African Giant Centipede

Ethmostigmus trigonopodus · Order: Scolopendromorpha · Family: Scolopendridae

Also called: Blue Ring Centipede

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
African Giant Centipede
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY

It is known by several common names, including African giant centipede and Tanzanian blue ring centipede. In northern Nigeria it reaches sexual maturity within a year, which is unusually fast for centipedes.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

In northern Nigeria it can become sexually mature within one year, which is uncommon for centipedes.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It occurs in the northern part of Nigeria.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Two valid subspecies exist: E. trigonopodus trigonopodus and E. trigonopodus pygmenasoides.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Same family (Scolopendridae)

Common Desert CentipedeCommon Desert CentipedeScolopendra polymorphaCan biteGiant Desert CentipedeGiant Desert CentipedeScolopendra herosCan biteEastern Bark CentipedeEastern Bark CentipedeHemiscolopendra marginataMediterranean Banded CentipedeMediterranean Banded CentipedeScolopendra cingulataCan biteChinese Red-headed CentipedeChinese Red-headed CentipedeScolopendra mutilansCan biteRed-headed CentipedeRed-headed CentipedeScolopendra morsitansCan bite

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethmostigmus_trigonopodus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

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