Nature is amazingly diverse. Great amount bizarre, beautiful or terrible-looking animals and insects live on our planet. The ecosystem needs them to maintain a certain balance in nature. Own role Millipedes also play. They belong to the genus of labiopods, the order Scolopendra. Scolopendra is a carnivore, poisonous insect, which is not afraid of people, but prefers not to meet them of their own free will. They can have different sizes.
Habitats
A description and photo of scolopendra can be found on the website. It is advisable to do this for those people who are going on trips to warm or tropical countries. It is there that the centipede and the tropical scolopendra grow to gigantic size and pose a real danger to humans. Their body length reaches 26-30 cm. There are individuals up to 45-50 cm. Therefore, the question of where centipedes live is interesting for humans. They can be found on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, in the north and west South America.
On a note!
These centipedes are usually distributed in the tropics and subtropics, as they are heat-loving. There are about 600 species of scolopendra and only a few varieties are found in Southern Europe, areas of the Mediterranean, Transcaucasia, Central and South Asia, and the Far East.
Basically, real scolopendras are found in the upper layers of the soil, under stones, lying logs, in rock crevices and other secluded corners, where humidity is maintained during the hot time of the day, and no one can disturb them. A natural question arises as to whether the poisonous centipede can be found in places with colder climates and, if so, where this predatory insect lives in Russia. There are different types of insects, some of which live in the Russian Federation.
Types of predators
Typical representatives of this order of centipedes are the ringed scolopendra, Californian scolopendra and Lucas scolopendra. But there are other varieties of these predators, which are their closest relatives.- Californian. It has green color and is classified as a giant, since its body size reaches 20 centimeters. Lives in arid regions of Mexico and the USA. Whether scolopendra is dangerous for humans in normal conditions can be seen by observing the predator in the wild. In a calm environment, the centipede does not pose any threat, but in case of danger, running its numerous legs over a person’s skin causes inflammation at the site of contact. For all time, only one death of a seven-year-old child in the Philippines from the bite of this poisonous centipede has been recorded.
- Ringed centipede. Found in Mediterranean countries, Southern Europe, North Africa, in the southern region of Russia. It is widespread in Crimea. The body length is from 14 to 17 centimeters. Scolopendra is painted in a beautiful golden yellow, but is also poisonous, like its relatives.
- Vietnamese. This representative is distinguished by the secretion of a luminous liquid that smells of phosphorus, which severely burns the skin and causes inflammation. The bite of the Scolopendra subspinipes insect produces a wound up to 1.5 cm in diameter and 5 mm in depth. The toxin is similar in action to viper venom. The wound bleeds for a long time, since a special substance is injected along with the poison that prevents blood clotting. There is an increase in temperature to 39-40 degrees and an increase in the bitten limb several times. The injured person must be immediately given an antiallergic drug and taken to the nearest hospital.
- African scolopendra. She can make noise with her hind legs in the form of chirping and crackling noises to scare away enemies. The individuals themselves do not react to this sound in any way.
- Blind, poisonous centipedes, Cryptops, live in the upper layers of the soil. They, like moles, practically never appear on the surface. These small yellow-brown scolopendras, 3–4 cm long, can be found in steppe regions and on garden plots even in Moscow latitudes. They do not pose a danger, since the weak jaw apparatus cannot bite through human skin. In the tropical region there are various types these insects that are colored different colors, ranging from green to purple shades.
- Drupes (Lithobiomorpha) are small relatives of centipedes. They can accidentally get into the stomach with fruit or crawl into a sleeping person’s nose or ear, but this happens very rarely. Mainly found in cities near damp foundations.
- Scutigera coleoptrata has 15 pairs long legs and long mustache. Scolopendra is a nocturnal insect, but this species can be seen during the day on the wall of a house. Preys on flies and other small insects. It tolerates dry air best of all species, although in the hottest daytime it tries to hide in shelter. Scolopendra of this species is capable of being active at more low temperatures, which provides it with advantages in hunting over other insects. Today it is rarely seen in Crimea. The black scolopendra also belongs to the scutiger class.
Appearance
You can see what a scolopendra looks like in colorful photos. It consists of a head and a long body, divided into 21 or 23 parts. Each segment has a pair of 2.5 cm light yellow legs with a pointed spine at the end. A poisonous gland is located in each leg.
