Centipedes are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals. Centipedes are elongated segmented (metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful bites, injecting their venom through pincer-like appendages known as forcipules. Despite the name, no centipede has exactly 100 pairs of legs; number of legs ranges from 15 pairs to 191 pairs, always an odd number. They are predominantly carnivorous.
Myriapods are the members of subphylum Myriapoda, containing arthropods such as millipedes and centipedes. The group contains about 13,000 species, all of them terrestrial.
Scutigera is a centipede genus in the scutigeromorph family Scutigeridae, a group of centipedes with long limbs and true compound eyes. It compose of more than 30 species, including the most common and well-studied Scutigera coleoptrata.
Scolopendridae is a family of large centipedes.
Scutigeridae is a family of centipedes. It includes most of the species known as house centipedes, including Scutigera coleoptrata and Allothereua maculata.
Allothereua is a genus of scutigeromorph centipedes containing 9 species ranging from Central Asia to the Philippines to Australia, where at least six species are found. A 2009 study of scutigeromorph phylogeny found Allothereua to be polyphyletic; some species were more closely related to Parascutigera.
Scolopocryptopidae is a family of blind centipedes. The number of leg-bearing segments is fixed at 23 for species in this family, which distinguishes the species in this family from all other centipede species.
Mecistocephalidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha. It is the only family in the suborder Placodesmata. Most species in this family live in tropical or subtropical regions, but some occur in temperate regions. This family is the third most diverse in the order Geophiliomorpha, with about 170 species, including about 130 species in the genus Mecistocephalus.
Pselliodidae is a family of small centipedes, identical and closely related to house centipedes.
Schendylidae is a family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha.
Scolopocryptops is a genus of bark centipedes in the family Scolopocryptopidae. There are over 20 described species in Scolopocryptops.
Strigamia is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Linotaeniidae. Members of this family can be identified by their anteriorly tapering bodies, the extra claw on the forcipules, scattered coxal pores, and the distinctly swollen ultimate legs of the males. There are at least 50 described species in Strigamia. Centipedes in this genus can reach 15 cm in length and can have as few as 31 pairs of legs or as many as 83 leg pairs. The species S. hoffmani is notable for its small size as well as for having relatively few legs.
Tygarrup is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, found mainly in southeast Asia and from the Seychelles to Hawaii. Although species in this genus can have either 43 or 45 leg-bearing segments, most of these species have 45 leg pairs. An undescribed Tygarrup species found in the Andaman Islands has 43 leg pairs. Centipedes in this genus range from 2 cm to 6 cm in length. Tygarrup javanicus is one of the smallest of the mecistocephalid species and has become an invasive in greenhouses in Europe.
Arrup is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, native to Europe and Asia as far as Japan. These centipedes range from 1 cm to 5 cm in length. All species in this genus have 41 leg-bearing segments. Most are soil-dwellers but Arrup akiyoshiensis is a troglobiont.
Anarrup is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, native to Europe and Asia as far as Indonesia. These centipedes range from 6 cm to 8 cm in length. All species in this genus have 41 leg-bearing segments.
Ballophilidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes belonging to the order Geophilomorpha and superfamily Himantarioidea. Some authorities dismiss this group as a family, citing phylogenetic analysis, and instead refer to this clade as Ballophilinae, a possible subfamily within the family Schendylidae. The number of legs in this clade varies within species and ranges from 37 to 113 pairs of legs. Species in this clade tend to have more leg-bearing segments and greater intraspecific variability in this number than generally found in the family Schendylidae.
Gonibregmatidae are a paraphyletic family of soil centipedes belonging to the superfamily Geophiloidea.
The centipedes or Chilopoda are divided into five orders, which are grouped into two subclasses, Pleurostigmomorpha and Notostigmomorpha, the latter of which comprises only one order, the Scutigeromorpha.
Mecistocephalus is a genus of centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae. It was described by British entomologist George Newport in 1843.
Gonibregmatus is a genus of centipedes in the family Gonibregmatidae. It was described by British entomologist George Newport in 1843.
