12/7/2022 0 Comments Centipede and millipede pictures![]() ![]() Scolopendra is the giant centipede, a large (up to 8” long) and fast species with a reportedly painful bite. Scutigera is one common genus with very long legs that move in a rippling motion. They feed on any small crawling organisms they can catch. they are identified by their long, segmented body with each segment bearing one pair of legs. The name “centipede” literally means 100 legs, and indeed some kinds of centipedes have nearly 100 legs. Origin and DistributionĬentipedes are primitive arthropods, relatives of the insects. Most species are less than 1 ½ inch long, although one species, Narceus americanus (Beauvois) (Order Spirobolida), in west Texas grows up to 4 inches long. Legs are short and movement is slow, with movement of legs appearing wave-like. ![]() Millipede bodies are rounded or somewhat flattened. (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae) may grow to be about 6 inches long. Some centipedes, such as the house centipede ( Scutigera coleoptrata Linnaeus), have long legs and are capable of running rapidly. Centipedes are generally flattened and have a pair of well developed antennae on the head. Thus they are beneficial, though most homeowners take a different point-of-view and consider them a nuisance.īite : Technically, the house centipede could bite, but it is considered harmless to people.CentipedeArticle author: Mike Merchant Most recently reviewed by: Extension Entomologist at Overton & Janet Hurley (2018) Common Name(s): centipede DescriptionĬentipedes can easily be distinguished from millipedes by counting the number of pairs of legs arising from most body segments: millipedes have two pairs, while centipedes bear one pair per segment, with the first pair of legs being modified into fangs. House centipedes feed on small insects, insect larvae, and on spiders. Centipedes prefer to live in damp portions of basements, closets, bathrooms, unexcavated areas under the house and beneath the bark of firewood stored indoors. Habitat : Though house centipedes are found both indoors and outdoors it is the occasional one on the bathroom or bedroom wall, or the one accidentally trapped in the bathtub, sink, or lavatory that causes the most concern. The legs are long in proportion to the body size, and they have alternate light and dark bands running around them. CENTIPEDE AND MILLIPEDE PICTURES FULLThe body is grayish-yellow with 3 dark stripes extending along the full length of the back. They do not bite, sting, cause structural damage, contaminate foodstuffs, or eat fibers.ĭescription : The body is 1 to 1-1/2 inch long, but its 15 pairs of legs make it appear to seem much larger. Even though they may invade houses, they pose no threat. Millipedes are also attracted to lights, and it is common to have them migrate to lighted swimming pools, patios, driveways, or industrial areas. In Oklahoma, these migrations often result during drought periods following a build-up of the millipede population during favorable spring conditions. In these cases, we often see millipedes migrating, in an uphill direction, as their food supply dwindles or their living areas become too wet or too dry. However, there are some occasions when millipedes invade houses in large numbers. Symptoms: Millipedes occasionally wander from their moist living places into homes, but they usually die because of the dry conditions and lack of food. It is thought that we only have one generation of millipedes per year in Oklahoma. Millipedes stop growing when they reach sexual maturity. As millipedes grow, they molt from seven to ten times, adding additional body segments and legs with each molt. In about three weeks, the eggs hatch into tiny larvae with only three pairs of legs. These eggs are laid in the soil in several small clusters of 20 to 100 eggs. It has been reported that a female millipede can produce as many as 300 eggs at one time. Life Cycle: Female millipedes begin to lay their eggs in the spring. Adult millipedes spend the winter in soil, debris, and leaf litter found under trees. They spend most of their life in the soil. Habitat: Most millipedes feed on damp and decaying vegetation and leaf litter, although some species will attack the roots and lower leaves of living plants. Although harmless, many millipedes have defensive glands that emit a foul-smelling fluid when disturbed or handled. When dead or disturbed, millipedes tend to curl themselves into a tight coil. ![]() They also vary in color from reddish-brown to black. Millipede species vary in length from one to two or more inches. They are commonly called “thousand leggers,” even though they may only have 60 to 400 legs. Millipedes differ from centipedes in that they have one pair of short antennae on the head and two pairs of legs on each body segment. Description: Millipedes are worm-like, slender, hard-shelled arthropods with rounded body segments. ![]()
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