Heavy Metals in the Centipede Lithobius variegatus (Chilopoda)

The distribution of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper was determined in the tissues of the centipede Lithobius variegatus (Leach) collected from two uncontaminated deciduous woodlands and two sites close to a smelting works. Centipedes from all four sites contained large amounts of zinc which are stored primarily in the fat body and tissues associated with the exoskeleton. Cadmium, lead and copper were present in much smaller amounts than zinc and are contained mostly in the midgut. Concentrations of copper were much higher in the midguts of centipedes from near the smelting works than in animals from the isolated rural woodlands. In contrast, levels of zinc, cadmium and lead in L. variegatus showed little correlation with the degree of contamination of the site from which they were collected