Scolopendra dehaani, common name Giant Vietnamese centipede, is a large Scolopendrid centipede found across Mainland Southeast Asia.[1] [2] It is also found in India, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[3]
Scolopendra dehaani was originally named by Brandt in 1840, but was reclassified by Carl Attems in 1930 as a subspecies of Scolopendra subspinipes. A 2012 paper reclassified it as a separate species.
Scolopendra dehaani is one of the largest centipedes in the genus Scolopendra, and some specimens have been found to reach or exceed 25 cm in length.[4] It usually lives for five to six years. Specimens usually have brownish-orange tergites (the hard plates on the tops of the segments) and yellow . In a 2016 paper, the authors suggested S. dehaani has five distinct colour morphs: four were dichromatic, one other was monochromatic, and all were generally reddish, brown, or orange in coloration:
1 | Dark brown | Dark brown | Back border with dark band | Reddish-brown | Chestnut brown | Brownish | |
2 | "Brown or yellowish orange" | "Brown or yellowish orange" | Back border with dark band | Yellowish orange | Dark Brown | Pale Grey | |
3 | Reddish-brown | Reddish-brown | - | Reddish-brown | Yellowish, except 20th and ultimate legs, which are reddish-brown. | Brownish | |
4 | Bright red | Back border with dark band | Yellow or bright orange | Yellowish, except 20th and ultimate legs, which are reddish. | Orange | ||
5 | Cherry red | Cherry red | Back border with dark band | Reddish or orange | Reddish | Orange |
Scolopendra dehaani usually preys on smaller arthropods such as insects, spiders, and vinegaroons, but they have been found eating small snakes and other vertebrates, including, in one observation, a tree frog.[5] [6] [7]
One paper suggested that S. dehaani forages arboreally, and it has even been recorded doing so in daytime.