Chinese red-headed centipede
Encyclopedia
The Chinese red-headed centipede, also known as the Chinese red head, (Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans) is a centipede
from East Asia
and Australasia
. It averages 20 cm (8 inches) in length and lives in an aquatic environment.
In ancient Chinese traditions, this centipede is used for its healing properties. It is said that putting a Chinese red head on a rash or other skin-disease will speed up the healing process.
Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans is known for harbouring little aggression to other centipedes, a trait very rare amongst giant centipedes and allows it to be kept communally.
Females are incubatoral mothers, guarding the eggs by wrapping their body around the clutch until it hatches.
Centipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
from East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. It averages 20 cm (8 inches) in length and lives in an aquatic environment.
In ancient Chinese traditions, this centipede is used for its healing properties. It is said that putting a Chinese red head on a rash or other skin-disease will speed up the healing process.
Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans is known for harbouring little aggression to other centipedes, a trait very rare amongst giant centipedes and allows it to be kept communally.
Females are incubatoral mothers, guarding the eggs by wrapping their body around the clutch until it hatches.