PromotedSpecies introCountry intro
Garden Symphylan - Scutigerella immaculata
TL: ~ 5 mm. White, segmented body with each segment bearing a set of legs. It has long antennae and no eyes. Garden symphylans can be found in humid leaf litter or humus-rich soil. They are super fast and very flexible, which helps them evade predators.
Fun facts: Females pick up sperm that the males deposit and then store it in their mouths! When she "lays" an egg, she has to basically spit the sperm out and then smear it on the egg.
Habitat: Under a rock; mixed forest
''Scutigerella immaculata'', commonly known as the garden symphylan or glasshouse symphylid, is a species of myriapod in the family Scutigerellidae. It may have originated in Europe but now has a cosmopolitan distribution and can be a pest of crops.
Similar species: Incerti ordinis
By Christine Young
All rights reserved
Uploaded Aug 26, 2021. Captured Aug 26, 2021 07:58 in 281 Main St S, Woodbury, CT 06798, USA.
comments (6)
Interesting how the species' taxonomy is not assigned any order? Thoughts on that? Posted 4 years ago
I should have put "Incerti ordinis" or "Incertae sedis" in place of "None" when creating the species record, but I couldn't remember the term at the time. I'll update the record now, though.
Every now and then, I come across a species that is missing a taxon. From what I read, this can happen if a species is poorly described and scientists are unsure of exactly where it belongs. Also, if there is disagreement as to where a species belongs. Lastly, and this is especially true for rare organisms, there might not be DNA available to do a molecular analysis to determine where a questionable species belongs. Posted 4 years ago