Cormocephalus westwoodi (Newport, 1844)

(Order Scolopendromorpha, family Scolopendridae)

Check:
 
(a) 4 eyes each side
(b) tergite 1 overlaps the head
(c) paramedian grooves first appear on tergite 2
(d) shape and position of the the pore area on the last leg coxopleuron as illustrated
(e) spines on the last leg prefemur as illustrated: three longitudinal spine-rows on the mesal surface, two spine-rows on the lateral surface, usually with two spines per row.

Left:   Head and first 4 tergites; arrows mark paramedian grooves.
Centre:   Last segments, right ventro-lateral view.
Right:   Two views of left last leg.

This beautifully coloured centipede was first collected in the Sydney area more than 150 years ago. As a morphologically defined species, C. westwoodi has an extraordinarily wide distribution: Tasmania, the east coast of Australia from Victoria to far north Queensland, New Zealand, New Guinea, the Loyalty Islands, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and southern Africa. Genetic studies may lead to a splitting of this species. Another 18 Cormocephalus species are known from mainland Australia and Philip Island (near Norfolk Island).

C. westwoodi is common under stones, woody litter and eucalypt bark in eastern Tasmania from sea level to at least 1070 m. It has not been found west of the Central Plateau or west of Penguin on the North-West Coast. C. westwoodi is one of Tasmania's most familiar centipedes because it is often carried into backyards in firewood. It is also our largest centipede, reaching 60 mm in body length. Mature females can sometimes be found brooding their eggs or young in rotting logs in spring and early summer.

C. westwoodi makes an interesting pet. I collected the specimen shown above on 16 January 2003 and kept it in my office for the next eight months before releasing it, fat and healthy, in my backyard. 'Cormo' lived in a plastic box with air-holes in the lid and a floor of moist paper towels (changed regularly to prevent mould growth). It ate crickets and grasshoppers from the garden. For more on keeping scolopendrids as pets, see any of several websites on this topic.

Be very careful when handling Cormocephalus to avoid being bitten. The bite is painful and people with sensitivity to animal venoms may suffer serious symptoms. A less venomous centipede which is even easier to keep as a pet is Scutigera coleoptrata.

Localities for Cormocephalus westwoodi.  Scale bar = 100 km.
For an interactive map with more up-to-date localities, go to the mapper page.

More information:
 
Taxonomy: - Koch (1983)