''Scolopendra'' (through

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical

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 of the

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

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 ...

Description

The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world's tropics and warmer temperate areas. The species vary considerably in coloration and size. ''Scolopendra'' are mostly very large centipedes. The largest species found in tropical climates can exceed and are the largest living centipedes in the world. All ''Scolopendra'' species can deliver a painful

bite Biting is a common zoological behavior involving the active, rapid closing of the jaw around an object. This behavior is found in toothed animals such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, but can also exist in arthropods. Myocytic c ...

, injecting

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...

through their

forcipule Forcipules are the modified, pincer-like, front legs of centipedes that are used to inject venom into prey. They are the only known examples of front legs acting as venom injectors. Nomenclature Forcipules go by a variety of names in both scien ...

s, which are not fangs or other mouthparts; rather, these are modified legs on the first body segment.

Ecology

''Scolopendra'' are active

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

s, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates. Larger specimens have been observed preying on

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

lizards Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia a ...

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

snakes Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

s, and even bats. Two southeast Asian species, '' S. cataracta'' and '' S. paradoxa'', are amphibious, as these species can travel underwater by swimming or walking.

Venom

The venom is not medically significant for most species; however, bites from several species can cause intense and long-lasting pain and swelling. Large ''Scolopendra'' species from Asian/Pacific regions, such as '' Scolopendra subspinipes'' and ''Scolopendra dehaani'', are particularly potent, and have caused one reported fatality. In 2014, a fatality was reported for a bite from a '' Scolopendra gigantea''. The venom of certain ''Scolopendra'' species were found to contain compounds such as serotonin, haemolytic

phospholipase A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. Acids trigger the release of bound calcium from cellular stores and the consequent increase in free cytosolic Ca2+, an essential step i ...

, a

cardiotoxic Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. The heart becomes weaker and is not as efficient in pumping blood. Cardiotoxicity may be caused by chemotherapy (a usual example is the ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

, and a

cytolysin Cytolysin refers to the substance secreted by microorganisms, plants or animals that is specifically toxic to individual cells, in many cases causing their dissolution through lysis. Cytolysins that have a specific action for certain cells are na ...

Taxonomic history

''Scolopendra'' was one of the genera created by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point for

zoological nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the Int ...

. Only two of the species originally assigned to the genus remain so: '' Scolopendra gigantea'' and '' S. morsitans''; the latter was chosen to be the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

by Opinion 454 of the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

, overruling a previous designation by

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoology, zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained hi ...

, in which he chose Linnaeus' ''Scolopendra forficata'' (now ''

Lithobius forficatus ''Lithobius forficatus'', most commonly known as the brown centipede or stone centipede, is a common European centipede of the family (biology), family Lithobiidae, although its distribution is not exclusive to Europe. It is between 18 and 30&nbs ...

'') as the type species.

Species

The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains these species: *''

Scolopendra abnormis ''Scolopendra abnormis'', the Serpent Island centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae Scolopendridae (or, in older documents, Scolopendridæ) is a family of large centipedes (class Chilopoda). Nearly all species in thi ...

'' Lewis & Daszak, 1996 *'' Scolopendra afer'' (Meinert, 1886) *'' Scolopendra alcyona'' Tsukamoto & Shimano, 2021 *''

Scolopendra algerina ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra alternans'' Leach, 1813 *'' Scolopendra andhrensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra angulata'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra angusticollis'' Murray, 1887 *''

Scolopendra anomia ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra appendiculata'' Daday, 1891 *''

Scolopendra arborea ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Lewis, 1982 *'' Scolopendra arenicola'' (Lawrence, 1975) *'' Scolopendra arthrorhabdoides'' Ribaut, 1912 *'' Scolopendra attemsi'' Lewis, Minelli & Shelley, 2006 *''

Scolopendra aztecorum ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Verhoeff, 1934 *'' Scolopendra calcarata'' Porat, 1876 *''

Scolopendra canidens ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Newport, 1844 * ''

Scolopendra cataracta ''Scolopendra cataracta'' is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the first known amphibious centipede, growing to up to in length. Discovery George Beccaloni, an entomologist and curator at the Natural History Museum, ...

'' Siriwut, Edgecombe & Panha, 2016 *''

Scolopendra childreni ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra chlora'' Chamberlin, 1942 *''

Scolopendra chlorotes ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' C. L. Koch, 1856 *'' Scolopendra cingulata'' Latreille, 1829 *'' Scolopendra clavipes'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra concolor'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra crassa'' Templeton, 1846 *'' Scolopendra cretica'' Attems, 1902 *'' Scolopendra cribrifera'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra crudelis'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *''

Scolopendra dalmatica ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the worl ...

'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra dawydoffi'' Kronmüller, 2012 *''

Scolopendra dehaani ''Scolopendra dehaani'', common name Giant Vietnamese centipede, is a large Scolopendrid centipede found across Mainland Southeast Asia.Nariman Vazifdar, Patrick W. Aust, Mervyn D’Costa, A Centipede (Scolopendra dehaani) Feeding on a Juvenile ...

'' Brandt, 1840 *'' Scolopendra ellorensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra fissispina'' L. Koch, 1865 *'' Scolopendra foveolata'' Verhoeff, 1937 *'' Scolopendra galapagoensis'' Bollman, 1889 *'' Scolopendra gigantea''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoological ...

*''

Scolopendra gracillima ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Attems, 1898 *'' Scolopendra hainanum'' Kronmüller, 2012 *'' Scolopendra hardwickei'' Newport, 1844 *''

Scolopendra hermosa ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Chamberlin, 1941 *'' Scolopendra heros'' Girard, 1853 *''

Scolopendra horrida ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra inaequidens'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra indiae'' (Chamberlin, 1914) *''

Scolopendra indica ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Meinert, 1886 *''

Scolopendra inermipes ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra inermis'' Newport, 1845 *'' Scolopendra jangii'' Khanna & Yadav, 1997 *'' Scolopendra japonica'' Koch, 1878 *'' Scolopendra koreana'' (Verhoeff, 1934) *'' Scolopendra labiata'' C. L. Koch, 1863 *''

Scolopendra laeta ''Scolopendra laeta'', also known as the striped centipede, royal blue centipede or purple centipede for its varied patterning and colouration, is a species of centipede in the Scolopendridae family. It is endemic to Australia, and was first des ...

'' Haase, 1887 *'' Scolopendra langi'' (Chamberlin, 1927) *'' Scolopendra latro'' Meinert, 1886 *'' Scolopendra limicolor'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra lucasii'' Gervais, 1847 *'' Scolopendra lufengia'' S. Kang ''et al.'', 2017 *'' Scolopendra lutea'' (Attems, 1928) *'' Scolopendra madagascariensis'' Attems, 1910 *'' Scolopendra malkini'' Chamberlin, 1955 *''

Scolopendra mazbii ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Gravely, 1912 *'' Scolopendra media'' (Muralewicz, 1926) *''

Scolopendra melionii ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Lucas, 1853 *'' Scolopendra metuenda'' Pocock, 1895 *''

Scolopendra michoacana ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Chamberlin, 1941 *'' Scolopendra mima'' Chamberlin, 1942 *''

Scolopendra mirabilis ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' (Porat, 1876) *'' Scolopendra monticola'' (Lawrence, 1975) *'' Scolopendra morsitans''

*'' Scolopendra multidens'' Newport, 1844 *''

Scolopendra negrocapitis ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Zhang & Wang, 1999 *'' Scolopendra nuda'' (Jangi & Dass, 1980) *'' Scolopendra occidentalis'' F. Meinert, 1886 *'' Scolopendra octodentata'' Verhoeff, 1934 *''

Scolopendra oraniensis ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Lucas, 1846 *'' Scolopendra paradoxa'' Doménech, 2018 *''

Scolopendra pachygnatha ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Pocock, 1895 *''

Scolopendra paranuda ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' (Khanna & Tripathi, 1987) *'' Scolopendra pentagramma'' Motschoulsky, 1886 *'' Scolopendra pinguis'' Pocock, 1891 *'' Scolopendra polymorpha'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra pomacea'' C. L. Koch, 1847 *'' Scolopendra puncticeps'' Wood, 1861 *'' Scolopendra punensis'' Jangi & Dass, 1984 *'' Scolopendra robusta'' Kraepelin, 1903 *'' Scolopendra sanatillae'' Bollman, 1893 *'' Scolopendra silhetensis'' Newport, 1845 *''

Scolopendra spinipriva ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Bücherl, 1946 *'' Scolopendra spinosissima'' Kraepelin, 1903 *'' Scolopendra subspinipes'' Leach, 1816 *''

Scolopendra sumichrasti ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Saussure, 1860 *''

Scolopendra tenuitarsis ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Pocock, 1895 *'' Scolopendra valida'' Lucas, 1840 *'' Scolopendra violacea'' Fabricius, 1798 *'' Scolopendra viridicornis'' Newport, 1844 *'' Scolopendra viridipes'' Dufour, 1820 *''

Scolopendra viridis ''Scolopendra'' (through Latin from Greek , ''skolopendra'') is a species-rich genus of large tropical centipedes of the family Scolopendridae. Description The genus ''Scolopendra'' contains many species of centipedes found across the world' ...

'' Say, 1821 *'' Scolopendra zuluana'' (Lawrence, 1958) One

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

species, †'' Scolopendra proavita'', is known from

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...

deposits from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

. Fossil remains of a species tentatively assigned to '' S. morsitans'' (as ''S. (cf)'' ''morsitans'') are also known from

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Makapansgat Makapansgat () (or Makapan Valley World Heritage Site) is an archaeological location within the Makapansgat and Zwartkrans Valleys, northeast of Mokopane in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is an important palaeontological site, with the loca ...

of South Africa.

References