Western Yellow Centipede - a Wireworm as I call them, nigh on impossible!

[Paul Iddon]

They are the thin tiny yellowish wireworms as I called them as a kid, more legs than a millipede, and actually a centipede. But they always move, never in a predictable way either. This is a very small one - probably juvenile, as it was under 2 inches at it's most fully extended. It has about a one millimetre wide body - perhaps double that at the head and tail.

The best I could manage, manually focusing and relying on a light to illuminate where it was at any given moment, these are the best I could manage. Not much, but it gives you an idea of what it is, though I'm sure many of you will recognise it anyway from the pictures of various angles and directions. The photos are not rotated, they were either landscape, or portrait orientation.

This is the longest centipede found in the UK, it is creamy white and up to 70 mm long. It has between 77 and 83 pairs of legs. (It was previously called Haplophilus subterraneus). It is a 'geophilid' centipede which lives mainly in leaf litter but can also be found under stones. Latin mane now Stigmatogaster subterranea.

These are cropped though - a higher mag meant I had nil, zero, zilch chance, so had to dial the mag back a bit.














Paul.

 

[T0p cat]

Good find Paul, i have never seen one of these before. I found my first centipede the other day, i had not a chance of photographing it though it moved super fast.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Good find Paul, i have never seen one of these before. I found my first centipede the other day, i had not a chance of photographing it though it moved super fast.

These are common - usually found when digging around shallow soil. They can get very long and the creamy colour gets more pronounced as they fatten up and grow.

Paul.

 

[Tintin124]

Great find, Ive never seen these before so got something else to look for.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Great find, Ive never seen these before so got something else to look for.

This is the only centipede I will happily put in my hand. You can just about feel them moving across your palm when they are bigger (full size). Now, them brown centipedes that run like Usain Bolt... I wouldn't touch one them, ever!

Paul.

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Great find Paul, and some really good shots and detail.

George.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Great find Paul, and some really good shots and detail.

George.

Cheers George

Paul.

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Now, them brown centipedes that run like Usain Bolt... I wouldn't touch one them, ever!

May I ask why Paul, as I know absolutely nothing about these things.

George.

 

[Paul Iddon]

May I ask why Paul, as I know absolutely nothing about these things.

George.

Of course.

They are bloody scary and horrible! Centipedes are blind - they hunt by feeling and maybe scent or sound. But they are so quick, and ferocious looking. A close up of their mouthparts... well that makes me shudder just thinking about it...

If I find one, I'll post a close up when I can...

Paul.

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Of course.

They are bloody scary and horrible! Centipedes are blind - they hunt by feeling and maybe scent or sound. But they are so quick, and ferocious looking. A close up of their mouthparts... well that makes me shudder just thinking about it...

If I find one, I'll post a close up when I can...

Paul.

Thanks for that Paul, I'll take your advice and keep them at focus distance should I ever manage to get cracking on some more macro photography.

George.

 

[TimmyG]

Excellent, I can see they must be a nightmare to get decent shots of and these are fantastic! Not something I have encountered (maybe when I was younger and looking for worms to eat, they do look familiar).

 

[Paul Iddon]

Excellent, I can see they must be a nightmare to get decent shots of and these are fantastic! Not something I have encountered (maybe when I was younger and looking for worms to eat, they do look familiar).

Cheers Tim.

When you find them, their long bodies can be like 3 or 4 letter s's joined together!

Paul.