365 Urban Species. #147: House Centipede

[urbpan]

photo by cottonmanifesto

Urban species #147: House centipede Scutigera coleoptrata

Well, if you made it past the photograph you're better than most. No other animal, pound for pound, can excite and distress people quite like the house centipede. It appears suddenly, fifteen pairs of legs propelling it across the wall at great speed. Even people who are fully aware that this animal is a beneficial member of the household, eating small flies and other insects, will kill it on sight.

Apparently indigenous to the Mediterranean (a region of origin for numerous urban species) and then accidentally transported to subtropical America, the house centipede has made the building by building journey to northern states. Like house mice, house flies, and several species of cockroach, they are always found in association with humans in their new temperate range. The great indoors serves as a series of subtropical islands, temperature and humidity controlled for the primates that created it.

Unlike other centipedes, house centipedes' body segments are fused; also its legs are unusually long, and are of different legths. Each of these adaptations probably adds to the creature's running speed. The racing stripes probably don't make it any faster, but help make it a distinctive and attractive animal. Still with me?

All centipedes are predators that hunt with a pair of legs that have been modified into venomous fangs. House centipedes are reputed to be capable of delivering a bee sting-like bite to humans, but I have yet to hear a first person account. For my part, I have handled them without incident--your results may vary. If indeed they can pierce human skin and inject venom, an allergic reaction could result, as in any envenomation.

House centipedes are a personal favorite, and I have written about them previously here: http://urbpan.livejournal.com/60469.html
and
here: http://urbpan.livejournal.com/64272.html
and centipedes in general
here: http://urbpan.livejournal.com/tag/centipede

Comments

Just got stung...

[(Anonymous)]

Well, they do, indeed, sting - or bite. At least in Georgia. I just had one crawl across my throat while I slept -- I awoke to the movement, sweeping it off of my skin.....evidently it did not take kindly to the movement and bit/stung me on its way across the bed. At first I had no idea what had stung me (a mild bee-sting in terms of the degree of pain), but a turning over of my pillows uncovered it and it ran off behind the bed. Now my question is: whose bed is it? I've often had discussions with spiders where we've come to an agreement that allows us to co-exist in the same room without my being bitten or their being squashed.....but I've never tried that with a centipede.......I'd prefer not to get bitten/stung again.....not to mention the image of it crawling across me giving me cause to shiver. Curious about symbolism. I'm guessing, for me, it has something to do with getting my feet moving......also linked with 5th chakra, as that's where it appeared and stung me. hmmmmmmmm

Re: Just got stung...

[(Anonymous)]

I just had the exact same thing happen. I mean exactly (Georgia, night, neck, sweeping skin, bite, pain,... everything)!!! I was cleaning out the woods behind my house last week and stirred up a yellow jacket nest. I was stung 7 times, and this centipede sting or bite hurts every bit as bad if not worse. Just curious, where in Georgia did this happen?

Re: Just got stung...

[(Anonymous)]

And yet another GA victim here...was stung on the foot in the middle of the night...little bugger was under the covers. And yes, very similar to a wasp/ hornet sting... two hours later and still have a welt where he got me. --Kennesaw, GA