Giant runner

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giant runner
Brazilian giant runner (Scolopendra gigantea)

Brazilian giant runner ( Scolopendra gigantea )

Systematics
Over trunk : Molting animals (Ecdysozoa)
Trunk : Arthropod (arthropoda)
Sub-stem : Millipede (myriapoda)
Class : Centipede (Chilopoda)
Subclass : Epimorpha
Order : Giant runner
Scientific name
Scolopendromorpha
Pocock , 1895

The giant runners or Skolopender (Scolopendromorpha) form an order within the class of the centipedes (Chilopoda), which in turn belongs to the sub-tribe of the millipedes (Myriapoda). The giant runners include both the most well-known and the largest species of centipedes. The order of the giant runner is widespread almost worldwide and inhabits a large number of habitats.

The giant runners share their nocturnal and predatory way of life with other centipedes . During the day the animals hide under the ground or in cracks, while at night they hunt actively or as ambulance hunters. The prey scheme consists mainly of other arthropods , but in larger species it can also include small vertebrates . The life cycle typical for centipedes is also present in the giant runners, so that here, too, the mating emerges with a remarkable and long-lasting contact, in which both sexual partners dribble. The mated female takes care of the brood and protects the eggs and, for some time, the offspring that hatch from them, before they become independent.

There are two records of bite accidents caused by giant runners that were fatal in humans, which is otherwise the case with no other order of centipedes. This makes the giant runners toxicologically important research objects , especially since the bite of some species can have other medically relevant consequences and the poisons of the representatives of the order are generally little researched. Furthermore, giant runners are assigned important roles in ecosystems and many species are also kept as pets in the field of terraristics . Occasionally, giant runners are also used as food or as a medicine.

features

All giant runners, such as Scolopendra laeta here , are characterized by their elongated and flexible physique.

Giant runners can have an average length of about 10 to 300 millimeters, depending on the species, although Scolopendra galapagonensis can be over 300 millimeters long, for example. In addition, a museum specimen of the Brazilian giant runner ( Scolopendra gigantea ) is stored in the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris , which is approx. 350 millimeters long. The basic physique of the giant runners corresponds to that of other centipedes , whereby the elongated and flat appearance is typical for them. At the same time, the animals are very flexible due to their physique and also quite strong. Giant runners can have different colors, consisting of yellow, orange, red, green or blue tones. In addition, many species are characterized by darker drawing elements.

External features

Dorsal view of Scolopendra multidens with clearly visible segments

The species of giant runner have a total of 21 to 23 body segments and just as many pairs of legs (exception: in the species Scolopendropsis duplicata from Brazil they are roughly doubled with 39 or 43 leg-bearing segments). As usual for centipedes, each segment has a pair of walking legs. Dorsally (above) the segments are protected with tergites and ventrally (below) with sternites (made of chitin and sclerotized or solidified plates). Both the sternites and the tergites are similar in structure and are connected to one another by an elastic membrane skin, while the sternites also overlap those that follow. As a result, giant runners are well armored both dorsally and ventrally , which offers them effective protection against predators (predators), defensive prey as well as against rough terrain when digging or looking for hiding places.

Ethmostigmus rubripes with clearly visible tergites and the pit-like stigmas of this species

The tergites of the giant runner are predominantly built up homogeneously. However, the segments 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 are shorter than the remaining ones. A characteristic of the tergites of many giant runners are the so-called paramedian furrows, which are mostly longitudinal furrows with more or less clearly delimited edges. When Fähnchenskolopender ( alipes grandidieri ) about five have the Tergites to nine on this furrows. Laterally, the tergites are surrounded by the soft, wrinkled and so-called pleural skin, from which the legs arise and which also have the stigmas (respiratory openings) of the giant runners. In the species belonging to this order, the spiracles can either lead into the pleural membrane in the form of a pit or they are elongated, in which case they are covered by a tricuspid plate. The characteristics of the stigmas can help in identifying the genera and species of individual giant runners. The bottom surfaces of the spiracles are provided with fringe-like structures that protect them from foreign bodies. Most of the species have the stigmas on the sides of segments 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. The species of the family of Cryptopidae and the subfamily of Otostigminae also have a stigma on the seventh segment, while giant runners with 23 leg-bearing segments each have another on the 22nd segment. The representatives of the genus Plutonium have, with the exception of the last leg contributing, stigmas on every segment. The pleural skin itself is protected by sclerites, which also serve to prevent the pleural skin from stiffening. Since the sternites, like the tergites, are not stretchable due to their hardened properties, the stretchability of the pleural skin is of great importance for giant runners.