The back pair of legs is different from all the others large size and backward direction. This helps the centipede move well in the ground and stay in the right position while hunting.
The insect is often called the centipede and centipede. But how correct this is from a scientific point of view, it is difficult for an ignorant person to understand this issue. So what is the difference between a centipede and a centipede? Based on the popular name, it has forty legs. But in reality, these insects have from 15 to 171 pairs of legs.
On a note!
Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so real life centipedes are not found. Predators run very fast, they can even jump, trying to hide from the enemy.
The centipede's head is a plate with eyes, two antennae and front legs, which have turned into jaws, consisting of 6 parts. The extreme segment is a sharp claw, curved inward and connected to the venom gland channel. Through a hole in the claw, a toxin is released, which paralyzes the victim. A completely natural question arises about why scolopendra is dangerous. After its bite, the poison causes severe pain, swelling, numbness and inflammation appear at the point of the bite. The pain syndrome lasts from two hours to several days.
Reproduction and nutrition
The centipede is a predator and a good hunter. Therefore, it is clear what scolopendra eats. Like any predator, it eats small worms, beetle larvae, flies, and insects. Large individuals are capable of attacking small lizards, frogs, birds, mice, snakes and even bats.
Interesting!
Scolopendras eat for a long time, thoroughly digesting food and interrupting the meal several times during the entire process of eating. They can feed on large prey for several days.
Centipede breeding occurs in the warm season. This period lasts from late spring to early summer. The male covers the entrance to his home with a web and deposits a sac of sperm called a spermatophore on it. The female then crawls over this sac, capturing it to fertilize the eggs. In Crimea there are species that reproduce parthenogenetically without males.
The female exhibits maternal instinct, guarding the laid eggs for several weeks by wrapping their legs around them. At this time, it releases substances that protect against the development of mold. After the appearance of young offspring, the female leaves. Scolopendras are born white and soft, then they molt several times, darken and begin an independent life. Centipedes live 1-2 years, large relatives can live up to 7 years, usually in captivity.
Scootigers
In Russia there are centipedes that do not pose such a threat as tropical representatives. The domestic scolopendra, which lives in human homes, is practically harmless. It even brings benefits by eating flies, moths, cockroaches, bedbugs, and ants. It reaches a length of 2-6 cm. The scolopendra bites only for self-defense. Its jaws are very weak and cannot bite through human skin. But if this does happen, then the predator’s bite is as painful as that of a bee.
To prevent infection from the centipede's paws from getting into the wound, the bite site should be treated with ammonia, a solution of manganese, and an antiallergic drug should be taken.
Ways to fight
Scolopendra domestica, a photo of which can be seen on the website, thrives in humid, warm, dark rooms with enough food, suitable temperature. mechanically is very difficult, since the flat shape of the body and shell reliably protect from external influences.
Modern insecticides are used to combat domestic scolopendra. wide range actions, folk remedies, such as: boric acid, cayenne hot pepper and the help of professionals is used. But the most important thing is to remove the reasons why centipedes appeared:
- get rid of mold and moisture in the house;
- seal all cracks in windows, doors and floors;
- clean up the living space;
- remove other insects.
Some exotic lovers want to have a home. Those wishing to purchase one pet need to know everything necessary information before you dare to do something like this:
- how much does scolopendra cost?
- under what conditions should it be kept?
- what precautions to take;
- what to feed.
Then the owner and the scolopendra will coexist comfortably and safely side by side.
Scolopendras are not the most pleasant creatures. And no one is safe from meeting them. Many species of these arthropods are poisonous, and some have adapted to live very close to us - in apartments.
Forcipules
Scientists have counted 8,000 species of various scolopendras living in the most different corners planets. These centipedes are the only arthropods in which the legs of the first segment are not intended for walking. It's about about special appendages, the so-called forcipules, which have poisonous claws.
That is why their appearance causes deserved fear in people. Writers and screenwriters turn to the image of centipedes to make their works more creepy. Eg, American writer William Seward Burroughs in the novels "Cities of the Red Night", "The Space of Dead Roads" and " Western Lands", called centipede an absolute evil. The movie "King Kong" (2005) shows how huge centipedes attacked travelers.
