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restless legs


restless legs
Photo Information
Copyright: Michal Grabowski (cedryk) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 969 W: 57 N: 1662] (5072)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2003-07-23
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 5000, 28-105 mm, @ ISO 100
Exposure: f/7.6, 1/120 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-12-14 7:50
Viewed: 1705
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Scutigera coleoptrata - House centipede
Family: Scutigeridae
Order: Scutigeromorpha
Classis: Myriapoda

The house centipede is often seen in southern parts of Europe (the closest to Poland it's in Slovakia), darting across floors at high speed, occasionally stopping suddenly and remaining motionless for some time before racing off once more. Its cylindrical body can grow to an inch or more in length. It is yellowish brown and bears three dark longitudinal stripes dorsally. The 15 pairs of slender, banded legs increase in length from the front to the back of the body. The last pair is much longer than the others. The legs give the animal the appearance of great size. Unlike most other centipedes, house centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes.

Scutigera coleoptrata is probably indigenous in the Mediterranean region, but it has spread through much of Europe, Asia, and North America. In the United States, it has spread from the southern states and Mexico. It reached Pennsylvania in 1849, New York in 1885, and Massachusetts about 1890, and it is now extends westward to the Rocky Mountains and beyond.

The house centipede is found both outdoors and indoors. Indoors, it is an inhabitant of damp places, such as bathrooms, moist closets, and cellars, crawl spaces, and piles of fire wood. Drying and cleaning these areas should help to control infestations of these centipedes.

In captivity, house centipedes feed readily on cockroach nymphs, flies, moths, bedbugs, crickets, silverfish, earwigs, and other insects and small spiders. They capture prey by half pouncing and half lassoing them. They can capture several prey items at one time. They feed on one specimen while holding the others with their quivering, lashing appendages.

Eggs are laid in spring and early summer. In laboratory rearings, 24 females produced an average of 63 eggs each and a maximum of 151 eggs. Larvae hatch with four pairs of legs. There are five more larval instars with 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 pairs of legs.

Although house centipedes are not aggressive, and their jaws are not powerful enough to break human skin easily, they will sometimes bite in self-defense. Severe swelling and pain can result from the venom injected, but in most cases the bite is no worse than the sting of a bee.

Source
scottevers7, red45, petrudamsa, dew77, wishnugaruda, ellis49, sandpiper2, pat, metcher has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To red45: rozmiarycedryk 1 12-14 18:32
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Michal,
Excellent shot here on a very interesting insect. The colors and detail are superb! Exposure looks perfect here. Great notes.
Scott

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2816 W: 75 N: 7977] (26975)
  • [2005-12-14 9:28]
  • [+]

Bardzo mi sie podoba, szkoda, ze u nas nie ma takich. Piekne ubarwienie i ksztalty. W dodatku jaka pozyteczna ;-) Czy jestem oszolominy, czy nie napisales nic o rozmiarach?

CREEPY!
No, actualy very beautiful and interesting. And seems to be a useful pet around the house (eating roaches and colth moths...)

Regards, Petru

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3100 W: 234 N: 5930] (20016)
  • [2005-12-14 10:35]

Interesting POV of this centipede, Michal. Very sharp details and good light. Well done and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-12-14 10:52]

Hello Michal!
Very nice and unusual capture.POV,lighting,details,framing and composition are wonderful.TFS...:-)

Hi Michal,
this is such an interesting animal.
The colours at the legs are wonderful, stripes - very modern. It looks like a spider with many legs, cool.
Thanks for sharing it with us, bye
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Cześć!
Geanialan ilosć nóg ;-) Chciałabym miec czasem tyle żeby móc dać odpoczac co jakis czas jakiejś parze. Ale Grześ mówi, że buty są wystarczająco drogie na dla jednej pary ;-)

Hi Michal,
Good detail and colours. Great POV and sharpness.
Nicely composed and good exposure.
Thanks for posting. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Hi Michal,
it's a good shot of a strange animal.
Good exposure, well composed and nice colours.
The details are also good.
WEll done.

Great use of the flash here to expose all that horid beauty of this centipede.
Beautiful shot with lots of detail, well done.

A very interesting subject, and a well taken and most descriptive shot. Nice work.
Regards, Felipe.

Hi Michal,
What a strange animal! I don't want to touch this. But as a photo - it's well done. Good details, colors and sharpness.

excellent colours and contrast...great focus...regards;-)

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