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Serpent Island Centipede
Scolopendra abnormis
Scolopendra abnormis, the Serpent Island centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae that is endemic to Mauritius. It only occurs on two outlying islands, Round Island and Serpent Island. On Serpent Island it is very common, reaching densities among adults of 12 per square metre (1.1 per square foot) in suitable habitat.
From the article Scolopendra abnormis on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Scolopendra abnormis grow to at least 95 mm (3.7 in) in length, with the specimens from Serpent Island being slightly larger than those from Round Island. Their overall colour is yellowish. They do not show escape reactions when exposed.
What it does
Scolopendra abnormis are typically found under rocks or between slabs of volcanic tuff (Round Island), or in loose networks of burrows in humid peat-like soil between slabs of rock (Serpent Island). They are nocturnal carnivores that feed mainly on insects. A dietary metabarcoding study found that approximately one quarter of centipedes also consume Bojer's skink, a species of skink endemic to Mauritius found over Round Island which listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. They can inflict a painful bite on humans. Scolopendra abnormis are preyed upon by Serpent Island geckos and Round Island skinks.
== References ==
Wikipedia: “Ecology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Scolopendra abnormis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 112331.