Poisonous creature
Depending on the species and age, a scolopendra bite can have a variety of consequences for a person, up to fatal outcome. Moreover, females are more poisonous than males.
Fortunately, deadly centipedes are not found in Russia. But scolopendras, which live in the Crimea, in particular on Tarkhankut, can indeed sting very painfully.
“A centipede about thirteen centimeters crawled into my sneaker at Cape Sarych,” said local Alexander. - I tore off my shoes in an instant from the pain without untying the laces. A bee bite compared to a scolopendra is about the same as a mosquito bite compared to a wasp. The temperature remained high for two days.”
Is it a centipede?
How many legs does the centipede, sometimes called the centipede, actually have? Judging by the name, which has taken root among the common people, forty. Meanwhile, depending on the species, these arthropods can have from 15 to 171 body segments and the same number of pairs of legs. However, in any case, they always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so in reality centipedes do not occur in nature.
Predators
By nature, all centipedes are predators. Small - feed on other invertebrates, mollusks and annelids. More large species, living in the tropics, are able to eat a frog and even small birds. Having attacked the victim, centipedes wrap themselves around the prey and wait for the poison to begin to act. Only after this do they start eating.
Even those centipedes that live in our homes - Scutigera coleoptrata - are also predators, and they feed on flies, cockroaches, spiders, bedbugs and other domestic insects. They are often called common flycatchers. These are, as a rule, four-centimeter, 15-segmented centipedes that run very quickly from people. They can only be removed with sticky traps or by eliminating moisture in the house.
Long-lived arthropods
Compared to most other arthropods, centipedes are long-lived. There are many species that live for two to three years. This is also surprising because centipedes grow throughout their lives, unlike other insects in which growth stops with puberty.
One more unique ability these creatures are regenerating lost legs, for example, after a bird attack. True, new pairs grow after molting. In this case, the regenerated legs are shorter than the old legs.
Loving mothers
Usually arthropod insects, with rare exceptions, are irresponsible parents. It is believed that maternal love is inherent in more developed animals.
However, scientists were surprised to discover that scolopendras have a maternal instinct. For example, the soil scolopendra Geophilomorpha and the tropical centipede species Scolopendromorpha guard the egg mass until the larvae emerge. However, here too scolopendras have amazing properties, practically not found in the rest of the animal world. Some of them reproduce without the participation of a male - that is, parthenogenetically. These are the centipedes that live in Crimea.
Giant scolopendras
On the islands of Jamaica and Trinidad, as well as in some places in South America, there live giant centipedes, which can have a length of 26 cm. However, a thirty-centimeter centipede was found in Australia. It is known about these insects that they eat for a very long time so as not to harm themselves by overeating and often take breaks in the process of devouring the victim. After eating, these centipedes carefully clean their jaws with their antennae.
The Centipede Scolopendra (Scolopendromorpha) is a very interesting invertebrate that can often be found under rocks, on the forest floor, or in the topsoil.
Of particular interest is the number of legs these animals have - for this they were called centipedes. We just won’t see them in the daytime, because these creatures are not fans of daylight, but prefer humidity and complete darkness.
Who are Scolopendra
Externally, Scolopendras are similar and their appearance frightens many: they have a flat body, divided into segments (from 21 to 30, the common flycatcher is an exception, it has only 15 segments) which contributes to their agility.
These centipedes greenish or brown color(less often black or dirty yellow), which helps to camouflage perfectly among environment, jaws, terrifying for prey, and a chitinous shell, thanks to which they are not so easy to kill.
Scolopendra - from lat. Scolopendridae - belong to the labiopod family. These animals have 4 pairs of eyes, from 21 pairs to 23 pairs of legs and many poisonous well-developed hooks. Scolopendras are found in tropical and subtropical climates.
These insects are active night look life, and in the daytime they try to hide in some kind of crevice, because they cannot tolerate light and dryness. If there are no cracks, then centipedes burrow into loose soil, although sand is also suitable for them.
They sit in their shelter until nightfall, and then go out hunting. Absolutely all types of these insects are predators. Quite a few species of representatives of the order Scolopendra are known:
- Scopendropsis bahiensis - Brazilian scolopendra.
- Scolopendra subspinipes - Vietnamese centipede.
- Scolopendra cingulata is a ringed insect.
