#infosheet

I wanted to try my hand at redesigning B2J a lil, so uhh, here they are, and I honestly love how these lil ref/infosheets had turned out ^^

summary: scolopendra morsitans is a centipede with a well-established global distribution, but is native to africa, southeast asia, and australia specifically. scolopendra morsitans is also known as the tanzanian blue ringleg centipede or red-headed centipede (not to be confused with scolopendra subspinipes, which is also sometimes called the red-headed centipede). this species complex is known in the hobby for being pretty "jumpy" but is able to calm down with time.

species notes:

morsitans is sexually dimorphic and can be sexed visually. in adult males, the prefemora, femora and tibiae of the terminal legs are flattened dorsally and have a marginal ridge.

morsitans reaches sexual maturity between 6 months to 1 year old.

the name "morsitans" translates to "that bites" in latin.

morsitans is related to scolopendra laeta.

morsitans is related to scolopendra antananarivoensis.

morsitans in general is prone to mycosis infections in captivity, but those from drier habitats are the most susceptible.

morphology & diagnostics: it's likely that morsitans comprises a complex of species. some diagnostic criteria are inconsistent within morsitans populations - some colour forms have differing numbers of marginated tergites, tarsal spurs, and antennal articles. there should also be 1-19 legs with 1 tarsal spur, but in some asian/african populations there are 20 (+ sometimes dubbed scolopendra amazonica, considered a juniour synonym). as such, the reliability of using these characteristics to identify morsitans is not absolutely clear. however, consistent diagnostic criteria include: a smooth tergite surface, median furrow on tergite of ULBS, and incomplete paramedian sutures on sternites.

colour and size alone are not reliable taxonomic characters of a morsitans. but, generally, while these centipedes are typically on the smaller size compared to their relatives, their size appears to depend on their range. for example, in africa, morsitans found on saint helena island are noted to grow around 6cm, while the tanzanian morsitans can reach up to 13cm. this is still considerably smaller than other scolopendra species, which can reach an excess of 20cm+.

overall, the morsitans complex is extremely variable, coming in all colours and sizes. some named colour forms in the pet trade include:

"blood red" (south africa)

"dragon head" (south africa)

"cherry head" / "red flash" (south africa)

"green goblin" (south africa)

"disco" (south africa, limpopo river)

"half-banded" (northern territory)

"savanna red" (far north queensland)

"flame leg" (western australia)

"blue-tailed" (western australia)

"patternless" (australia)

habitats:

arid to semi-arid

tropical savanna

humid subtropical

coniferous forests

mixed woodlands

garrigue

mallee slopes

open coastal regions

morsitans is a habitat generalist, inhabiting many regions including those in arid, semi-arid, tropical savanna, humid subtropical, and tropical monsoon climates. however, it is absent from extremely dry regions as it requires humidity to survive. in nigeria, morsitans remains active in the dry season due to its ability to find humidity in cow dung. the species complex has also been recorded in coniferous forests, mixed woodlands, garrigue, and open coastal regions in tunisia, further displaying its ability to occupy a wide range of habitats. however, wherever it lives, morsitans prefers to hide under leaf litter, bark, ground substrate, bricks, or rocks when it is inactive.

diet:

as an opportunistic predator, morsitans feeds primarily on invertebrates. they have been observed feeding on spiders, mites, other centipedes, flies, carabid beetles, and ants. they may also feed on carrion in their natural range. in captivity, morsitans feeds readily on raw meats, roaches, mealworms, crickets, locusts, earthworms, and non-acidic fruits.

natural enemies:

black-headed snakes (specialist centipede-feeder of southern africa)

saw-scaled vipers

yellow-bellied house geckos

monitor lizards

scolopendra dehaani (in mainland asia it is the dominant scolopendra sp)

scolopendra subspinipes (in places where subspinipes is absent, morsitans may grow larger, such as recorded on offshore islets of the indian ocean.)

protozoa (grebnickiella pixellae specifically recorded in morsitans)

leeches (herpodella, specifically recorded in south india)

entomopathogenic fungi

venom composition & notes:

a mass spectrometry imaging study suggests that morsitans uses different venom compositions for predation vs defense

esterases: active enzymes that digest prey outside of the centipede's body

transferrin protein: antibacterial properties

serotonin: causes pain response

lipoproteins, phospholipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, cholesteryl esters, squalene, and free fatty acids.

Here's the information sheet of where The Day The Kingdom Fell is available on. This short story is written by my friend Amy and art is done by me. Amy also, helped design Raphael's families royal crest that is a seashell with a shark with three crescent moons on it and his trident.

She’s one of my friends on deviantart. If want to please feel free to check out her drawings. The link to her profile is down below:

P.S. if I do uploaded my original and fanfics comics on any of my other socials or new ones I joined I will updated my linktree. If any new updates of future links will also, be available on my linktree too. But if not I do hope you enjoy and looking at my other socials that I am on. :)

I own both Raphael and The Human Princess And The King of Samebitos story. :)

Hey, I made this information sheet that hopefully answers your question.

I also made a short quiz, so you can test your knowledge on the topic. You can find it here:

https://forms.gle/JxFTZmGc1wTa2h1f7

The Collective - TeroInfo