defence, the ultimate legs are also used for grasping during mating, and acting as a hook to hang themselves. Uses by humans Use in traditional medicine In modern South Korea, S. s. mutilans and other Scolopendra species are used in Korean traditional medicine. The centipedes are used whole to treat various medical issues, including joint problems (which is its major use), alopecia areata, stroke, convulsions, lymphangitis, lumps or masses, neoplasm, poisonous tumours, carbuncles, and snake bites. These centipedes were considered one of the most prescribed, medically important, and expensive insect/arthropod drugs in Korean traditional medicine. They are frequently prescribed alone, despite arthropod drugs are usually prescribed with a mix of other medicinal materials for desired effects. In China, S. s. mutilans is the only centipede species registered for clinical application by the Pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China. Despite being the only species listed, other species of centipedes, including S. mojiangica, S. multidens, and S. negrocapitis, were also regularly used as substitutes in clinical practice. Interchangeability of centipede species in clinical practices Comparative studies on S. s. mutilans and S. mojiangica, a common substitute for the former, has found that in pharmacodynamics and toxicology, the two centipede species have similar effects, and is theoretically proved that S. s. mutilans can be replaced by S. mojiangica. The same study found that two species showed similar results in various fields, including effects on animal haemoglobin and weight, chromosomal aberration tests, anticonvulsive tests, effects on in vitro fungal and bacterial growth, and acute toxicity tests. The study also suggested both centipede species can be used in relatively large doses, as they were both low in acute and genetic toxicities. Although the two centipede species were shown to be interchangeable in clinical practices, their interchangeability in clinical application was again questioned by some researchers, as more recent studies suggested that centipede proteins have a major role in their clinical effects. Through proteomics, researchers had found that the venoms of S. monjiangica and S. subspinipes mutilans are different in the number of overlapping sequences and precursors for proteins and peptides. In addition, unique precursors were also found in both species for proteins and peptide levels. As the species differ in protein and peptide level, researchers of this study concluded that the interchangeability of centipede species requires further evaluation. Research significance Cancer research For hundreds of years, S. s. mutilans was used in traditional Chinese