rss bug
Location: North West Pa
March 19, 2011 8:08 pm
this was running across my sisters floor. what is it?
Signature: Tessa
What befell this House Centipede?
Hi Tessa,
It appears this harmless and beneficial House Centipede will never run again. House Centipedes are beneficial nocturnal predators that will help keep your home clear of unwanted pests like Cockroaches and Bed Bugs.
House centipede
Well hello again, bugman!
This email isn’t an insect submission or question; instead it’s a “what the heck?” at a severely misinformed person profiting by telling lies of helpful hunter insects.
I stumbled across this website (linked below) while looking up insects with my wife. I should warn you, there is a rather graphic image on the homepage of what is actually a Brown Recluse spider bite, not a House Centipede bite as the website claims.
http://housecentipedes.info/house-centipedes-bite.php
It seems as though this website aims to spread false information about House Centipedes, and then sells literature, ideas, etc. on how to exterminate them from your home.
I sent an email to jill@housecentipedecontrol.com, in hopes to inform her of the farce of the website. I made sure to include some of the information I learned from your (wonderful!) website to try to educate her. Would you care to kindly do the same?
Kyle
Update
WAIT, WAIT…my mistake. Jill is NOT affiliated with the first website I linked…
Still though, BOTH websites are misinformed on house centipedes! Why?
Kyle Church
House Centipede photo from our archives
Dear Kyle,
Thank you for alerting us to this website that has falsely accused the beneficial House Centipede of being a “blood thirsty freak.” While we have nothing against entrepreneurial endeavors, we would like to caution the web browsing public that there are many sensationalistic statements on the internet that are published in an opinionated form, hence they are protected by the First Amendment and the right of Freedom of Speech.
centipede from India
Location: Tamil Nadu, india
February 12, 2011 1:49 pm
Hello dear bugman, I am back with a few more finds… if you find the time to look at them – lovely!
This looks like a centipede… about 6-8cm long, black-yellow. It was found in dry grassland in Tamil Nadu, India.
Signature: Thanks, Helen
Millipede
Hi Helen,
This is not a Centipede. It is a Millipede. You can tell by looking closely and seeing that there are two pairs of legs per body segment while Centipedes have but one pair per body segment. Centipedes and Millipedes are in different classes in the same Subphylum, Myriapoda. According to BugGuide, the word Myriapoda has its origin: “From Greek myrias (μυριας) 10,000 (i.e., countless) plus podos foot, leg.“ Millipedes are in the class Diplopoda.
Millipede: 2 pairs of legs per body segment.
Karl provides a species identification
Hi Daniel and Helen:
This millipede looks very similar to the Yellow-spotted millipede (a.k.a. the Almond-scented Millipede or Cyanide Millipede), Harpaphe haydeniana, a native of the Pacific coast of North America that is well represented on the Bugguide site. The internet has a profusion of images suggesting that this species also occurs in India and various other Asian locations, but there is also considerable confusion regarding whether or not this species actually exists in Asia (by introduction I would assume). I did find several references in scientific papers suggesting that it does, at least in India, but I also found sites that indicated it is commonly confused with the Asian species Asiomorpha coarctata. There are other Asian species that also look similar but I suspect it is one of these two (to me H. haydeniana looks like a closer match). I think it probably has been introduced to India, but given the degree of confusion I don’t think I would fully trust any internet image identified as a H. haydeniana from Asia.
Karl
Nice looking chestnut coloured bug
Location: Kilcowera Station, SW Queensland, Australia
February 3, 2011 5:44 am
This bug has never been seen before here or anywhere else. It’s body is about 4 cm long and is segmented, a bit like a centrepede, it has 15 legs on either side, the 2 at the end are very long. It has nippers at its mouth end like a centrepede too. And beady eyes.
Signature: Toni
House Centipede
Dear Toni,
There is a good reason your creature reminds you of a Centipede. It is a House Centipede.
Thanks Daniel, I would have commented on wtb site but I can’t login even though I have registerd. Thanks for identifying my bug! It’s a great blog, cheers Toni
What is this?
Location: Middle Tennessee
January 13, 2011 3:03 pm
I have never seen a bug like this before, would love some insight as to what the heck it is! I saw this crawling around in a public restroom.
Signature: Courtney
House Centipede
Hi Courtney,
Despite being found in a public restroom, this common and harmless predator is known as a House Centipede.
Numerous!
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
December 21, 2010 6:28 am
Hi Daniel,
I’ve got a few more for you to identify.
All from Maasai Mara in Kenya
…
- Picture two: Obviously a millipede of some sort. I just thought his body shape was interesting. not completely round like normal.
…
Signature: Zarek
Millipede
Hi again Zarek,
Thanks for supply visual proof to our readership that Millipedes from Kenya share many similar physical attributes with Millipedes from elsewhere in the world.
Media Inquiry about your book
November 17, 2010 2:19 am
Hello, Daniel,
I’m a fan of your site–years ago you helped me identify a house centipede–and I heard about your book while I was at Comic-Con this year. I write for Wired.com’s GeekDad blog, and I wondered if there’s any chance I could get a review copy of your book to write up on the site.
Thanks!
Signature: Jonathan Liu
Hi Jonathan,
How nice to hear we were helpful in the past and that you are still a fan. Thanks for the mention of The Curious World of Bugs already on Wired.com. I will contact my publicist with your request.
Daniel
Millipede from Maldives
Location: Maldives (Lhaviyani Atoll)
November 15, 2010 1:37 pm
Hello bugman,
This millipede was on the wall of my room on Maldivian island last summer.
We moved it out of the room (the reddish color frightened us).
It was about three inches long.
Can you help me?
Thanks
Signature: Saverio
Centipede
Dear Saverio,
This is a Centipede and not a Millipede. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment and millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment. Of the four orders of Centipedes represented on BugGuide, this looks the most like the Soil Centipedes, but we do not believe this is a Soil Centipede because the antennae look different and BugGuide indicates: “Slender eyeless centipedes that have 31 to 177 pairs of legs and antennae with 14 segments. The number of pairs of legs is always odd.“ Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some additional information on your Centipede’s identity, otherwise you will have to be content with a general identification to the class Chilopoda.
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