Impurest's Guide to Animals #144 - Waterfall Centipede

Shocktober continues with a period of unusually warm weather coupled with rain and more rain, although I guess I shouldn’t complain considering how dry it was over the summer. Last week’s animal was the most unlikely of blood suckers, if the form of the vampire moth. This week nowhere is safe, as horror mobilises a second column this time underwater, hope you guys enjoy.

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Issue #144 - Waterfall Centipede

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Arthropoda

Class – Chilopoda

Order – Scolopendromorpha

Family – Scolopendridae

Genus – Scolopenda

Species – cataracta

Related Species – Waterfall Centipedes are part of the Scolopede family which includes the Giant Amazonian Centipede (Scolopenda gigantea) (1)

Range - Waterfall Centipedes are found in shallow streams and pools across Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

#nowhereissafe

Waterfall Centipedes are large centipedes that reach a length of 20cm, and are covered in dull brown or grey armour, with a single pair of bright orange legs sticking out from each body segment. While most centipedes stay away from water, the Waterfall Centipede has a hydrophobic coating to its exoskeleton which means water slips off quickly when it emerges from bodies of water. Usually content with walking on the stream bed, the centipede can swim by undulating its body like an eel, usually below the water surface to avoid being picked off by predators such as hornbills.

To further evade predation the centipede spends most of the day asleep under a stone on shore, only moving into water when disturbed, or at night to hunt for its prey. While it is unknown what exactly the Waterfall Centipede preys on, it probably overpowers prey with the two hollow fangs on the front section that inject a quick acting venom into its victim. This venom is harmful to human beings, but is likely not fatal unless the person bitten is in poor health, very young or very old.

The breeding habits of this species are also unknown, but it can be assumed that they are very similar to other members of the genus Scolopenda. After fertilisation, the female probably finds a dry hole to lay her eggs in. From there she will keep a close vigil on her eggs, scaring off potential nest thieves and keeping fungal infections at bay by licking the shells clean until they hatch, before returning to the waterside to resume her aquatic lifestyle.

Nature’s Most Wanted #8 - Portuguese Black Millipede

The Portuguese Black Millipede (Ommatoiulus moreleti) is a small black millipede that reaches a length of only 4cm. As the name suggests the species in native to Portugal, but has spread, via hiding in shipments of timber, to South African and Australia in the early part of the 20^th century. Since arriving in these locations, particularly in Australia, the warmer weather and lack of predators has seen the millipedes population explode to plague proportions, although interestingly, this expansion of foreign millipedes has had little negative effect on native species in both areas (3).

Instead the Portuguese Black Millipede has turned its attention to agricultural land, and damages cereal crops, soft fruit and young plants as it scavenges for decaying matter. In addition, the millipedes sometimes shelter in bunches of grapes, and can ruin wine if ground down alongside the grapes. It’s there great numbers that cause the most problem however, with this particular species of millipede being attracted to lights when foraging at night, and as such they often come inside houses much to the annoyance of the people living there.

The numbers of millipedes became so high that in 2009 thousands of millipedes looking for food overtook over a mile of train track just outside Perth, and in 2013 an empty train shunted a stationary passenger train in Clarkson, West Australia due to crushed millipedes on the line causing the train to lose traction (4). Since then trains in areas facing plague proportions of Portuguese Black Millipedes now have specialised sweepers to remove the arthropods from the line. And more recently numbers of the millipedes are beginning to reduce thanks to a parasitic nematode worm Rhabditis necromena making the jump from native millipede populations to that of the invasive species.

Bibliography

1 -www.arkive.org

2 - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/amphibious-centipede-discovered-laos-scolopendra-cataracta-new-species/

3 - Griffin, T.T and Bull, C.M. 1995. Interactions between introduced and native millipede species in South Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 43: 129-140

4 - http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/australia-just-had-a-train-accident-thats-being-blamed-on-millipedes/279380/

Picture References

1 - https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/830b56a6e96218b7c7f2bcbe03a1b1acd0860613/100_774_1221_732/master/1221.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=3ca2f6634c2bb60d05d362894e0939e6

2 - http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/07/02/18/35E4192C00000578-3670509-image-a-44_1467481810302.jpg

3 - http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2016/07/centipede-mouth.jpg.838x0_q80.jpg

4 - http://riddellscreeklandcare.org.au/Myriapods/PortugueseMillipede.jpg

Lurking in pools? Derailing trains? These two certainly have much to answer for. Next week we spend some time in the company of an animal that specialises in brain washing, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? For the last time we hung out with centipedes click here to meet the Giant Amazonian Centipede. Or for another maniac millipede, click here to meet the Shocking Pink Dragon Millipede.

