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Common name:Hong Kong giant centipede
Maximum size: around 12".
Suggested cage size: a 10 gallon will hold a single specimen, keep alone.
Original habitat:Hong Kong, other similar S.subspinipes subspecies found all over SE Asia.
Temperature: 80-90°F.
Humidity: 75-85%, spray daily.
Diet: appropriately sized crickets, small vertebrates such as pinkie/fuzzy/small hopper mice or small lizards can be offered occasionally to larger specimens.
Breeding: the female lays 30-60 relatively large eggs and coils around them, usually under a hidespot. The young are white when they first hatch, and stay with the mother for quite some time before venturing out on their own. May be parthenogenic, meaning that only one animal is required for breeding.
More research is needed.
Sexual dimorphism: none known.
Notes: has a potentially dangerous venom, do not freehandle for any reason. If you need to move them for any reason, do so by herding them into a glass jar with a probe. The venom is supposed to be much worse than mutilans or most of the other small species, there are reports of human fatalities. If you have an allergy to insect bites or stings, or a heart condition (turboTSI, I'm looking in your direction), I suggest you find a different pet. the bite may also leave an interesting scar(photo taken by machete of PFish).
Very sensitive to airborne pollutants such as paint fumes, move the enclosure to another room before doing any work and keep it out for several days afterwards, to ensure the fumes have dissipated.
A few words on caging; they do spend most of their time hiding under logs, use tons of cork bark. Substrate should be at least 2" thick. Peat, sphagnum, bark, and mixes of the above are all good choices. Make sure the cage is at least as tall as the 'pede is long. I also suggest removing the top half of the silicone holding the side together with a razor and rubbing alcohol. The plastic "critter keeper" cages should not be used, it's too easy for them to find purchase in the tiny flaws and cuts in the corners. A shot of my S.s.mutilans enclosure as an example:
My pic:
-PK
