Queensland.

Ecology

''Allothereua maculata'' lives in urban areas and woodland. Its occurrence in houses indicates that it prefers dampness and a lack of ventilation. ''A. maculata'' is a predator of insects and other arthropods, but is generally considered harmless.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3809327 Hilken, & Rosenberg, J. (2006). Ultrastructure of the maxillary organ ofScutigera coleoptrata (Chilopoda, Notostigmophora): Description of a multifunctional head organ. Journal of Morphology., 267(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10392 Scutigeromorpha Arthropods of Australia Animals described in 1844