Cormocephalus rubriceps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cormocephalus rubriceps | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Cormocephalus rubriceps (Newport, 1843) |
Cormocephalus rubriceps is a large centipede of the family Scolopendridae, endemic to Australia and the North Island of New Zealand. At up to 25 cm in length, it is the largest centipede in New Zealand.
This giant centipede with its 21 pairs of legs is a predatory carnivore of most earth fauna, capturing insects, spiders, snails, slugs and worms with claw-tipped pincers which inject a lethal poison. They are also known to kill small lizards. Its bite is painful although not poisonous to humans.
They shelter under or in logs and amongst the leaf litter on the ground. In New Zealand, because of predation by introduced fauna full-sized Cormocephalus rubriceps are only found on rat-free offshore islands.
