Australasian Giant Centipede

Ethmostigmus rubripes · Order: Scolopendromorpha · Family: Scolopendridae

Also called: Australian Tiger Centipede, Giant Rainforest Centipede

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Australasian Giant Centipede
Photo: Jackson Nugent, CC BY

Its back plates vary in brown, green, orange, or yellow shades, often with a dark edge, and its long yellow antennae have 19-20 segments, the first few being smooth.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Antennae are yellow, long, with 19-20 segments; the first 3-4 segments are smooth.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It tolerates both dry and moist conditions and often shelters beneath logs, bark, leaf litter, or rocks.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It is a solitary nocturnal predator.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Three subspecies are currently described.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

It is active at night.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is widely distributed across Asia and Oceania.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Australasian Giant Centipede photo 3
Photo: Jackson Nugent, CC BY
Australasian Giant Centipede photo 4
Photo: Jackson Nugent, CC BY

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 biteRed-headed CentipedeRed-headed CentipedeScolopendra morsitansCan bitePacific Giant CentipedePacific Giant CentipedeScolopendra subspinipesVenomous

Sources

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

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.

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