Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject: Centipedes of Ky
What species of Centipede could I expect to find in Kentucky? I'm thinking about going collecting as I have taken an interest in them very recently and I am wondering what I should look forward to should I happen across a 'pede. Thanks in advance guys.
There may be people who like centipedes. I have seen people handling tarantulas and scorpions, but never a centipede handler. I would regard such a person with deep suspicion...Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede on its underbelly "And here is my big good centipede." If such a man exists, I say kill him without more ado. He is a traitor to the human race.
So, this will be my first time collecting and I'm a novice but I don't wish to hurt my catches in any way. Are there any precautions I should take? Also, this forum rocks I'm glad that I ran across this site!
well, regarding bringing your new captives back to your house...
centipedes dry out and die MUCH easier than scorpions and US tarantulas/mygalomorphae
so
you need to bring water and paper towels with you into the field. when you catch a centpede you need to add some PT and water to the carrying container you are keeping it in. what i usually do is wrap a half a sheet of PT around a stick or something and then add water to it. the stick provides some support so that the centipede doesn't get banged around
even with this h2o/PT precaution you need to take care to avoid keeping your bag/backpack that you are storing the inverts you caught in the sun light. i used to carry umbrellas but now i am careful to keep my bag in the shade of my body. this is hard to do from ~11am to 1pm though as your shadow is pretty short around noon
as far as actually *catching* the centipedes.... i don't have much good advice for you... i just hand grab everthing. yes, i get bit... but it doesn't really hurt me that much and i find it more convenient and more succesful than using tweezers _________________
Quote:
There may be people who like centipedes. I have seen people handling tarantulas and scorpions, but never a centipede handler. I would regard such a person with deep suspicion...Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede on its underbelly "And here is my big good centipede." If such a man exists, I say kill him without more ado. He is a traitor to the human race.
Great advice! I'm anxious as to what I'm going to find. This beats playing the X-Box anyday. Seriously though, as far as catching them I will probably have to just grit my teeth and handle them. I'm not skittish about handling snakes, tarantulas, scorpions, etc. but for some reason the thing that I like the most is what I have the most trouble with in terms of handling.
I'm going to take pictures if I catch anything and hopefully I do. Perhaps if I cannot ID them, then one of you more knowledgeable fellas could give me your opinion.
Hemiscolopendra has eyes, the rest don't
Scolopocryptops has 23 legpairs, the rest of the US giants have 21 legpairs
Theatops have FAT terminal legs
Cryptops are the only blind centipedes with 21 legpairs and normal terminal legs
_________________
Quote:
There may be people who like centipedes. I have seen people handling tarantulas and scorpions, but never a centipede handler. I would regard such a person with deep suspicion...Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede on its underbelly "And here is my big good centipede." If such a man exists, I say kill him without more ado. He is a traitor to the human race.
Hemiscolopendra has eyes, the rest don't
Scolopocryptops has 23 legpairs, the rest of the US giants have 21 legpairs
Theatops have FAT terminal legs
Cryptops are the only blind centipedes with 21 legpairs and normal terminal legs
I found a small centipede today on my wall just after I made my last post.
Here's a very blurry pic. I swear I'm getting a new camera. I'm not sure which kind but I'm going to inquire about one probably tomorrow.
Not completely sure. I've counted 20 body segments. There are two legs per body segment. So it's probably a millipede. Thank you for pointing that out!
Not completely sure. I've counted 20 body segments. There are two legs per body segment. So it's probably a millipede. Thank you for pointing that out!
two legs per body segment = centipede
two legs per side per body segment = millipede
looks like a little millipede to me, too _________________
Quote:
There may be people who like centipedes. I have seen people handling tarantulas and scorpions, but never a centipede handler. I would regard such a person with deep suspicion...Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede on its underbelly "And here is my big good centipede." If such a man exists, I say kill him without more ado. He is a traitor to the human race.
Not completely sure. I've counted 20 body segments. There are two legs per body segment. So it's probably a millipede. Thank you for pointing that out!
two legs per body segment = centipede
two legs per side per body segment = millipede
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Join! (free) 
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
