Allothereua maculata
Species of arthropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Allothereua maculata is a species of centipedes found in Australia known as the house-centipede - a name applied elsewhere to other species.[1]
| Allothereua maculata | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Scutigeromorpha |
| Family: | Scutigeridae |
| Genus: | Allothereua |
| Species: | A. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Allothereua maculata (Newport, 1844) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
The body of Allothereua maculata is made up of 15 segments and bears 15 pairs of long legs.[1][2] The body is pale brown with dark markings, and grows to 20–25 millimetres (0.8–1.0 in) long.[2][1] It bears one pair of antennae on the head and a similarly long pair of caudal appendages at the tail end. These organisms have a lot of small hairs and spindle-like bodies so scientists Haase and Heathcote believed that these features can behave as an organ but later discovered that it is not true; they have other functions. There was only limited research done but they understand that it was probably created to help with adaption.[1]
Distribution
Allothereua maculata is the most-common scutigeromorph centipede across southern Australia,[3] occurring from Western Australia to Queensland.[4]
Ecology
Allothereua maculata lives in urban areas and woodland.[3] Its occurrence in houses indicates that it prefers dampness and a lack of ventilation.[2] A. maculata is a predator of insects and other arthropods, but is generally considered harmless.[1]