SCOLOPENDRA HARDWICKEI (NEWPORT, 1844) FEEDING ON OLIGODON TAENIOLATUS (JERDON, 1853) IN THE SCRUB JUNGLES OF PONDICHERRY, SOUTHERN INDIA

摘要

Apart from feeding on three different species of bats (Molinari et al. 2005), centipedes of the genus Scolopendra (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) have also been reported to prey upon reptiles by Lawrence in 1953, Butler in 1970 and in 1975 by Easterla(Carpenter and Gillingham 1984). These include frogs, toads, small lizards, and serpents (Molinari et al. 2005). Individuals of three North American snake species, namely Central Texas Whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus girandi (Stejneger and Barbour 1917),Texas Brown Snake Storeria dekayi texana (Trapido 1944), and Lined Snake Tropidoclonion lineatum have been recorded as the prey of the Giant Desert Centipede Scolopendra hews (Girard 1853), when kept in the same vivarium as the centipede. All the snakeswere killed by incisions to the ventral neck and fed upon by the centipede on successive nights (Cates pers. comm.). Easterla (1975) describes a scolopendrid feeding on the Long-nose Snake (Rhinocheilus sp.) (Forti et al. 2007). All of the above records refer to North, Central and South American species of Scolopendra, some of which are known for their large sizes.