My Impressive Capture

[trehopr1]

I personally collected this impressive monster in the Dominican Republic back in 1990. I was actually there to collect lepidoptera with a fellow collector /friend. We spent 2 weeks there during the last week of July and the first week of August. Our main goal was finding the assorted native Papilionidae and any other leps that happened by in the process. One of the areas we collected was a desert region in the far southwest of the country near the Haiti border (Pedernales province).One particular morning we were driving our rented van (to and fro) down several desert roads searching for any signs of mud puddling. It had briefly rained early that morning and my friend said the conditions were ripe for hatching.

At one point as we rolled along in the van we both sighted (simultaneously) something we initially thought was a snake crossing the road ahead of us. Only moments later we both shouted "CENTIPEDE" !! We pulled the van over and jumped out practically both stumbling head over heel. At the back of the van I grabbed my net and my friend instead grabbed a huge pair of forceps he had. I said let him run into the net but, instead he lunged forward blocking my way and grabbed the beast with the forceps. Dum... It coiled itself around the forceps and nearly bit him on the thumb. He dropped it. He again did the same thing despite my saying "let me net him". Well, he again was forced to drop the beast as the second attempt nearly got him a bite on the wrist. There was no third try. This time I sidestepped this fool and simply placed my net in front of it and it scurried in only moments before we would have lost it in some thick scrub near the side of the road.

Needless to say, it did wind up with me even though it was a "contested" item the rest of the trip as well as some time thereafter. I rightfully collected it and knew I would always treasure it and the memory of its capture. The other fellow cared less about it (as he was a diehard lepidopterist) and only saw it as an item of monetary value or trade.

My beast measures 10 and three quarter inches from the tip of its head to the tip of its rear legs. I did my very best in preparing it up. It took just over 200 pins to position it. Some rocky outcroppings we sighted close by the road along with a small cave opening told us of its likely home.



Dominican Republic
Pedernales Province
August.04.1990
Placed net in front of it.

[Paul K]

In Bangkok I have seen them many times and they can grow here over 30 cm long and 3cm fat.
The bite is very and I mean very painful and they are very fast. Also they tend to crawl under people's bed, so sometimes one can has company while a sleep .
I never made attempts to collect one.

[wollastoni]

I have seen some big ones in Asia too.

I would not have dared catching them...

[trehopr1]

Yes, indeed Paul and Olivier I am certain even larger examples are known from parts of Southeast Asia and South America. One cannot imagine having such a beast present near human habitation. The very sight of seeing one of these things in real life is not only creepy; it's downright un-nerving. This island variant which I happened across was in a wild open area.
After it was collected we showed it to a groundskeeper who worked at the place that we were staying at. He was an older gentleman in his 60's and he remarked that he had only seen one which was bigger over the years. He said that he saw a group of chickens once " pecking" at what he thought was a snake which turned out to be one of these.