Head region of Cormocephalus rubriceps with easily recognizable eyes and antennae

The head or caput consists of the dorsal head plate, which appears rounded in the giant runners. As with other centipedes, the headstock also bears the eyes, which, like all representatives of this class, are designed as ocelli (point eyes). In some giant runners, however, the eyes have receded completely. If the ocelli are present, their number is usually four on each side of the headstock. On the ventral side of the head region there is, among other things, a sclerite known as a clypeus, which can have grown together with the anterior (front) adjoining labrum to form a clypeolabrum. Paralabial sclerites (sometimes called coclypeus) can be attached to the side of the labrum or clypeolabrum. The mouthparts show the structure typical of the centipedes, made up of right-angled mandibles and two pairs of maxillae (mouthparts). In the narrower sense, the maxilla is a pair of transformed legs, the base of which is on a hip plate. They consist of so-called Telopo members . The second pair of maxillae consists of three segments, the last of which has a brush-like structure that is used, for example, to clean the antennae . The feelers themselves arise from the frontal surface of the head plate and consist of elements that are getting smaller and smaller, the number of which in the giant runners can range from 17 to 34 depending on the type. When it comes to the links, a distinction is made between the base segments, which are usually not provided with setae (chitinized hair ), and the final links, which are always covered with setae. In some types of giant runner, such as the Brazilian giant runner, the antennae can reach up to the seventh body segment when folded down.

Ventral detailed view of the head region of Plutonium zwierleini with clearly visible mandibles , the maxillae and the maxillipedas .

A feature common to all centipedes and therefore present in the giant runners are the maxillipedas (first pair of legs converted into poisonous claws), which are also located in the head region and belong to the jaw foot segment, which is a very crooked trunk segment. The base of each of the maxillipedes is formed by the first member of the telopod, which also contains the poison gland. This is followed by two shorter intermediate links, which then end in the so-called tarsungulum together with the claw. Due to the maxillipedas, the tergite of the mandibular foot segment is barely recognizable.

Rear view of Hemiscolopendra marginata with clearly recognizable structures of the treads

The legs of the giant runners are constructed identically to those of the other centipedes and each consist of the trochanter ( thigh ring ), the pre- and femora (splints), the tibia and the one- to two-part tarsi and the claws, or the pretarsi together, while their base is formed by the pro and coxae (hip joints). A single pretarsus usually carries two spurs and the tarsi also have one or two of these, whereby the number of spurs varies depending on the type and pair of legs. The dorsal side at the ends of the pre- and femora can also have smaller thorns in South American giant runners.

A giant runner of the genus Rysida with long terminal legs that are typical for the genus

The last link of the giant runner, like that of other centipedes, diverges greatly from the others through its pleural skin, which here is merely formed from a large sclerite that has grown together with the tergite of the segment. One speaks here of the Coxopleron, which probably consists of the Pro- and Coxae. The coxopleurs are not infrequently provided with backward-directed appendages, which in turn are covered with thorns and spurs. Organs in the form of openings for the fluid regulation of the animal are also formed here on these projections. Fluid regulation occurs through the absorption of fluid through the openings. The last legs on the limb are called trailing or tail legs and are not used for locomotion, but rather fulfill different tasks depending on the type. This includes touching, feeling and also grasping. In the pair of terminal legs, the trochanters are reduced and fused with the prefemora, which in turn are characterized by species-specific thorns. Femora, tibia and two tarsi with one terminal claw each are present on the terminal legs of the giant runners. The function of the thorns and spurs in the running and the terminal legs is still unknown.

A female of the species Parotostigmus pococki , one of the few giant runners with a clear sexual dimorphism . The female differs from the male of the species by the lack of clubs on the terminal legs.

The anal openings and genital organs are, as in other centipedes, below the terminal legs and behind the last sternite. The latter are hidden in a pocket in the end segment and can be turned out if necessary. Most giant runners have no discernible sexual dimorphism (difference between the sexes), which - like the location of the genital organs - makes it difficult to determine the sex. One of the few examples with such a dimorphism is the subgenus Parotostigmus belonging to the genus Otostigmus , in whose species the males have club-like structures on their terminal legs that are not found in the females. In male giant runners, as in other centipedes, the respective sexual organs consist of the second genital asterisk, the spinning pens and the gonopods, which the female animals lack.

