Hemiscolopendra marginata
Green Bark Centipede (Eastern Bark Centipede): Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A small, hardy native centipede in green to blue-gray tones, under 3 in. One of the easier true centipedes to keep, but still venomous and hands-off.
Group: CentipedesDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Small terrestrial bark-dwellerHandling: No handling, tools and catch cups only
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 70-80°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 60-75%, cross-ventilated, damp under the bark |
| Setup Type | Small terrestrial bark-dweller |
| Substrate | 3-4 in moist soil/coco mix, bark and leaf litter |
| Feeding | 1/4-3/8 in crickets or roach nymphs, weekly at dusk |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, tools and catch cups only |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Juveniles: starter setup with bark cover and secure, fine-mesh vents.
- Adults: 3-4 in substrate with bark cover, same lid security.
Warnings First
- Venomous bite, painful even from a small centipede.
- Fast escape artist through tiny gaps. Seal every seam.
- Solo housing only, no cohabitation.
- No handling, ever. Tools and catch cups only.
- Poor airflow under the bark turns this into a mold and mite trap.
Simple Care
- Layer moist substrate with bark pieces and leaf litter.
- Vent low on two opposite walls for real cross airflow.
- Mist under the bark, not the whole enclosure.
- Keep a bottle-cap water dish full, packed with pebbles.
- Feed small prey every 1-2 weeks.
- Seal every gap. It's small and fast enough to exploit any of them.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- This species hides under loose bark and forest debris, so layer bark slabs over moisture-retentive substrate.
- Vent low on two opposite walls in fine mesh, sized to the head. It squeezes through gaps a bigger centipede couldn't.
- Hold 60-75% with damp substrate under the bark and a small water dish, not by closing the vents. Stale, still air under the bark grows mold and mites.
- Check moisture by lifting the bark: damp and cool underneath, dry on the open surface and litter top.
- Mist under the bark slabs, not the whole enclosure, to recharge that pocket without soaking the rest.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feed crickets or roach nymphs about 1/4-3/8 in, roughly half body length, every 1-2 weeks in the evening.
- Growth: modest molts to maturity over about a year. Lifespan runs around 3-5 years.
- Remove uneaten prey within 24-48 hours with tools. Stop feeding at first signs of premolt until it hardens, about a week.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Southeastern United States, under bark, leaf litter, and rotting logs in woodland habitats.
- Habitat translation: A moist, bark-and-leaf-litter terrestrial setup sized for a small, fast, escape-prone centipede.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Still a venomous predatory centipede despite the small size. Every interaction is tool-only, never bare-handed.
- Escape risk is high for its size. Check vent mesh and lid seals like you would for a much bigger animal.
- Color runs green to grayish-blue depending on the individual and light, which is where the name comes from.