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Red-headed Centipede
Jackson Nugent, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Centipedes & millipedes

Red-headed Centipede

Scolopendra morsitans Linnaeus, 1758

Names

EnglishRed-headed Centipede
Dutch—
Spanish—
Chinese赤蜈蚣
Scientific nameScolopendra morsitans Linnaeus, 1758

About this species

Scolopendra morsitans, also known as the Tanzanian blue ringleg or red-headed centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. S. morsitans is the type species for the genus Scolopendra.

Adult Tanzanian blue ringlegs grow to around 13 centimetres (5.1 in) and are generally characterised by bright red heads and striated body segments; however, their colouration varies widely across regional populations. The species is found across all inhabited continents and is highly invasive. The centipede is an aggressive and opportunistic predator which hunts primarily at night and feeds on other arthropods and some small vertebrates, using a neurotoxic venom and its strong jaws to capture, incapacitate and digest its prey. The species prefers warm environments and is often found beneath leaves, bark and other substrate on the ground.

S.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassChilopoda
OrderScolopendromorpha
FamilyScolopendridae
GenusScolopendra

In Suriname

6Records in Suriname
1886First record

Where it has been recorded

  • Sipaliwini2
  • Paramaribo1

Districts with at least one record that has coordinates. Shaded districts have records.

Sources & credits

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