- Euconybas crotalus, or the rattling scolopendra, is so named because it makes a sound similar to a hiss when crawling. rattlesnake. Found in Africa.
- Scolopocryptos rufa – red scolopendra. Unlike individuals of other species, it has no eyes.
- Scolopendra Lukasi - Lucas' scolopendra. Up to 15 cm long, found in southern Europe.
- Scolopendra gigantea or giant scolopendra. The most large centipede of this order, living in the tropics. It can sometimes reach 30 cm in length. It feeds on small vertebrates or large insects.
What danger do Scolopendra pose?
If anyone happens to meet a scolopendra in wildlife, then remember, the scolopendra poison is not very dangerous for humans, but it can bring a lot of trouble into a person’s life.
A disturbed insect, crawling across a person’s skin, can leave a “path” of burns, because it has acid on each leg. If it stings, then the pain will be quite severe, comparable to the sting of 20 bees.
The place where the poison enters the blood may become very swollen, all this will be accompanied by fever, nausea, anxiety, vomiting. Symptoms often persist for no more than two days. Known cases of spasms muscle fibers, development of renal failure or partial paralysis.
The venom of these insects contains histamine, a mediator allergic reactions, lecithin - a set of phospholipids necessary for construction nerve cells, serotonin - the hormone of happiness and acetylcholine - a neurotransmitter. Behind medical care should be contacted immediately after a centipede bite.
Depending on the severity of the consequences of the bite treatment is prescribed. More often they are limited to the following manipulations:
- washing areas with damaged skin;
- apply a cold compress locally;
- anesthetize the bite site with analgesics orally and lidocaine through injections;
- carry out tetanus prophylaxis.
Scolopendras in people's homes and how to get rid of them
Can centipedes live in warmer latitudes? Can they start in a human home? The answer is yes, they can. They can be found more often in houses under plaster, where it is dark and fairly high humidity.
But this species is called common flycatcher, does not exceed 6 cm in length, has a brownish-yellow color, has antennae in front that are several times shorter than her hind legs, so it is quite difficult to understand where her front is and where her back is. It is absolutely safe for humans. On the contrary, it can be beneficial because it eats other insects: cockroaches, bedbugs, spiders, ants, etc.
For some people, these creepy-looking insects have become popular pets despite the dangerous poison. Although, according to statistics, there are not so many such exotic lovers, most people find such centipedes disgusting.
If you want to get rid of these insects, but they live in the most inappropriate places: in the bathroom, basement, bathroom. node, ordinary insecticidal liquids will not get rid of it. Yes, and adhesive tapes will not help, the scolopendra will tear off its glued paws and start growing new ones.
Needed first seal all the cracks, carefully plaster the walls, reduce the level of moisture in the rooms, and treat the rooms against insects, because centipedes settle where there is water and food.
In this case, the centipedes will go to another, more suitable place for them. You also need to clean up the yard and remove piles of humus and leaves. But there is no urgent need to destroy these insects.
Scolopendra is a predatory poisonous animal from the centipede family. She is known for her unusual appearance, which causes conflicting feelings in people. Most people experience fear and disgust when meeting her. But there are lovers of exotic animals who keep them in home terrariums and even let them run around the apartment. Is scolopendra dangerous for humans? It will not be able to cause significant harm to health, but its bite will cause a lot of unpleasant sensations in the form of pain and discomfort from the poison.
Features of the life of a poisonous centipede
Scolopendra are bright representatives of the genus of labiopods. Their distinctive feature- modified forelimbs, transformed into jaws. The body consists of segments, the number of which is different types ranges from 21 to 25. Each segment has its own pair of legs ending in sharp claws. The segmented antennae serve as organs of touch. The variety of colors attracts attention to these creatures. Their paint contains red, blue, orange, purple, yellow and numerous combinations.
A variety of types and colors of scolopendra are found in hot tropical forests. The largest representatives of the family, the giant centipedes, live here. The average length of their body is 30 cm, but there are individuals up to 45-50 cm. They choose prey equal in size to themselves. But an aggressive manner of attacking any danger can provoke a person to bite. Scolopendra is a long-lived invertebrate; in captivity there are individuals that have lived up to 7 years.
Information. Scientists attribute the animal's aggression to poor eyesight.
