📸 PhotoPhoto: leechuck (via iNaturalist, (c) Robert Hoehndorf, some rights reserved (CC BY)) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Chinese red-headed centipede
Scolopendra mutilans (Chinese red-headed centipede · Chinese red-headed centipede)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum body length of 16 cm is about 3/4 the short side of an A4 sheet of paper (21 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Centipedes are used as traditional medicinal materials in several Asian countries, and research has also examined arthropod medicines used in traditional Korean medicine.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Chinese red-headed centipede is a large centipede living in East Asia and is a top predator in soil ecosystems.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its body is reddish brown, with fine punctures on the front of the head plate and dark bands along the rear margins of the body segments. Its antennae usually have 18–19 segments.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Centipedes of the genus Scolopendra are generalist predators and among the top carnivorous invertebrates in soil ecosystems. It has been recorded across East Asia including Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed as 'Wang-ji-ne' (Korean name) on the National List of Species of Korea (where the scientific name is spelled Scolopendra multilans Koch, 1878), and studies on the genus Scolopendra confirm its distribution in South Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • checklistbank.org — STNS8
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000532677 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000532677
- • wikidata.org — Q141544430
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Scolopendra mutilans - iNaturalist 739186343.jpg
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC4926625
- • species.nibr.go.kr — general-search
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — author not recorded · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Scolopendridae)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.