# What kind of bug is this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 7, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787 "2006-05-07T18:58:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/1 "2006-05-07T18:58:58Z")

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I’ve been living in Memphis now for 5 years and have sort of gotten used to the brown recluses, but these bugs just creep me out. I never saw them in Florida. They look like something that came right out of the primordial soup. I find them usually under objects, in closets, or high up walls.

Anyone have an idea of what it could be? Here is a picture of a dead one:

[bug](http://img469.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bug0hc.jpg)

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/2 "2006-05-07T19:07:44Z")

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It kind of looks l like a centipede having a bad hair day.

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**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/3 "2006-05-07T19:08:32Z")

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[The dreaded house centipede.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_centipede)

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/4 "2006-05-07T19:10:30Z")

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> [@Bob55](#):
>
> I’ve been living in Memphis now for 5 years and have sort of gotten used to the brown recluses, but these bugs just creep me out. I never saw them in Florida. They look like something that came right out of the primordial soup. I find them usually under objects, in closets, or high up walls.
> 
> Anyone have an idea of what it could be? Here is a picture of a dead one:
> 
> [bug](http://img469.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bug0hc.jpg)

Damn, that is one ugly ass critter! Too many legs to be an insect, too many legs to be an arachnid, I’d guess it to be some sort of centipede. Centipedes have flat bodies, millipeded have round bodies and more legs–that one looks pretty flat, but then again it’s dead… Whatever it is, I’m glad we don’t have them here because I really don’t like things like that!

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/5 "2006-05-07T19:11:54Z")

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> [@Bob55](#):
>
> They look like something that came right out of the primordial soup.

Mmmmmm! Centipede soup!

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**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/355787/6 "2006-05-07T19:16:22Z")

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Great find, thanks for the link! At least they feed on spiders, maybe they’ll take care of our brown recluse problem 🙂