Nutrition and reproduction
Scolopendras are nocturnal predators, they hide from sun rays drying out their body. Creatures live in crevices, under stones, in holes. Agile animals move quickly on numerous legs not only on horizontal, but also on vertical surfaces, and climb onto the ceiling of a cave or house. Centipedes hunt insects, small rodents, snakes and lizards.
During the breeding season, males lay a special sac with seed - a spermatophore. Females are fertilized by crawling over it. Caring mothers protect the eggs from danger for several weeks, covering them with their own paws. After the offspring appear, the female crawls away. The white, soft-bodied babies grow on their own, becoming more adult-like with each molt.
Poisonous apparatus
In order to have a good idea of the consequences of a scolopendra bite, it is worth considering the structure of its poisonous apparatus. The jaws with which the centipede catches prey consist of 6 segments. The outermost one is a sharp claw, curved inward. The venom gland channel runs inside the maxillary. At the tip of the claw there is a hole through which the toxin is injected into the victim. It contains substances that cause severe pain, tissue numbness, swelling and inflammation. Painful sensations last from several hours to several days.
Attention. Scolopendra poison is especially dangerous in spring and autumn.
Encounter with Scolopendra
Giant centipedes with an aggressive disposition and toxic poison, found in the tropics and subtropics. Residents temperate zone There is no need to fear a collision with a 30-centimeter giant that can easily kill a small snake. In Europe, there are individuals that are half the size of the representatives tropical species. Why is scolopendra dangerous for humans? The bite of a poisonous centipede is very painful. In most cases, the dose of injected poison is small; it will not kill or paralyze an adult. Children are in greater danger, their body has still formed a strong protective immunity. An attack by a large animal on a child can lead to serious consequences.
Attention. California scolopendra can cause painful skin changes without even needing to bite. Her body contains toxic mucus, which comes out when there is danger. Contact with it causes a severe allergic reaction.
On the territory of Russia, scolopendras are found only in a few regions - Crimea, Caucasus, Rostov region And Krasnodar region. Small centipedes, 12-14 cm, live here. This is the ringed scolopendra. She is nocturnal and at dusk goes out to hunt for insects and small lizards. The species is not aggressive, but you should be careful during overnight hikes. A centipede can crawl into a tent or sleeping bag. You should also be careful when collecting branches for the fire. If you accidentally disturb a scolopendra, you will receive a bite comparable to the sting of 20 bees. The effect of the poison is not fatal, but extremely unpleasant and painful. Claws on numerous limbs leave red spots on the skin if the arthropod simply runs across the body.
Scolopendra in the house
The ringed scolopendra can settle in the house. She is attracted by a favorable environment - warmth, the presence of damp and dark shelters, food in the form of insects. She doesn't eat human food or damage furniture. Positive point its presence - the removal of all small invertebrates: cockroaches, spiders, flies. Such a neighborhood is safe until you accidentally step on a centipede or provoke it in some other way. In defense of itself, the scolopendra will bite. Residents of coastal areas where dangerous centipedes live should be careful. Don't leave open doors, and install mosquito nets on the windows.
How to get rid of centipedes?
There will be few thrill-seekers who will normally accept the appearance of a small but poisonous scolopendra in the house. Fears for their health and the well-being of their children force them to look for an opportunity to drive her out of the house. The best solution in this case is to create unfavorable conditions– complete destruction of insects and drying of moisture.
What to do if you are bitten by a millipede?
If it was not possible to avoid the attack of the scolopendra, then the person should be given first aid based on the symptoms that appear:
- burning at the site of the bite;
- redness;
- edema;
- increase in body temperature to 38-39 0;
- nausea;
- weakness and dizziness.
Most scolopendra attacks occur in the tropics and deserts. Attacks by local centipedes cause inflammation and tissue necrosis, kidney failure, and heart failure. The lymph nodes located close to the bite site become enlarged.
The described symptoms persist for up to two days. It would seem that residents of Russian cities have no reason to fear Asian and tropical centipedes, but danger may lurk in their own apartment. Numerous exotic animal lovers keep beautiful tropical species of centipedes, but in the process of caring for them they make mistakes, as a result of which they bite their owners or run away. The fugitive easily and quickly climbs the walls and hides in the ventilation system. An unexpected dangerous guest can appear in any apartment.
Advice. If you need to transplant a scolopendra from a terrarium, do not touch it with bare hands, use special forceps.
