52 CENTIPEDES 



During warm weather she was given water daily which she 

 drank, sometimes for periods of several minutes, and the lapping 

 movements of her mandibles and maxillae could readily be ob- 

 served through the glass of her container. In contrast, S. clavipes 

 from Central Tunisia were pale, soft and comparatively weak 

 creatures without the robust appetite of S. cingulata (Cloudsley- 

 Thompson, 1955). 



The smaller Cryptopidae feed upon worms, soft-skinned in- 

 sects or any animal small enough to be killed by them. 



Enemies 



Centipedes are carnivorous and will eat one another if an oppor- 

 tunity presents itself. Lithobius forficatus must not be overcrowded 

 in captivity, or cannibalism will result, particularly if one of the 

 animals is smaller than the others or has been injured. It has been 

 suggested too that Geophilids form part of the natural food of the 

 Cryptopidae. Centipedes are probably distasteful and it does not 

 appear likely that they are eaten to any degree by spiders and other 

 predatory animals unless other food is scarce. Scorpions have been 

 known to kill and eat S. morsitans but the big Scolopendra often 

 gets the better of its adversary. The Scutigeromorpha readily 

 autotomise their legs if attacked, and in some species the detached 

 limbs continue to stridulate, thereby attracting a predator's atten- 

 tion while its former possessor makes its escape. 



On account of their retiring habits, centipedes tend to escape 

 notice and their poison also protects them from enemies. There 

 are numerous scattered accounts in the literature of the effects of 

 the bite of the larger centipedes, but in many the animal has not 

 been adequately identified and in the remainder the conclusions 

 drawn by the authors are often much at variance. Thus Scolo- 

 pendra cingulata is said to cause painful oedema and real discom- 

 fort to humans, but S. heros and S. viridis produce, at most, only 

 temporary sharp pain. The large S. suhspinipes of Brazil produces 

 intense pain, blistering, swelling, local inflammation, bubos and 

 subcutaneous haemorrhage. This species may reach a length of 25 

 cm and Remington (1950) who was bitten by one while on the 

 Island of Leyte in the Philippines wrote that it caused a fiery pain 

 which at first was almost unbearable and did not diminish for 