Internal anatomy

Like the external structure, the internal structure of the giant runner largely corresponds to that of other centipedes . One feature of this order is a laterally symmetrical system of tracheas . In doing so, the trachea connect the spiracles, which means that they reach all organs of the animal as a branched system. Some giant runners also have at least ten central, large vessels that are able to store air. This function is beneficial to the animals in areas where breathing is difficult, as can be the case, for example, when they are buried under the ground. This property is shown in particular by the xerophilic (dry-loving) or the giant runners that occur in the Mediterranean region .

The sensory organs of the giant runners also correspond predominantly to those of other orders belonging to the class of centipedes. The ocelli not present in almost all giant runners and only in a few ( e.g. species of the genus Scolopocrytops ) consist of a simple lens and underlying receptor cells , which are also adapted to the respective light conditions. Giant runners, like all centipedes with the exception of stone runners (Lithobiomorpha), do not react to noise. In representatives of the latter order, this property can probably be explained by the Tömösváry organ that is present there and is missing in the giant runners .

The bowel of the giant runner is elongated and divided into three parts. It extends from the head to the anal region of the animal.

Distribution and habitats

A specimen of Scolopocryptops troglocaudatus in Brazil

With the exception of Antarctica, the giant runner order is represented on all continents of the world, but its species, like all centipedes, prefer warmer climates. The distribution of the species is limited to the sub-, tropical and temperate parts of the continents. The representatives of the giant runners, like those of the spider striders (Scutigeromorpha), are also more resistant to dry habitats, which distinguishes them from the species of the earth creepers (Geophilomorpha) and those of the stone walkers (Lithobiomorpha), which prefer moderate climatic zones as well as significantly higher air and soil humidity. The giant runners occur in the soil layer, under leaves, rocks or bark and also in dry grassland and forests as well as in desert regions.

The garden colopender ( Cryptops hortensis ) is also widespread in Central Europe .

In Central Europe only four species of giant runner are considered to be established, three of which belong to the genus Cryptops . Two of them are the garden colopers ( C. hortensis ) and C. parisi . The third species is the species C. anomalans introduced in Germany and England . In addition, a specimen of the species C. umbricus was found in the municipality of Solnhofen ( Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district in Middle Franconia ) in 2011 , but it was initially incorrectly identified as a specimen of the species C. anomalans . This was corrected during a check in 2016 and the specimen was assigned to the correct species. In addition, one individual of C. croaticus and another of three non-identifiable species of the genus Cryptops were found in Austria last year . One specimen of one species has been found in Slovenia , of the second two specimens each in Burgenland, Austria and in the Croatian village of Brestova, and one of the third in a tropical-based facility at Leipzig Zoo . In the Mediterranean area, there are also larger species of the genus Scolopendra , including the European giant elephant ( S. cingulata ), which is widespread here and which, with a maximum length of around 100 millimeters, is the largest species of giant elephant found in Europe. The European giant runner can also be found, albeit rarely, in southern Central Europe, where it occurs , for example, on Lake Neusiedl . The species of the genus Cryptops are among the smaller representatives of the giant runner and, like other centipedes that occur in Central Europe, with the exception of the European giant runner, are usually no longer than 35 to 40 millimeters. Another larger representative of the giant runner that occurs in southern Europe is plutonium zwierleini .

Specimen of Scolopendra cataracta on wood , found near the Bolaven Plateau in Laos .

In the tropics and subtropics, the diversity in terms of size and color of the giant caterpillars found there is significantly greater. The largest species in Asia, for example, is Scolopendra dehaani , which can be over 260 millimeters long. The largest representatives of the giant runners in America and the largest giant runners at all are the Brazilian giant runner ( Scolopendra gigantea ) and Scolopendra galapagonensis . The largest giant runner in Africa should be Ethmostigmus trigonopodus with a body length of mostly 160 to 170 millimeters, while this position is occupied in Australia by the closely related and up to 200 millimeters long species Ethmostigmus rubripes .

Way of life

A giant runner of the genus Scolopendra about to hide.
Active specimen of Scolopendra heros

The way of life of the giant runner like that of other centipedes is little researched. According to previous knowledge, they are predominantly ground-dwelling and nocturnal loners who live withdrawn and hidden, especially during the day. The underside of stones and roots, damp and dark layers of leaves or abandoned animal structures come into question as places of retreat. Giant runners can also create hiding places in the form of self-dug living tubes, which are equipped as widely ramified cave systems with several entrances and exits as well as chambers. The dungeons are used by the animals for molting and feeding, and by the females also for laying eggs. This way of life also serves the giant runners as protection against dehydration and predators.

