Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:58 pm Post subject: Dumb question
Does anyone know what type of centipede(s) would be native to my area (Santa Clarita)? I cannot seem to find any info online. I'm supposed to talk to the boyscouts about venomous (and not venoumous, but just scary) local animals. I would really appreciate it if you had a picture too? _________________ Mommy loves her little Monsters.
Scolopendra polymorpha - one of the most common pedes in SoCal
Scutigera coleoptrata - House centipede - fairly common in houses and dark moist areas
Scolopocryptops sp. - Blind centipedes - a few species/genera in SoCal but covering this one genus is probably sufficient
Geophilomorphae - Soil centipedes - very common under rocks and logs, long thread like bodies, will eat live/dead prey
Some other things to cover:
- Latrodectus hesperus AND Latrodectus geometricus, also how to tell them apart(smooth vs. spiky eggsacs).
- Jerusalem Crickets, large and decently 'scary' but all together harmless.
- The fact that the Brown Reculse(L. reclusa) does not range into SoCal, or even California in general.
- Native tarantulas, large and can be frightening but usually harmless.
- Spiders in general, only really dangerous ones are the Latrodectus in SoCal.
I would grab you some pictures but I am really not up to it tonight. Feel free to use any images on my Flickr account(linked as my website/in my sig). _________________ - Kevin aka What
Oderint dum metuant My photos
Several folks have told me that the Scutigera coleoptrata is not native, but that it is an invasive species. (They seem to be doing quite well in my bathroom!)
Also, Jerusalem Crickets are not entirely harmless -- they feed on roots, and have powerful jaws that can give you a mean pinching bite! (And are perfectly capable of breaking the skin -- especially on young children).
I have Scutigera at home and might be able to send some pix later. There is a picture of a baby Jerusalem cricket here:
http://scabies.myfreeforum.org/about1836.html
but it's kind of dark. ..
Try www.whatsthatbug.com for more pictures. They have a search window on their main page.
Enjoy!
-- Celeste
Last edited by Celeste on Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:48 am; edited 1 time in total
P.S. You might also mention that the pointy-looking thing on the tails of some crickets is the female's ovipositor, and is totally harmless... A lot of people seem to think it is some kind of stinger.
-- C _________________ "Tarantulas are friends, not food" (but I bet they taste pretty good with butter and lemon!)
Thank you so much. I didn't even think to talk about the Jerusalem Cricket (weird cuz I'm totally fascinated by them). I did have down to talk about brown recluse and I have some doctored photos from the email rumors. I have a locally caught tarantula to show, but I'd love to get a local scorp too. I hadn't heard about the cricket "stinger" -- that's funny! Oooo, did you hear the one where the vinegaroon "scorpion" stings you and you taste vinegar for a week?
I will definitely use some of your photos What, thank you. I should have just asked you guys in the first place instead of staying up late trying to google stuff. Yawn. You guys are great! _________________ Mommy loves her little Monsters.
Also, Jerusalem Crickets are not entirely harmless -- they feed on roots, and have powerful jaws that can give you a mean pinching bite! (And are perfectly capable of breaking the skin -- especially on young children).
I think Kevin means "harmless" in terms of venom/toxicity. _________________ -Neshan W. Sarkisian
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"I just cant <EDIT> without a roach in my mouth"
-Cacoseraph
We normally stress the "don't touch unless an adult tells you it's okay" approach. Especially for scouts who are supposed to "leave no trace". I've noticed that people outside the hobby, even scout leaders, really have no idea which animals in our area are really dangerous (I mean beyond "Mommy, I have a boo-boo" dangerous) -- that would be why so many tarantulas are squished and so many kingsnakes are decapitated. So sad! Just a little education goes a long way! _________________ Mommy loves her little Monsters.
You might point out, too, that there's "dangerous", and there's "DANGEROUS", and that there are very few reptiles and invertebrates in the DANGEROUS category around here.
There's a whole spectrum, and the bites of many of the native centipedes and tarantulas are comparable to bee stings for most people, and not an emergency unless you happen to be allergic.
Most of the time, given the chance, a snake (of any kind) will just try to GET AWAY from you! And poisonous snakes don't always inject venom, even -- sometimes they'll give a "dry" bite. I was watching a Crocodile Hunter DVD with my son recently, and I pointed out to him that the cobra Steve Irwin was trying to catch was not even being aggressive -- it was trying *desperately* to get away!
i would say these are probably the most often encountered type of centipede in CA and the world.
these little dudes live under rocks for the most part. they are up to ~2" bodylength (not counting legs or antenna) and are generally a red color, though i have seen purple, red, orange, yellow, and brown in SoCA. the larger specimens can pierce skin and have mildly irritating venom.
and easy way to tell the orders of centipedes apart is by looking at their legs:
lithobiomorpha - 15 legpairs, short legs
scolopendromorpha - 21 or 23 legpairs
scutigeromorpha - 15 legpairs, long legs
geophilomorpha - >>23 legpairs (up to something like 177 legpairs) _________________
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.
I really appreciate the help. I've been to other forums where I wouldn't dare ask such an uninformed question for fear of the verbal lashing, but you guys have been so nice! It's better for the hobby when people are willing to share their knowledge! I have never kept centipedes and don't know much about them, but now the kids I'm talking to won't have to know that!! _________________ Mommy loves her little Monsters.
^ have a gander at some of my vids. about half are centipede vids
and a word about why there are multiple versions: i made hifi and lowfi versions so that if you on a less than lightning fast internet connection you can check out the lofi version. sometimes for really big movies i makea tinyfi version, 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.
Andrew: is that "mildly irritating" to *you*, or "mildly irritating" to a *normal* human??? ;->
-- C
ironically silly Orin swears they can't bite ppl. despite vid and pic evidence quite to the contrary. i even offered him cutrate tutoring in logic and science to help him understand =P _________________
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.
i have to say, these actually make me a little uncomfortable. bees and normal sized wasps don't phase me... but i have seen HUGE pompiliids in the field and definitely was impressed by them!
pretty things _________________
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.
Oh, yes! (Those Tarantula Hawk Wasps). They sound like a Helicopter when they're buzzing by you, too!
If you want to warn them about dangerous bugs, be sure to mention yellowjacket wasps, which always seem to attack in swarms... Probably a lot more dangerous than a lone Tarantula or Centipede just because of that swarming attack behavior!
Oh, are you going to mention aquatic venomous critters, too (like jellyfish and stingrays, which are plentiful right now)?
-- C _________________ "Tarantulas are friends, not food" (but I bet they taste pretty good with butter and lemon!)
oh, and i believe some of our caterpillars have urticating setae (itching hairs) that can be somewhat serious if you get them in your eyes _________________
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.
yeah, i want to do a general chemical defense display, also
i also want to do one on all the dif kinds of eggsacs spiders make _________________
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.
I was mostly going to concentrate on what kids would run into here in town on our local trails and such -- we are quite a ways from the beach. Although there is another requirement for learning about ocean animals, so I might get in on that later. They are allowing me to do a series of 4 classes which is awesome. I'm giving them each a superworm to watch metamorphisis and we're making scat out of tootsie rolls! Yum! and Yuck! _________________ Mommy loves her little Monsters.
I live in Santa Clarita too! I've never seen any wild pedes though, whether they be millipedes or centipedes. But I do own two African Giant Black Millipedes that I got through mail.
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I've never seen any wild pedes though, whether they be millipedes or centipedes. But I do own two African Giant Black Millipedes that I got through mail.