''Cormocephalus rubriceps'', also known as the Hura or giant centipede, is a large

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 ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Scolopendridae Scolopendridae (or, in older documents, Scolopendridæ) is a family of large centipedes (class Chilopoda). Nearly all species in this family have four ocelli ( simple eyes) on each side of the head and only 21 pairs of legs, but there are excepti ...

. It is native to

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 ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, where it is found in the North Island and on islands off the North Island. At up to 25 cm in length, it is the largest centipede in New Zealand. NZAC Pare - Giant Centipede

Taxonomy

This species was given its Latin name by George Newport in 1843 as ''Scolopendra rubriceps''. Newport published a description of the species under that name in 1845.

References

External links

TerraNature

LandCare

Massey University Soil Bugs

Scolopendridae Centipedes of Australia Arthropods of New Zealand Animals described in 1843 {{Myriapoda-stub