Different behavioral characteristics can be observed in individual types of giant runners. A specialty is the species Arrhabdotus octosulcatus , which lives in the rainforests of Borneo , is tree-dwelling and mostly moves slowly. This can be justified with the fact that the species has very short legs and their tergites each have seven strong longitudinal ribs, which give the body an extraordinary stiffness, as is otherwise present in other classes of millipedes apart from centipedes. The species Scolopendra subspinipes , originally only widespread in Southeast Asia but introduced in many parts of the world, can move on the surface of the water without any problems, which benefits the species, which can also be found in rainforests, during the floods that occur in their natural range and triggered by the monsoons .

Because of their way of life, giant runners are considered to be a significant part of the ecosystems in which they occur, especially since the various species occupy many ecological niches due to their wide range of habitats . The role of the giant runners in the systems is still little researched nowadays.

Hunting behavior and range of prey

Captive giant runner of the genus Scolopendra while capturing a mole cricket

Like all centipedes, giant runners feed exclusively in a predatory manner and, depending on their activity time, hunt mainly at night. The hunting behavior corresponds to that of other centipedes, which means that giant runners also have both an active and a passive hunting method. During the active run, the giant runners roam around and use their feelers to feel their surroundings. Larger representatives can also straighten the front third of their own body in order to obtain a larger search area. This hunting strategy is used in particular when the number of potential prey animals in the vicinity of the giant runner turns out to be smaller and thus encourages them to actively hunt.

Mostly hidden specimen of Scolopendra polymorpha, lurking for prey

In contrast to the active hunting method, the giant runners stay in one place with the passive one, which is used when there is less need for prey, and thus go on to a stalking hunt . The hunter stays hidden for hours and only the exposed antennae, which are used to register prey, look out. If one of these comes within range of the giant runner, it snaps out of its hiding place and attacks the prey in a flash. Regardless of the hunting method, the giant runner surrounds prey objects with its legs and injects them with a poisonous bite through its maxillipedas , rendering the prey unable to defend or escape. Research has confirmed that giant runners attempt to grab the prey by the head region when they reach it. The prey is then chopped up using the mouthparts and maxillipedas before being brought to the mouth.

A specimen of Ethmostigmus trigonopodus eating a prey

The prey spectrum of the giant runners consists mainly of other invertebrates , including insects and their larvae as well as spiders and worms . Larger representatives can also kill smaller vertebrates . These include frogs (also larger ones , such as toads ), lizards , birds and mice . From the Brazilian giant rotor ( Scolopendra gigantea ) also sightings exist in Venezuela , which prove that the way to be able bats lie in wait and then to take them when flyby. If carrion is found, centipedes will also eat it.

Enemies, diseases and defensive behavior

European giant rotor ( Scolopendra cingulata ) as prey a Blauracke ( coracias garrulus )

In the wild, giant runners are exposed to a multitude of predators despite their ability to defend themselves. Vertebrates such as birds , reptiles and some mammals such as foxes play a particularly important role. Larger arthropods with a way of life similar to giant runners, such as some scorpions or tarantulas , also appear as antagonists of these.

Of mites infested copy of Scolopendra subspinipes

Another danger for giant runners comes from parasites such as mites , which are found in the front third of the head including the antennae and mouthparts, but sometimes also on the front tergites. Some endoparasites , including coccidia and gregarines , also infect giant runners. Representatives of both groups then live in the intestine of the host and can close it in very large numbers, which then results in the death of the giant runner. In addition to the endoparasites found in giant runners, there are also roundworms and leeches . Furthermore, giant runners can succumb to mycoses (fungal infections), in which the body of the infected giant runner increasingly dies.

With upright end legs threatening giant runner

Different types of giant runners have developed different defense strategies against predators, apart from fleeing from or defending against these bites, of which further basic variants are camouflage colors adapted to the respective habitat or warning colors on the bodies of the animals that indicate toxicity. These include defense secretions given off by various glands, such as the coxa glands, which protect the animals from bacteria and fungi as well as from predators. Giant runners can announce their readiness for defense by threateningly lifting their end legs, which are often provided with thorns .

A curled up specimen of Edentistoma octosulcatum

The species of the genus of Fähnchenhundertfüßer ( alipes ) also have blade-like shaped end members to the Endbeinen, which stridulating organs have. With the help of this, the species can make clearly audible hissing noises. In addition, the pennant centipedes, just like the species of the genus Rysida, can shed their terminal legs, which twitch rhythmically for a few minutes after shedding, which gives the giant runner the opportunity to escape through the irritation of the predator. Discarded end legs of the flagged centipedes also reproduce sibilants on their own. Still other giant runners, such as the representatives of the genus Otostigmus , wind like a snake when there is a possible danger and jump upwards with these movements. This makes it difficult for a potential predator to grasp and, in particular, to hold onto the animal.

