Rhysida celeris

Rhysida celeris, the blue-legged centipede, is a species of centipede in the subfamily Otostigminae.^[2][3] It is found across Latin America and the Caribbean islands.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It is one of the most common and widespread species of its genus in the neotropical region, and sometimes enters houses.^[2][4] It can be found at a variety of altitudes, from sea level to mountains 1250 m above sea level.^[2]

Rhysida celeris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Myriapoda
Class:	Chilopoda
Order:	Scolopendromorpha
Family:	Scolopendridae
Genus:	Rhysida
Species:	R. celeris
Binomial name
Rhysida celeris (Humbert & Saussure, 1870)
Synonyms[1]
List Branchiostoma celer Humbert & Saussure, 1870 Trematoptychus celeris Chamberlin, 1914 R. c. andina Bücherl, 1953 R. caripensis Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. neoespartana Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. guayanica Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. maritima Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. monaguensis Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. porlamerensis Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002 R. sucupanensis Gonzaléz-Sponga, 2002

Appearance

Amazonas Chagas-Júnior described the colouration of the centipede thus: "General body color light blue or olive green, sternites and legs light blue or yellowish; prefemur and femur of the ultimate legs light blue, sometimes tibiae and tarsi are pale."^[2]

Rhysida celeris is a smallish species, growing between 4 and 7 centimetres (1.6 and 2.8 in) in length.^[2][4] Its antennae are flexible, and long, and are divided into 17 to 21 segments.^[4] The first three segments of the antennae are hairless, the remaining ones are densely bristly.^[7] Its head (cephalic plate) is slightly wider than long, and smooth except for a median groove.^[2] The ultimate legs are long and thin, measuring up to 2.2 centimetres (0.87 in).^[2]

Rhysida celeris can be distinguished from Rhysida brasiliensis, a morphologically similar species, by the sutures on its segments and the length of the ultimate legs.^[2]