Jump to content

Scolopendra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Discospinster (talk | contribs) at 14:53, 16 October 2013 (Reverted edits by 24.55.131.3 (talk) to last revision by Tnophelia (HG)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Scolopendra
Scolopendra cingulata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Scolopendra

Type species
Scolopendra morsitans [1]
Linnaeus, 1758

Scolopendra (Italian lit. scolo- "drain" Greek lit. -pendra "to hang") is a genus of centipedes of the family Scolopendridae.

Description

In temperate climates, only relatively small species occur, but species from the tropics may exceed 30 centimetres (12 in).[2]

Ecology and venom

They are active predators taking prey as large as rodents and even bats.[3] Their bites are very painful, but are rarely fatal in humans.[4] The venom is delivered through the animal's forcipules, which lie just behind the mandibles. The venoms of Scolopendra species contain compounds such as serotonin, haemolytic phospholipase A, a cardiotoxic protein and a cytolysin.[5]

Taxonomic history

Scolopendra was one of the genera created by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, the starting point for zoological nomenclature. 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 by Opinion 454 of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature,[2] overruling a previous designation by Pierre André Latreille, in which he chose Linnaeus' Scolopendra forficata (now Lithobius forficatus) as the type species.[6]

Species

The genus Scolopendra contains the following species:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758". ChiloBase. Università di Padova. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  2. ^ a b R. M. Shelley & S. B. Kiser (2000). "Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889 (Chilopoda Scolopendromorpha Scolopendridae)" (PDF). Tropical Zoology. 13 (1): 159–170.
  3. ^ J. Molinari, E. E. Gutiérrez, A. A. de Ascenção, J. M. Nassar, A. Arends & R. J. Márquez (2005). "Predation by giant centipedes, Scolopendra gigantea, on three species of bats in a Venezuelan cave" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 41 (2): 340–346.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ S. P. Bush, B. O. King, R. L. Norris & S. A. Stockwell (2001). "Centipede envenomation". Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. 12 (2): 93–99. doi:10.1580/1080-6032(2001)012[0093:CE]2.0.CO;2. PMID 11434497.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Robert L. Norris (November 19, 2008). "Centipede Envenomation". eMedicine. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  6. ^ Ralph E. Crabill, Jr. (1955). "Proposed use of the plenary powers to designate for the genus "Scolopendra" Linnaeus (Class Myriapoda) a type species in harmony with the accustomed usage". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 11 (4): 134–136.

See also