What to do if you are bitten by a scolopendra? The poison of tropical species quickly penetrates the blood and spreads throughout the body. To reduce this process, it is recommended to apply a tourniquet above the bite site. Treat the wound with substances that neutralize the poison:
- ethyl alcohol - pour on the wound;
- alkaline solution - prepared at home from baking soda.
Call a doctor immediately if you develop a fever, confusion, numbness in your limbs, or difficulty breathing.
Information. The bite of the Vietnamese scolopendra Scolopendra subspinipes, which has a body length of 20 cm, leaves a wound up to 1.5 cm in diameter and 5 mm in depth. Within 2 hours, the limb doubles in size, the effects of the toxin are similar to the venom of a viper. Blood flows from the wound for a long time; special substances in the poison prevent it from clotting. The condition is accompanied by an increase in temperature to 39-40 degrees. It is recommended that the victim be given an antihistamine and sent to the hospital.
One of the consequences of a centipede bite is infection. Remains of animal food that has rotted on the jaws can get into the wound. Thorough treatment with a disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide, alcohol tincture) will help avoid unpleasant complications. With absence special means Simply wash the wound with soap and water.
What treatment can be applied at home?
After washing the affected area with water or alcohol, apply a sterile bandage. To reduce pain, use an ice compress and take an analgesic. The patient needs rest, it is advisable to drink plenty of fluids to help remove toxins from the body. It would be a good idea to take allergy medications.
Do not panic when meeting a centipede; the small centipede will try to quickly hide from a person. Also, do not act carelessly and pick it up. It is difficult to predict the animal’s reaction; if it panics, it will definitely bite. Remember that the centipede's venom is not fatal, but the bite site will turn red and hurt for several hours.
Scolopendras are the largest labiopods, living mainly in the tropics and subtropics; only a few species penetrate into colder zones.
Most scolopendras live under stones, under logs, in rock cracks and other similar shelters, where during dry times of the day the air is saturated with water vapor. Due to this, the body of scolopendras is strongly flattened in the dorso-ventral direction. Centipedes come out of hiding almost exclusively at night, hunting for various invertebrates, although there are known cases of attacks by large centipedes, for example giant scolopendra(Scolopendra gigantea), on birds, lizards and toads (Fig. 92). The giant scolopendra reaches a length of 26 cm and is found on the islands of Jamaica and Trinidad and in the north and west of South America.
The body of the scolopendra consists of 21-23 segments, similar in size, differing in the presence or absence of spiracles, which are not present on all segments. The dorsal surface is leathery and often has a different color (usually darker, but in species living in sandy areas, sometimes lighter) than the ventral surface. The scolopendra's legs are adapted not only for fast walking and even running (while running, the scolopendra rests on the ends of its claws and bends its body like a snake), but also for tenaciously grasping prey.
The hind pair of legs - dragging legs - have a different structure and meaning than those of geophiles. In scolopendras they are hook-shaped and serve as strong anchors when scolopendra captures large prey.
In the south of the European part of the USSR and in the Mediterranean countries it is widespread ringed scolopendra(Scolopendra cingulata), reaching 10 cm in length (Table 12, 2). This scolopendra is usually colored on the dorsal side in a dark, olive-brown color, but there are also lighter specimens - khaki color. Here they are found in the Caucasus and Crimea, but they also enter the steppes of the Rostov and Kherson regions and Moldova. During the day, these centipedes hide in various shelters - under stones or in cracks in rocks and soil, emerging from them to hunt at night.
Scolopendra feeds on various insects - beetles and their larvae, cockroaches, orthoptera, etc., as well as spiders, and sometimes mollusks. Prey is caught by the scolopendra not only at night on the soil surface - in hot, dry areas, those shelters in which the scolopendra hides during the day also attract other small invertebrates, which then become prey to the multi-legged predator.
The ringed scolopendra reproduces in the spring. At this time, if the male meets a female somewhere along the course, he makes a cobweb ring inside the passage, lining the walls of the passage. The male deposits a spermatophore on this ring, forcing the female to crawl through it after him. When the female, with her hook-shaped legs of the last pair, feels for a spermatophore on the web, she stops, captures it with the genital opening, and fertilization of the eggs by sperm occurs inside the female’s body, in her genital tract.