Life cycle

Giant runners that live in wetter areas, such as Scolopendra spinipriva , have a longer life cycle .

The life cycle of the giant runner also largely corresponds to that of other centipedes and is therefore divided into several phases. Like the Geophilomorpha , the giant runners already have all the segments when they hatch, which distinguishes them from the centipedes of the orders of the Craterostigmomorpha, the stone walkers (Lithobiomorpha) and the cobblers (Scutigeromorpha), whose representatives hatch with a smaller number of segments and during their hatching Moults up to the complete animal each receive new segments.

The duration of the life cycle of the giant runners depends on the geographical distribution. In the case of desert-dwelling species, it is completed much faster due to the more hostile conditions there.

Mating and sperm transfer

The males of some giant runners, such as those of the genus Ethmostigmus , can also transmit spermatophores directly to the female.

The mating of the giant runners is the same for most species and can take up to 14 hours. It begins with the establishment of contact, in which both sexual partners form a circle and use their feelers to tease the partner's end legs. The cheating serves as a trigger for the mating ritual, which then runs completely rigid, which is why it is assumed that this process is based on a stimulus that checks the willingness to mate and initiates all other processes necessary for mating. In some species, such as the Brazilian giant runner ( Scolopendra galapagonensis ), males and females get caught with the help of their end legs after being teased and remain in this position for a few minutes or even hours. Again with other giant runners, the male is impressed by lifting the rear segments of the female and crawling under it until the head of the female comes into contact with the terminal legs of the male.

Now the male creates a sperm net with the help of his spinning pen, which is made either in a shelter, which can be between leaves, under stones, etc., or in an underground passage. The net consists of several threads that are laid out in all directions. In the meantime, the male maintains the connection to the female, often via feeler contact. Immediately after the production of the sperm network has been completed, the male lays down his spermatophore (clusters of sperm). This is a tough, white mass.

The male then slowly leaves the shelter and guides the female, which is still in contact with the male, rear end first to the spermatophores. As soon as the female comes into contact with the sperm network, it everts its genital organs and attaches the spermatophores. The sperm that are now in the female's genital openings can now penetrate the female's body and fertilize it. In some species, such as those of the genus Ethmostigmus , the males can also transfer the spermatophores directly to the female by union. A remnant of the spermatophores often remains at the genital openings under the last sternite of the female and is eaten up by the latter. Consumption of the entire sperm by the female is prevented by the male, who maintains sensor contact with the female for several hours.

Egg laying and incubation

A female of Cormocephalus aurantipes guards its eggs.

A fertilized female can store the transferred sperm for a very long time in all giant runners. The time it takes to lay eggs is influenced by factors such as state of health, food availability and weather conditions. For the laying of the eggs, the female then moves into a self-made and underground or under stones, roots or the like. located breeding chamber back. This chamber is mostly about seven to ten centimeters deep.

The eggs themselves are laid in the form of an oval cluster, which is held together by a gelatinous secretion released by the female. The egg clutches of the giant runners can contain between nine and 66 eggs. The eggs are guarded by the female by holding them with some of the legs. In some species, the female also encloses the eggs with her whole body. In addition, the eggs are regularly cleaned and moistened and covered with defensive secretions secreted by special glands that protect the eggs from fungal and bacterial attack. In the case of Cormocephalus , it has been observed that this happens through touching the mouth. The entire incubation until hatching takes about three weeks.

Growing up and life expectancy

Young giant runner

The so-called protonymphs hatch out of the eggs, which, apart from the lack of sexual organs, already resemble adult animals in terms of their physique. In the beginning they also remain in the grip of their mother. In the first stage the nymphs are still colorless and unable to move as well as to eat. After one to two weeks, the molting takes place in the second larval stage, in which the young animals run around between the legs of the still protective mother animal. But they still do not consume any food. The molt into the third larval stage takes place 47 to 50 days after oviposition. In this state, the young animals already have the typical color scheme and moreover move freely and can eat food for the first time, but remain close to their mother. This also remains in the brood chamber for a few days and after a good two months dedicates itself to eating again.

