Unknown centipede - possibly carrying eggs?

Bruce Williams · #1 (**permalink**) 13-02-2008, 07:24 PM

Photo taken at Salcey Forest, Northants. Centipede under rotting oak log.

Would appreciate help identifying the species.....and are those eggs I can see inside the body towards the tail end?

Bruce

ladyhawk · #2 (**permalink**) 13-02-2008, 10:33 PM

Haplophilus subterraneus, i think but not to sure,
they have at least 77-83 pairs of legs range from pale yellow to orange in colour

Bruce Williams · #3 (**permalink**) 14-02-2008, 11:50 AM

Thanks Ladybird

.

I'm gonna do a leg count but from the many pics of H. subterraneus I've now seen I think you are very probably right.

Bruce

Bruce Williams · #4 (**permalink**) 14-02-2008, 08:30 PM

I have carefully counted the legs on a different, more "open" pic of this same individual. I used Photoshop, marking each leg as I counted it. The final count of visible legs was 54 pairs. Considering possible "missing" legs there could be as many as 58 or (less likely) 59 pairs.

This is a long way short of the 77 to 83 pairs found on Haplophilus subterraneus.

Of course it is possible (but perhaps likely) that there are a lot more legs either hidden or missing?

So anyone know of a similar species with 54 to 59 pairs of legs?

Also any thoughts on the "eggs"?

Bruce

ladyhawk · #5 (**permalink**) 15-02-2008, 01:09 AM

hi bruce lets try Geophilus they seem to have the right number of legs and look very like your centipede, will have a look again for the eggs

ladyhawk · #6 (**permalink**) 15-02-2008, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyhawk

hi bruce lets try Geophilus they seem to have the right number of legs and look very like your centipede, will have a look again for the eggs

looks like eggs to me

Pudding4brains · #7 (**permalink**) 15-02-2008, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyhawk

hi bruce lets try Geophilus they seem to have the right number of legs and look very like your centipede

Having a quick look at some keys I listed in another topic on WAB recently I would think that only a few Geophilus would fit the leg-count, and of most of these the antennae don't really fit the bill ... also, I don't like the colour of Bruce's critter much for Geophilus - most of these have quite light-coloured boddies with contrasting heads.

For the time being I'm putting my 2 cents on Pachymerium ferrugineum, although I have not stumbled on a leg-count for that one yet - but also haven't tried to find one very hard. An old drawing by C.L. Koch shows about 47 pairs, but it might be that he drew a male - the females often have a few segments more ...

ladyhawk · #8 (**permalink**) 15-02-2008, 09:06 PM

another species, strigamia.bruce after

that i give up

Bruce Williams · #9 (**permalink**) 15-02-2008, 09:41 PM

Thanks for your help Ladyhawk and Arp - really very much appreciated

.

I have done a recount of the legs and am reasonably comfortable with 54-58 pairs. I will follow up on your suggestions and continue to Google around generally on centipedes.

Arp - From info gleaned from web browsing it would seem that Pachymerium ferrugineum has between 43 and 45 leg pairs. See: Earth centipede: Information and Much More from Answers.com

I have just ordered a CD (PDF) copy of E H Eason's "Centipedes of the British Isles" and will be ordering "The Biology of Centipedes" by J. G. E. Lewis once I have tracked down a "best price" for it.

You may be interested to know that there is quite a large preview of this last title on the "Google Books" website.

Thanks again.
Bruce

Pudding4brains · #10 (**permalink**) 16-02-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Williams

Arp - From info gleaned from web browsing it would seem that Pachymerium ferrugineum has between 43 and 45 leg pairs.

Yes, I'm afraid you're right

- Let's try one other suggestion: Following the CSIRO Key for Centipedes of Australia as far as the photo allows, I now landed on genus Schendyla, leaving these as options for Britain:

Schendyla dentata (Brölemann & Ribaut 1911)
Schendyla nemorensis (C.L.Koch 1837)
Schendyla peyerimhoffi Brölemann & Ribaut 1911

I won't have time myself to do any more searching/comparing until tomorrow - (the history of Geophilomorpha seems rather complex when it comes to synonyms etc

) but maybe it's a lead...

Based on the Geophilomorpha topics here and some of my own photos and old publications by C.L.Koch I plan to slowly work out an illustrated overview to some of the species for NL and "surrounding" countries (basically for my own fun/use but always willing to share), so ... should be interesting to find a "best fit" for your beast

Cheers
Arp