Australian giant centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes) predation and arboreal consumption of a prong-snouted blind snake (Anilios bituberculatus)

ABSTRACT Arthropod predation of small vertebrates is rarely documented in terrestrial ecosystems, yet such events may play a significant ecological role. Here, I present an observation of an Australian giant centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes) preying upon a prong-snouted blind snake (Anilios bituberculatus) in arid South Australia. Notably, the centipede was observed feeding approximately 30 cm above ground in a dead shrub, suggesting a strategy to avoid competition with scavengers or a hunting strategy to prevent fossorial prey escape.