To hides Direction Giant runners

The molting of the giant runners, which is necessary for the growth of all arthropods, has the same sequence as that of other centipedes . This process is announced a few days in advance, as the colouration of the giant runner fades, which is due to the accumulation of air under the old exoskeleton (chitin armor). In addition, the giant runner becomes lazy and stops eating. The moult begins with the head capsule bursting upwards. The animal then crawls forward out of its old exoskeleton, with the new one still damp and very sensitive. Until the new exoskeleton has hardened, the giant runner remains motionless in the hiding place in which the molt took place. The exuvia (stripped exoskeleton) serves as the first food after moulting and provides the animal with important minerals. As with other arthropods, parts of the body that have been lost in giant runners can be regenerated by shedding their skin. However, these can differ in size and shape from the former body parts and have irregular fine structures.

Dead giant runner

Giant runners go through a total of 11 larval stages until they are fully developed, with the remaining eight taking around two to three years to develop. From the seventh stage onwards, the genital organs develop completely. Larger giant runners can live to be over ten years old. However, representatives living in deserts are shorter-lived due to their faster life cycle.

Toxicology and Toxicity

A giant runner in Thailand . In Asia, the representatives of the order occur with the strongest poisons.

Like all centipedes, all giant runners are basically equipped with poison glands. However, the poison is primarily used to kill prey. The toxicity (poisonous effect) of a giant runner varies depending on its size and type. The species with the strongest poisons belong to the genera Cryptops , Otostigmus , Scolopendra and Scolopocryptos and are common in Asia. The same is also the case with tarantulas, whose Asian representatives also make up those whose poisons have the highest toxicity. The pharmacology (interaction between substances and living beings) of the poisons of giant runners has generally been little researched. In many species, serotonin and histamine are components of the poison. Protein-splitting substances could also be detected, which apparently serve the digestive system. In the venom of Scolopendra subspinipes to substances that damage the heart muscle and found hemolytic , ie blood cells may destructive act.

The poisons from giant runners act extremely quickly and effectively on invertebrates and small mammals . The content of a single poison gland in Scolopendra subspinipes alone is theoretically fatal to more than 25 adult mice weighing 20 grams each. Symptoms triggered by the poison of the species in mice, such as tachypnea (rapid breathing), sweating, vomiting, respiratory paralysis , convulsions or the death of the animals, suggest that this is a neurotoxin ( nerve poison ) that affects the nervous system and thus acts neurologically . In the case of Scolopendra galapagonensis , it has been shown that mice die immediately after being bitten by the species. Grasshoppers bitten by the giant runner, on the other hand, remained alive for several seconds and also moved during this period of time. The reason for this is that the heart and circulatory system of invertebrates is more primitive than that of vertebrates.

Systematics

Probably an illustration of a giant runner from On the Genesis of Species (1871) by St. George Mivart

Classical systematics in the field of biology deals with the taxonomic (systematic) classification as well as with the determination and with the nomenclature (discipline of scientific naming) of living beings and thus also those of the giant runners.

The Latin name Scolopendromorpha is a combination of the noun scolopendra for "thousand feet" and the plural form -morpha from the adjective morphus , which in turn means "formed".

External and internal systematics

The earth creepers (Geophilomorpha sp.) Are the most closely related order of the giant creepers .

The order of the giant runners belongs like almost all orders from the class of the centipedes to the group of the Pleurostigmophora . The only exception is the order of the spider-runner (Scutigeromorpha), which is the only order of the monotypical group of the Notostigmomorpha. An essential difference between the two groups lies in the structure of the tracheal system. In the spider runner the spiracles are arranged centrally on the dorsal plates and not laterally on the pleural skin, as is the case with the group of the pleurostigmophora.

Within the group of the Pleurostigmophora, the giant runners belong to the subclass of the Epimorpha, together with the order of the earth runners (Geophilomorpha) . The position of the order of the giant runners within the class of centipedes is illustrated by the following cladogram :

  Centipede (Chilopoda) 
  Notostigmomorpha 

 Spider Runner (Scutigeromorpha)


  Pleurostigmophora 

 Craterostigmomorpha


  Epimorpha 

 Giant runner


   

 Earth creeper (Geophilomorpha)



   

 Stone runner (lithobiomorpha)


Template: Klade / Maintenance / 3


The order of the giant runner includes around 700 species. These are divided into 34 genera within eight subfamilies, of which the latter are in turn assigned to the three families of giant runners, the Cryptopidae , the Scolopocryptopidae and the Scolopendridae . The position of families within the order of giant runners is explained in the following cladogram:

  Giant runner 

 Scolopocryptopidae


   

 Cryptopidae


   

 Scolopendridae




Fossil evidence

There are several fossil records of both giant runners and other centipedes . Many of them date back to the Paleogene and are around 45 to 65 million years old today. Some of these finds, encased in Baltic amber , are species that still exist today. Furthermore, all fossils of centipedes found so far are identical to today's representatives in terms of habit, size and color, which is often not the case with many fossil finds of other groups of arthropods . The findings so far show that the class of centipedes, including the order of the giant runners, is an ancient group of animals that has not undergone any evolutionary changes in the last 400 million years of verifiable history .