@cbishop, @ostyo, @wildvine, @laflux, @black_wreath, @galactic_1000, @anna_karenina,@heroup2112, @blueecho, @jamiewolfe7, @bb_ryder, @destinyman75, @xlr87t3, @xwraith, @pipxeroth, @juiceboks and @mikesterman

#nowhereissafe

nope nope nope nope nope

Those millipedes smell terrible. >.<

@pipxeroth: That was my reaction when I found out about that (although mine had some choice curse words from five different languages)

@black_wreath: Yeah they have cyanide as well so they can be dangerous, in addition to being stinky, to touch if you don't wash your hands after touching them

@impurestcheese: Uh oh. o_o

@black_wreath: Check out this issue for more on the chemical defences. And I got it wrong, it's Hydrogen Cyanide which is even worse. My appologies

@impurestcheese: Still less scary than Craneflies (My Phobia). Great post as always :)

@laflux: Thanks for the comment. But isn't the crane-fly is harmless...

That thing is awesome. I would love to see it attack its prey

Awesome.

@impurestcheese I never said it was a rational phobia :p

Centipedes rock ^-^

@mikesterman: It's not the same species but wish granted

And here is a Giant Amazon Centipede doing something even worse...

@galactic_1000: Thanks for the comment

@laflux: Fair enough, makes me feel guilty about an upcoming issue that's all about Daddy Longlegs Spiders (circa November)

@bb_ryder:No they don't!! Centipede venom is painful and has no antidote. You have to sit there vomiting, feeling like your skin is on fire, not to mention the skin looks like its rotting around the bite wound. Trust me it's not fun.

@impurestcheese: But what if they don't bite you ? : O

@bb_ryder: Then you are lucky, or aren't holding a giant centipede. One more thing to add, if this guy is like the rest of the Scolopedes then it can ooze a toxin down its legs that cause skin to blister

@impurestcheese:

: O

Still rocks : P

@bb_ryder: One last attempt to persuade you that centipedes are bad

@impurestcheese: that centipede just didn't care... Was it eating the spider alive?

@mikesterman: It was, centipedes and a lot of other animals that use venom start consuming their prey while it is immobilised yet still alive. In fact venom is classified as a biological toxin that is used to assist digestion since all venom's break down living tissue so its actually eating the animals before it even gets to the mouth parts

Interesting stuff indeed. Creepy creature.

@mass_fantasy: Cool, thanks for the comment. Centipedes are creepy in general, ones that can swim are many times worse than their land based relatives

@impurestcheese: How do you usually pick your animals?

Centipedes=bad. I'm on board!

@xlr87t3: I generally look for the obscure and the unusual, or something to fit in with holidays such as Chinese New Year or April Fools. That said this 'Shocktober' it's all about things that are creepy. I do take requests when people ask for them as well.

@heroup2112: Good to hear. ?

@impurestcheese: Of course centipedes made your list of horrors! XD

@ficopedia: Would you have preferred worms?

@impurestcheese: Oh, I'm going to read either way, but of course centipedes made your list of horrors, because of your personal aversion to them. ;)

@impurestcheese said:

Holy shit these things are crazy.

@ficopedia: Have ya seen big centipedes? And yes its my own dislike driving me, but considering I was hospitalised for days because of one there is a valid reason

@amendment50: Thanks for the comment, and yes they are a wee bit crazy

Kill it with fire

@ostyo: I believe that is the correct answer indeed

I wasn't bashing the choice, Imp'. I just thought it was funny that centipedes have come up again. ;)

@ficopedia: Hmm, thanks I guess

@impurestcheese: Its only specific to Craneflies. I think Spiders are cute for the most part :p

@laflux: Don't give them anymore ideas please, their egos are already quite inflated as it is

@impurestcheese Yes it is :P. Look at those two biggest ocelli on its little face. A spiders cuteness is directly proportional to how big its two biggest ocelli are. Hence why jumping spiders are the cutest but blind cave spider place lower on the list :)

@laflux: Yeah the eyes have it apparently

@impurestcheese: I forgot to follow you, soooo...yeah I'm following you now.

Oh my god, these freaking things are nightmares. I can't imagine how the person who discovered hordes of them on that track reacted. He/she is probably still screaming to this day. Not to mention them getting into any delicious Shiraz making vineyards Down Under. Equally horrifying, I'd say.