The Centipede

Jul 06, 2008 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

With a name which suggests that they have at least a hundred feet, Centipedes are arthropods that belong to the class Chilopoda and the Subphlylum Myriapoda. Worldwide there are estimates of about 8,000 species and currently there are about 3,000 described species.

Geographically, centipedes have a wide range which reaches beyond the Arctic Circle and reports are that they are found in an array of terrestrial.

These creatures are in fact elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment.
According to reports, a key trait uniting this group of legs is a pair of poison claws or forcipules formed from a modified first appendage.

Centipedes are said to be an exclusively predatory taxa and as such are known as generalist predators, which mean that they have adapted to eat a variety of different available prey items.

But what centipedes actually eat is not well known because of their cryptic lifestyle and thorough mastication of food.

Laboratory feeding trials support that they will feed as generalists, taking most anything that is soft-bodied and in a reasonable size range.

It has been suggested that earthworms provide the bulk of diets for some species, especially those that burrow through the soil. It is said that the earthworm’s body can be easily pierced by their poison claws.

However, observations suggest that some species cannot subdue earthworms larger than themselves, and so smaller earthworms may be a substantial proportion of their diet.

It has been noted that they are even able to eat both vertebrates and invertebrates since they have been observed eating reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, bats and birds.

Reports are that centipedes and spiders frequently prey on each other even as they are hunted by many vertebrates and invertebrates, forming the staple diet of many.

It is said that in addition to their elongated dorsal-ventrally flattened bodies, centipedes comprise two segmented tagmata (a head and a trunk) which bear different expressions.

Reports are that each segment bears a single pair of legs and has a dorsal (tergite) and ventral (sternite) plate.

Laterally, each segment has a soft region known as the pleural membrane. Their legs are visibly segmented and each leg is said to terminate into a claw.

It has been disclosed that centipedes normally have a drab colouration combining shades of brown and red and it is said that their size can range from a few millimetres to about a foot.

At the anterior end of the centipede is the head, and dorsally it consists of a cephalic plate which is distinct in appearance from the tergites.

Some species are said to have eyes though they may not be able to see from them. For this reason their most prominent feature are their poisonous claws or forcipules.

They also have three pairs of mouthparts all derived from the modification of appendages. Reports are that these mouthparts are used for both feeding and grooming. At the anterior of the head there is a pair of antennae which vary in length and number of segments.

The posterior end of a centipede has a conspicuous pair of legs which are called the ultimate or anal legs.
These legs are not used for walking and are usually morphologically distinct from other pairs. Instead they are used for defence and mating and so they are often distinct between the sexes.

The sexual organs are externally visible in some species thus clearly distinguishing the males and females.
Centipedes are found in moist microhabitats since water relations are an important aspect of their ecology. They are said to lose water rapidly in dry conditions

According to researchers, some species of Centipedes can be hazardous to humans because of their poisonous bites.

Although a bite to an adult human may only be painful, to those with allergies that are similar to that of bee stings and small children are at greater risk. (Source: The Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia)