Common Desert Centipede

Posted on May 22, 2026 by tspuckler

I have found a few examples of this creature over the years, the most recent being on my trip to California in April of 2026. Centipedes require a moist microhabitat because they lack the waxy cuticle of insects and arachnids, causing them to rapidly lose water. Accordingly, they avoid direct sunlight by staying under cover during the daytime and are active at night.

With the Latin Name, Scolopendra polymorpha, this species’ coloration is variable, hence the species name “polymorpha” which means “many forms.” It has several alternative common names, one being Multicolored Centipede. The body segments have one dark lateral stripe, so it is also known as the Tiger Centipede or Tiger-striped Centipede.

The Common Desert Centipede is indigenous to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It inhabits dry grasslands, forests, and deserts; in these habitats they generally take up residence under rocks, though they have been observed creating burrows in suitable environments and inside of rotting logs.

Centipedes are predominantly generalist carnivores, hunting for a variety of prey items that can be overpowered. These fascinating predators have been around for over 400 million years, and they’ve gotten really good at one thing: Hunting. With more than 3,000 species worldwide, centipedes are some of nature’s most effective pest controllers consuming many insects.

All centipede species are venomous, nocturnal predators that use venom to subdue and kill their prey. Unlike other venomous invertebrates, they neither bite nor sting. Instead they use structures called gnathosomes or gnathopods to inject venom into their prey. These are paired pincer-like appendages in front of the legs. Their “bite” is actually a pinch.

Scolopendra polymorpha is of a decent size, generally reaching 4 to 7 inches in length. Common Desert Centipede mothers take care of their eggs coiling around and grooming them. They may do this to protect them from mold and bacteria. Once the young hatch, she will further care for them for a few more days until they disperse.

This is always a neat find while in search of reptiles and amphibians.

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Japanese House Centipede

Posted on January 23, 2026 by tspuckler

While walking along the Ashida River, I noticed that the light fixtures along the towpath have panels covering underground pits. Lifting these panels exposed some neat invertebrates.

Japanese House Centipedes are insectivores that hunt and eat other arthropods, such as insects and arachnids. Their delicate legs enable them to reach surprising speeds of up to 1-1/3 feet per second.

This creature has developed automimicry in that its tail-like hind legs present the appearance of antennae. When the centipede is at rest, it is not easy to tell its front end from its back end.

Unlike most other centipedes, House Centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed faceted eyes. They are mostly nocturnal predators. Despite their developed eyes, they seem to rely mostly on their antennae when hunting.

Outdoors, they prefer to live in cool, damp places. Their respiratory systems do not provide any mechanism for shutting their spiracles (small openings on the body surface for breathing), so they need an environment that protects them from dehydration and excessive cold.

Most live outside, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood or leaves, in bark and especially in compost piles. They often emerge from hiding during the watering of gardens or flowerbeds.

Those that live indoors usually do on the ground levels of homes. While many homeowners may be unsettled by them, they pose no threat towards humans, and are beneficial as they eat pests, such as cockroaches.

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Western Millipede

Posted on May 19, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a species of millipede found in California with no common name. Scientifically its kmown as Paeromopus angusticeps. It occupies the largest geographic range of all four species of Paeromopus, covering much of Northern California in a large arc extending from Monterey County on the central coast, north along the Coast Ranges to Humboldt County, and descending along the Cascades and Sierra Nevada range of eastern California.

Adults possess up to 80 body segments and range from 4 to 6 inches long, and are about a quarter on an inch wide. Their color consists of alternating bands of brown on a black or blue-black base color, although in some individuals the banding is largely indistinct from the base color.

Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterized by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda. The name derived from this feature is “Di” meaning “two” and “poda” meaning “feet.”

Most millipedes feed on decomposing vegetation or organic matter mixed with soil. They often play an important role in the breakdown and decomposition of plant litter.

These creatures are among the first animals to have colonized land, dating the species back 400 million years. Early forms probably ate mosses and primitive vascular plants.

Due to their lack of speed and their inability to bite or sting, their primary defense is to curl into a tight coil to protect their delicate legs inside their armored exoskeleton. Many species also emit foul-smelling liquid secretions through microscopic holes called ozopores.

Millipedes have inspired and played roles in scientific research. In 1963, a walking vehicle with 36 legs was designed, said to have been inspired by a study of millipede locomotion. For me they are always a fun find while out in the field.

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Striped Bark Scorpion

Posted on December 30, 2022 by tspuckler

I found many examples of this cool creature while exploring glades in Missouri. The Striped Bark Scorpion is an extremely common scorpion found throughout the midsection of the United States and northern Mexico. It is perhaps the most frequently encountered scorpion in the United States. It is the only species of scorpion in Missouri.

At less than three inches in total length, the Striped Bark Scorpion is easily identified by being a uniform pale-yellow in color with two dark, longitudinal stripes on its back. Their color and pattern suits their environment well, providing them with a natural camouflage protecting them from predators and hiding them from prey. Another key characteristic to distinguish this species is a dark triangle on top of its head.

Its wide geographic distribution allows it to occupy desert, deciduous and coniferous forest, temperate grassland and glades. During the daytime, Striped Bark Scorpions spend a substantial amount of their time under rock and surface debris, within vegetation, and in weathered rural structures such as old sheds and barns.

Active at night, they hunt and eat arthropods, preferring soft-bodied prey such as spiders, cockroaches, ants, crickets, beetles and moths. Small prey is eaten immediately. Large prey is stung with venom and eaten after it stops moving. This animal’s defense mechanism is to sting while running away. While a sting from this species is very rarely deadly, it is painful and causes localized swelling.

Unlike most species of scorpion, the Striped Bark Scorpion is social, presenting it with more opportunities to mate and compete for mates. Females produce 50 or more young per brood. Born live, the young are carried on her back for five to 15 days. After that time they are on their own. They have a lifespan of two to five years. Although common, this was a neat find!

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California Common Scorpion

Posted on June 3, 2022 by tspuckler

This was a fun find on my recent trip to the Golden State, as I had never come across one previously. This species is adapted to a variety of habitats – existing comfortably in the desert scrub as well as in the sandy coastline.

California Common Scorpions are nocturnal predators that forage at night. They feed upon a variety of insects, centipedes and spiders. Scorpions use their pinchers to grab their prey as the stinger on their long tail punctures it. After their paralyzing venom is injected, the prey is eaten.

In human encounters, the venom is known to cause pain, but it is not dangerous. This creature has a total length of about three inches as an adult and typically hides under objects during the daytime. I have mainly found them under logs.

Scorpions mature slowly, molting their exoskeleton as they outgrow it. They can have a lifespan upwards of 10 years. It was a great experience to come across a few examples of this neat arachnid in the wild.

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Stone Centipede

Posted on January 22, 2021 by tspuckler

January isn’t the most ideal time to look for most types of invertebrates in northeast Ohio, but on above-freezing days some cool things can turn up. This month I found a few of these distinctive looking creatures by lifting rocks in my backyard.

Centipedes (which in Latin means “hundred foot”) are exclusively predatory creatures. Because their exoskeletons lack a waxy coating that helps to retain water inside their bodies, centipedes require moist environments to survive.

This particular type is known as a Stone Centipede; it was a species that I often encountered as a child growing up in Cleveland when looking for bugs. Though we used to call them “Hundred Leggers,” they only have 15 pairs of legs. They thrive in soil, leaf litter, under rocks and inside dead wood or logs.

Centipedes are some of the oldest terrestrial animals and were some of the very first creatures to crawl from the sea onto the land. The first centipedes were probably very similar in appearance to modern centipedes. All are nocturnal and actively hunt down insects and other small animals.

To subdue prey, this creature uses “poison claws” which are located on each side of its head. At less than two inches in total length, the Stone Centipede is harmless to humans, but deadly to spiders, sowbugs and any other smaller creature it may encounter.

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Ornate Harvestmen

Posted on December 14, 2019 by tspuckler

Harvestmen, commonly known as “Daddy Longlegs,” superficially resemble, and are often misidentified for spiders, though they are not closely related. Spiders can be identified by their two body segments, while harvestmen have just one.

While harvestmen are common around my house, especially in late Summer and early Autumn, this particular type I’ve only seen while out-of-state, at Carter Caves, Kentucky and while visiting Snake Road in southern Illinois.

Ornate Harvestmen are omnivorous, mostly eating small insects and a wide variety of plant material and fungi; they also are scavengers and feed on dead organisms.

As their name implies, these are more “fancy” than the species of harvestman that I typically find. The Ornate Harvestmen’s intricate details and pattern make it an intriguing find while out and about looking for reptiles.

Harvestmen are among the most ancient of arachnids, fossils indicate they were living on land over 400 million years ago.

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Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpion

Posted on April 14, 2018 by tspuckler

While exploring the desert, I often come across this creature, which lives primarly in Arizona and occupies a wide variety of habitats, from sandy deserts to grasslands to mountains.

Like other scorpions, it has a long tail equipped with a venomous stinger used for defense and to subdue struggling prey (usually insects). It also is equipped with pincers to catch prey and tear it to pieces.

Although the sting of this very common scorpion is reportedly quite painful, it is not dangerous to people with normal reactions and the pain soon vanishes.

Scorpions have been found in fossil records, including coal deposits from the Carboniferous Period. They are thought to have existed in 425-450 million years ago. These arachnids have changed little in the hundreds of millions of years since they first climbed from the primal seas and took their place among earth’s first terrestrial arthropods.

Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpions are sturdy and medium-sized. They usually are under rocks during the day. Like all scorpions, they are nocturnal and venture from their shelters at night to forage for prey.

A stout tail with darkly-marked ridges running lengthwise and a total body length of about two inches are identifying characteristics of this desert ground dweller.

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Black and Yellow Flat Millipede

Posted on February 20, 2016 by tspuckler

It’s still cold and snowy, but turning over a few logs on the woods can reveal hidden life. This 2-3 inch black millipede has yellow bands separating each segment along its back. It also has very bright yellow legs.

Millipedes are long, multi-segmented creatures that resemble centipedes, but centipedes have only one pair of legs on each segment, while millipedes have two legs on most segments.

Generally found in leaf litter, millipedes tend to avoid light. They do not bite humans. Centipedes and millipedes belong to subphylum Myriapoda, meaning “many footed.”

Millipedes commonly consume rotting vegetation rather than of living plant tissue. Their feeding activities speed up the decomposition of plant materials, playing an important part in Nature’s “recycling” process.

Despite their many legs, millipedes cannot run very fast. They have two main defenses. One is curling up in a ball. The other is emitting a smell. If you pick up a flat millipede, it will often release a scent resembling almonds or cherrys. While this might be pleasant for humans to smell, it apparently is distasteful to some predators.

Fossil evidence suggests that millipedes were the earliest animals to breathe air and make the move from water to land.

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House Centipede

Posted on October 1, 2014 by tspuckler

Although sometimes known as a “hundred-legger,” up to 15 pairs of long legs are attached to this speedy creature’s body. Its delicate legs enable it to travel surprisingly fast, as it runs across floors, up walls and along ceilings.

Unlike most other centipedes, House Centipedes have well-developed eyes. Their hind legs are extra long, to mimic the appearance of antennae. When it is at rest, it is not easy to tell its front from its back.

They prefer cool, damp places. Most live outdoors under rocks, piles of wood and compost piles. Within the home, they are often found in basements. The House Centipede is an insectivore; it kills and eats other arthropods, such as insects and arachnids.

Though to many they are unappealing, they are actually quite beneficial, consuming Bad Bugs as well as a variety of other household pests.

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Category Archives: Other Arachnids

Common Desert Centipede

Japanese House Centipede

Western Millipede

Striped Bark Scorpion

California Common Scorpion

Stone Centipede

Ornate Harvestmen

Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpion

Black and Yellow Flat Millipede

House Centipede