In our country, the ringed scolopendra usually reproduces without fertilization in the Crimea, the North Caucasus, and the south of the Ukrainian SSR; this species is represented in most places only by females that reproduce parthenogenetically. Before laying eggs, female centipedes climb into a deep crack in the soil or dig a hole for themselves and curl up there. The female wraps her body around the lump of laid eggs, covering it with tightly clenched legs. For several weeks the female does not feed, “hatching” the eggs. Scolopendras emerging from eggs have approximately the same structure as adults (Table 12).
Therefore, when Vera Inber, in her famous comic poem about centipedes (i.e., centipedes) says that “children are just the spitting image of their mother,” she is absolutely right. But claiming that “the centipede gave birth to crumbs,” the poetess takes liberties: small centipedes are not born, but come out of laid eggs! But zoologists at the beginning of the last century also made the same mistake, believing that scolopendra has a live birth.
The main difference between newly hatched centipedes and adults is that they are pigmentless and white. When their integument darkens and gains strength, the small centipedes crawl away: when there is a lack of food, the mother eats the stronger offspring. If eggs or fragile juveniles of scolopendra are separated from the mother's body, they die from mold: scolopendra, like geophiles, secrete substances with antibiotic properties.
Our ringed scolopendra secretes a fairly strong poison, but its bite is not fatal to humans. Scolopendras are especially poisonous in the spring, but even in the fall their bites are painful and cause general malaise. The writer of these lines once had to observe how, on the southern coast of Crimea, a scolopendra bit a man who took it in his hands. The pain was like being stung by a hornet, within 3-4 hours my arm swelled, first in the hand, and then up to the shoulder, the temperature rose above 39°. Chills and malaise began. These painful phenomena were observed for 2 days, after which the temperature subsided and the tumor resolved quite quickly. The bite of the ringed scolopendra does not cause any dangerous complications.
It is believed that the bite of a giant scolopendra is fatal to humans. Females are especially poisonous. No wonder the song sung on the island of Trinidad says that “a male scolopendra is bad, a female scolopendra is worse than bad”! But recent experiments conducted in Brazil on the effect of the venom of this and other large centipedes on warm-blooded animals give reason to believe that the widespread idea of the toxicity of centipedes is exaggerated and that the bite of even a giant centipede is not fatal to humans.
Tropical centipedes are more poisonous than ours. They are widely feared, but there is little accurate information about their toxicity. Some centipedes cause inflammation skin not only if they bite, but even if they simply run over the surface of the body: in places where the scolopendra, running over the skin, comes into contact with its claws with its claws, red inflamed rows of spots form - traces left by the scolopendra. It is interesting that such traces are left only by a frightened scolopendra, apparently secreting a protective liquid; an undisturbed scolopendra does not leave such traces. The large green fish is especially known for its ability to leave itchy marks. California scolopendra(Scolopendra heros).
Some centipedes are quite brightly colored, for example in South Africa rhizida(Rhysida afra) - blue.
Interesting common in tropical Africa genus leaf-footed centipedes(Alipes), in which the legs of the last pair are expanded into wide plates. If such a scolopendra is grabbed, it uses these plates to make a loud cracking sound, scaring away the predator.
Despite the poisonousness and repulsive appearance of scolopendras, they are eaten in some places (in Thailand, in Africa).
All the scolopendras discussed above are predators that come to the surface of the soil and have eyes on the sides of their heads, consisting of clusters of simple ocelli. These are representatives of the family real centipedes(Scolopendridae).
The order Scolopendra includes family of blind scolopendras(Cryptopidae), by way of life, and at first glance, by general appearance resembling geophiles, but only with a wider and flattened body (Table 12, 1). Blind centipedes, for example, common among us steppe blind scolopendra(Curtops anomalans), up to 4 cm long, are yellow, mobile centipedes that hunt in passages and cracks in the soil. In the virgin steppes of the Lugansk region, several specimens of blind centipedes are found on each square meter. Blind centipedes are clearly millipedes that have transitioned to life in the soil for the second time, having lost their organs of vision due to living in the dark. Blind centipedes are also found much further north than the real ones. For example, the steppe blind scolopendra reaches northern regions distribution of steppes (Kursk, Voronezh regions).
Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. 1970 .
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