The oldest giant runner fossils to date date from the Paleozoic era . These Upper Carboniferous finds were located on the river bed of the Mazon River in the US state of Illinois . Among them, Samuel Hubbard Scudder described the species Palenarthrus impressionus in 1890 and Peter Mundel in 1979 the species Mazoscolopendra richardsoni . The latter type has 21 segments, but cannot be assigned with any certainty to either the Scolopocryptopidae family or the Cryptopidae or Scolopendridae families , in which this number of segments occurs most frequently, since important criteria, such as the ocelli of the find, are not sufficiently well preserved.

Giant runner fossils from the Mesozoic Era have been located in the Crato Formation in the Araripe Geopark (northeastern Brazil ), which are two species from the Early Cretaceous Period . These are the species Velocipede betimar, first described by David Martill and MJ Barker in 1998, and the species Cratoraricrus oberlii, first described by Heather M. Wilson in 2003 . The latter species, although only one specimen has been found so far, has been better researched and has characteristics typical of the Scolopendridae family, such as two-part tarsi and sternites with paired paramedian grooves. Longitudinal grooves of this type are particularly typical for giant runners from the Asanadini and Scolopendrini tribes within the Scolopendridae family. In Cratoraricrus oberlii the presence of ocelli can neither be proven nor disproved. A giant runner with 21 pairs of legs, which was also found in 2003 at the same location by Federica Menon , David Penney , Paul A. Selden and David Martill and could not be assigned, diverged from Cratoraricrus oberlii . However, further analyzes would be necessary for a previously impossible differentiation between this specimen and Velocipede betimar .

In 1942, Adolf Bachofen von Echt also found a specimen surrounded by Baltic amber that belongs to the Cryptopidae family (allegedly of the genus Cryptops ). In 1854 , Carl Ludwig Koch and Georg Carl Berendt also found a specimen identified by Franz Anton Menge as an individual of the species Scolopendra avita , surrounded by the same material. In 1999 George Orlo Poinar, Jr. and Roberta Poinar discovered a giant runner wrapped in Dominican amber , which turned out to be an indefinite member of the Scolopocryptopinae family. The animal had one large and one ventral spinous process on the prefemora of the terminal legs, similar to what is the case with representatives of the giant runners within the genera Scolopocryptops and Dinocryptops in this subfamily.

Giant runner and human

A specimen of Scolopendra morsitans on hand

Man and the order of the giant runner are in a multifaceted relationship to each other, which means that the representatives of this order receive a different reputation among humans. The reasons and causes for this can also be varied.

Bite accidents and symptoms

Some giant runners, such as Scolopendra dehaani , also have poison that is effective in humans.

Bites by giant runners on humans have been proven several times and by various representatives of the order, but the toxicity of the poisons is controversial. Common symptoms that were triggered by bites from giant runners are sometimes very severe pain and swelling and redness in the area of ​​the bite wound that last for several hours or days. Instead of redness, there may also be blue or darker discolorations in the area of ​​the wound. Another possible consequence of a bite would be numbness near the bite wound. However, it is not uncommon for bites caused by giant runners to go unnoticed, so that it is assumed that the animals can dose the injected amount of poison.

In one of two deaths confirmed by the bites of giant runners, a small child in Asia was bitten in the head by an unspecified giant runner and died as a result of the injected venom. The second case involved an elderly Turkish man who was bitten by a specimen of Scolopendra mortisans . However, it did not die from the effects of the poison, but from a secondary bacterial infection triggered by the bite, which often occurs after the bites of giant runners. Other deaths or systemic diseases are mentioned in older publications, but the evidence on this is rather patchy because, apart from a few individual cases, which also appear doubtful, no medical data or evidence has been provided. The giant runner Scolopendra heros , based in America, is said to have poisonous and defensive secretions on its legs. This assumption comes from various keepers and breeders of the species who claimed that their skin became inflamed as soon as individuals of the species walked over it. Another report of this kind comes from a soldier. Such symptoms are said to have appeared only after several days. However, there is no convincing evidence for this in this case either.

