Composite description. Body length up to 12.7 mm (In Australian populations according to Koch (1983 a)). Reddish-brown or yellowish colour on body segments. Cephalic plate and tergites monochromatic or dichromatic in adult (Fig. 2 B). Tergites usually reddish-orange (Thai, Laos and Cambodian populations); dark band on posterior border of tergites. Cephalic plate with or without small punctae, median sulcus present on anterior part. Posterior part of cephalic plate without paramedian sutures. Antenna usually with 18 - 20 articles (sometimes 17, 21 or 23 on one side), basal 5 - 7 glabrous dorsally (Figs 3 E, 5 A), 5 - 8 articles glabrous ventrally. Antennae reach to segment 4. Forcipular trochanteroprefemoral process (Figs 3 F, 5 D) with denticles in two groups, 2 - 3 apical and one inner. Tooth-plates wider than long or nearly as long as wide, usually 5 - 6 teeth (Fig. 3 D); rarely 3, 4 or 7. Tooth-plate with straight, transverse basal suture (Fig. 5 C). Coxosternite without median suture. Article 2 of second maxillary telopodite with spur. Anterior margin of T 1 underlying cephalic plate (Fig. 3 E). Complete paramedian sutures from TT 4 - 5; margination typically starting on T 14 (one spm., with margination restricted restricted to last two tergites). Tergite surface (Figs 3 G, 5 B) smooth. Tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment (Figs 4 C, 6 A) curved posteriorly, with median suture; ratio of width: length of tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment 1.34: 1. Sternites (Figs 4 A, 5 E) with complete paramedian sutures. Sternites without depressions. Sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment (Fig. 4 E) with sides converging posteriorly; surface without depression. Pore-field on coxopleuron terminating well beneath margin of tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, pore area slightly widened anteriorly. Coxopleural process moderately long or short, usually with 4 - 5 apical and 0 - 1 lateral spines (Fig. 4 E); pore-free area extending 40 - 50 % length from distal part of coxopleural process to margin of sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment (Fig. 6 B). All legs without setae and tibial spurs. One tarsal spur on legs 1 - 19 (20 in some African and Indian populations). Ultimate legs: thick and moderately long, with ratios of lengths of prefemur and femur 1.2: 1, femur and tibia 1.3: 1, tibia and tarsus 2 1.7: 1.; tarsus 1 and tarsus 2 2.8: 1. In male, lateral margin of prefemora, femora and tibia marginated dorsally. Prefemoral spines (Figs 4 B, D, 6 C-F): 2 - 4 VL, 3 V, 2 - 4 VM, 2 - 3 M, 2 - 3 DM and prefemoral process usually with 3 - 5 spines. Posterior margin of prefemur with shallow median groove. Genital segments well developed, reaching longer than the distance between posterior margin of sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment and distal part of coxopleural process (Fig. 7 C). Sternite of genital segment 1 round and convex posteriorly, with median suture. In male, sternite of genital segment 2 attached to penis. Tergites of genital segments without small setae. Gonopods with small setae in male. Penis with fine posterior seta. Colouration. Scolopendra morsitans demonstrates colour variation among its populations in SE Asia. Previously, colour variation has been recorded in African, Australian and Taiwanese populations (Lewis 1968, Koch 1983 a, Chao 2008), those studies proposing that latitude and habitat composition might affect this variability. Recent molecular analyses of Thai-Cambodian Scolopendra morsitans suggested that some colour morphs may be specific to local populations (Siriwut et al. 2015 a), although similar patterns occur in each of three different continental faunas. We have recorded the colouration pattern in juvenile and adult specimens (Fig. 2 A-B, respectively): Colour morph 1. Dichromatic. Cephalic plate, T 1 and tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment orange, the remaining tergites brownish. Posterior borders and lateral margins of tergites dark. Antenna bright orange. Pleuron of leg-bearing segments with pale grey integument, pleurites orange. Legs 1 - 21 orangish or yellow. Ultimate legs orangish or light brown. Colour morph 2. Dichromatic. Cephalic plate, T 1 and tergite of ultimate leg-bearing segment dark brown or blackish, the remaining tergites brownish. Posterior borders and lateral margins of tergites dark. Antenna dark blue. Pleuron of leg-bearing segments with pale grey integument, pleurites orange or brown. Legs 1 - 20 yellowish or pale. Ultimate legs blackish or brown.
Sumber: A taxonomic review of the centipede genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae) in mainland Southeast Asia, with description of a new species from Laos