Terrariums

Specimen kept as a terrarium animal by Scolopendra hardwickei

Some species of giant runners are kept as pets in the context of terraristics , but are often of less importance compared to other pets that are common in this area. Among the giant runners, the sub- and tropical representatives of the giant runners, which, depending on the species, reach comparatively high body lengths and can have striking colors, receive the greatest attention.

Due to their minor importance in the field of terrarium hobby, giant runners are rarely bred and also offered in comparison to other arthropods kept in terraristics . This can make it more difficult to acquire the animals.

Food and medicine

Giant skewered runners in a market in Wangfujing , China

Some giant runners are also used as food or as a medicine in traditional Chinese medicine , such as Scolopendra dehaani in China . For the preparation as food, the animals are skewered lengthways through the whole body and deep-fried in hot oil. One way to use individuals of the species as a remedy is to pulp them in alcohol and boil them down. An allegedly effective analgesic (pain reliever) is supposed to be created.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Mark Harvey: Order Scolopendromorpha. In: Lucid Key Server. Lucidcentral, accessed April 7, 2021 .
  2. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 68 .
  3. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 71 .
  4. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 10 .
  5. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 10-11 .
  6. ↑ a b c Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 14 .
  7. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 11-12 .
  8. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 12 .
  9. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 12 .
  10. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 13 .
  11. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 54 .
  12. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 16 .
  13. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 14-15 .
  14. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 15-16 .
  15. ↑ a b c d e f Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 4 .
  16. ↑ Anatoly A. Schileyko, Verena Stagl: Barcoding of Central European Cryptops centipedes reveals large interspecific distances with ghost lineages and new species records from Germany and Austria (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha) . In: ZooKeys . tape 564 , no. 2 , February 2016, p. 33-34 , doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.564.7535 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  17. ↑ Anatoly A. Schileyko, Verena Stagl: Barcoding of Central European Cryptops centipedes reveals large interspecific distances with ghost lineages and new species records from Germany and Austria (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha) . In: ZooKeys . tape 564 , no. 2 , February 2016, p. 34-38 , doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.564.7535 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  18. ↑ Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide . Kosmos, 2016, ISBN 978-3-440-15521-9 , pp. 426 .
  19. ↑ Lucio Bonato, Marco Orlando, Marzio Zapparoli, Giuseppe Fusco, Francesca Bortolin: New insights into Plutonium, one of the largest and least known European centipedes (Chilopoda): distribution, evolution and morphology . In: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . tape 180 , 2017, p. 887 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  20. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 67 .
  21. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 17 .
  22. ↑ a b c d Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 18 .
  23. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 37 .
  24. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 43-45 .
  25. ↑ a b c Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 28 .
  26. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 5 .
  27. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 26-28 .
  28. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 7 .
  29. ↑ a b c d Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 21 .
  30. ↑ a b c d Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 22 .
  31. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 22-23 .
  32. ↑ a b c d Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 23 .
  33. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 19 .
  34. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 28 .
  35. ↑ Chilopoda at the National Center for Biotechnology Information , accessed April 7, 2020.
  36. ^ Gregory D. Edgecombe, Markus Koch: Phylogeny of scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda): morphological analysis featuring characters from the peristomatic area . In: Cladistics . tape 24 , 2008, p. 872 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-0031.2008.00220.x . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  37. ^ Arkady A. Schileyko, Igor Pavlinov: A cladistic analysis of the order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda) . In: Entomologica Scandinavica . January 1997, p. 33 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  38. ^ Gregory D. Edgecombe, Markus Koch: Phylogeny of scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda): morphological analysis featuring characters from the peristomatic area . In: Cladistics . tape 24 , 2008, p. 880 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-0031.2008.00220.x . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  39. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 6 .
  40. ^ Gregory D. Edgecombe: Chilopoda - The fossil history . In: Treatise on Zoology - The Myriapoda . tape 1 , January 2011, p. 358-359 , doi : 10.1163 / 9789004188266_019 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  41. ^ A b Gregory D. Edgecombe: Chilopoda - The fossil history . In: Treatise on Zoology - The Myriapoda . tape 1 , January 2011, p. 359 , doi : 10.1163 / 9789004188266_019 . , accessed on April 7, 2020.
  42. ↑ a b Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 29 .
  43. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 8 .
  44. ↑ Christian Kronmüller: Centipedes: way of life, keeping, offspring (=  terrarium library ). NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86659-219-3 , p. 4 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Giant Runner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files