The Geophilidae are a polyphyletic, cosmopolitan family of soil centipedes in the superfamily Geophiloidea containing the mostly defunct clades Aphilodontidae, Dignathodontidae, Linotaeniidae, Chilenophilinae, and Macronicophilidae.
Geophilus is a large, heterogeneous genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae largely considered to be synonymous with Brachygeophilus. It is a mostly holarctic genus characterized by a claw-shaped ultimate pretarsus, anterior porefields, complete or nearly complete coxo-pleural sutures at the prosternum, and incomplete chitin-lines. Centipedes in this genus range from 1 cm to 8 cm in length. The generic name first appeared in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopaedia in 1814 as Geophilus electricus.
Geophilus persephones is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae discovered in 1999. This species is named after Persephone, the queen of the underworld in Greek mythology, and found in caves in the Gouffre de la Pierre Saint-Martin. It has elongated antennae and legs as well as abundant sensory setae, and like other geophilomorhps it lacks sight, has a flattened trunk, and is well adapted to underground life. This species was the first troglomorphic geophilomorph ever discovered and one of the only two in existence along with Geophilus hadesi. Known from a single male specimen, this species has only 29 pairs of legs, one of only two species in the Geophilidae family to have so few leg pairs.
Geophilus electricus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found across temperate Europe, especially Britain and Ireland. Originally discovered and named Scolopendra electrica in 1758, it was later moved to its own genus, Geophilus. As the first species described in this genus, it is considered by some to be the type species. It is yellowish-orange in color and can grow up to 45 millimeters, with 55 to 75 leg pairs, a distinct carpophagus fossae on the anterior sternites, and a distinctive arrangement of the coxal pores of the last leg pair. Like many geophilomorphans, G. electricus has been known to glow in the dark, most likely as a defensive maneuver.
Geophilus impressus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found all over Europe, and has also been recorded in North Africa. It lives frequently in endogean habitats; in Sardinia it's found mostly in Quercus ilex woods, but also in Mediterranean shrub, open habitats, and maquis. It lives anywhere from sea level to 1700 meters above it, sometimes in caves.
Geophilus mordax, also called the pitted soil centipede, is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in North America, especially Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, and Florida. It grows up to 50 millimeters in length, though it averages 25–40, has 49–53 leg pairs in males and 49–57 in females, and is bright red in color. G. mordax also bears 3–5 labral teeth, a short and robust apical claw of the second maxillae, an exposed prebasal plate, and a large, consolidated sacculi.
Geophilus vittatus, also known as the diamondback soil centipede, is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae widespread in North America and named for the dark band of diamond-shaped markings across its back. G. vittatus grows up to 52 millimeters in length, though it averages 25–40, and ranges from brown- to orange-yellow in color, with 49–53 leg pairs in females, 49–51 leg pairs in males, and a lack of consolidated carpophagus structures. It can be found under any debris on the forest floor, but mostly under loose bark and occasionally near the sea.
Geophilus varians is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in North America, particularly from South Carolina to Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It grows up to 40 millimeters, though it averages 30-35, ranges in color from light faded orange to yellow or whitish yellow with a deeper and brighter head, and has 53-59 leg pairs in males and 55-61 in females, as well as a complete lack of consolidated paxilli and sacculi, concealed prebasal plate, and unusually long ultimate legs.
Geophilus nanus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found on the Iberian Peninsula. It's a poorly defined species described as being pale yellow, 15 mm long, with smooth sternites bearing no furrows, final hip with few pores next to the sternite rim, tergites deeply double-furrowed from the basal shield onward, and 41 leg pairs. It’s apparently related to G. gracilis, differentiated by jaws that do not surpass the forehead or bear chitin lines, and by the 2nd tarsal segment of the final leg pair being just a tiny stub.
Geophilus anonyx is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in Oregon. It was originally placed in the genus Brachygeophilus based on the lack of sternal pores, a character shared with the type species B. truncorum, however it was later moved to Geophilus.
Geophilus labrofissus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found on the Balkan Peninsula. It's a poorly defined species of uncertain identity that was first described in Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Ökologie und Geographie der Tiere. This species has 59 pairs of legs.
Geophilus richardi is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in France, Italy, and the Ionian Islands. Females of this species have 33 pairs of legs; males have 29 or 31. This species is one of only two in the family Geophilidae to include centipedes with as few as 29 leg pairs. This species grows up to 10 millimeters long, has no carpophagus pit or pore-fields, and has a gradually tapering, curved pretarsus of the second maxillae. G. richardi lacks typical ventral pores between 2–4mm. The sternites instead bear a small number of pores between 0.5–1mm that differ from micropores, which are unbounded by a cuticular ring. These are possibly the remnants of typical ventral pores, their smaller size being a byproduct of overall miniaturization.
Geophilus pygmaeus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in the Southern Limestone Alps, between the Bergamasque Prealps in the west and the Slovene Prealps in the east, and in the northernmost Dinarides. Past records from other areas are usually false. G. pygmaeus is less than 20 millimeters long and has 41-47 leg pairs. It differs from other European species of Geophilus by the shape of the forcipular apparatus and arrangement of coxal pores.
Geophilus bluncki is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in San Remo, Italy. It grows up to 23 millimeters in length; the males have about 61 leg pairs. The uniform pore fields and long antennae resemble Arctogeophilus glacialis, formerly Geophilus glacialis.
Geophilus dentatus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in Hokkaido. It's yellow in color, 25 millimeters in length, with 41-47 leg pairs and two clearly visible terminal pores. It's very similar to G. truncorum, but differs in the number of outer palpi on the 1st maxillae, the presence of denticles in the midpiece of the labrum, and the number of terminal pores.
Geophilus truncorum is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found across Western Europe, though it reaches as far as Poland, Italy, and Morocco. This centipede is relatively small, growing up to 20mm in length, with a yellow or orangeish brown body and dark yellow or brown head, denser and shorter hair than most Geophilus species, a main plate almost as elongated as in G. flavus (115:100), and distinct carpophagus fossae on the anterior sternites. Males of this species have 35 to 41 pairs of legs; females have 37 to 41.
Geophilus punicus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in the Western Mediterranean, specifically Italy and North Africa (Tunisia). It's an epigeic species, though its habitat preferences are unknown apart from one record from caves, indicating it may also be a trogloxene. The original description of this species is based on male specimens with 43 pairs of legs.
Geophilus koreanus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in North Korea. It's yellow in color and grows up to 30 millimeters long, with 69 leg pairs, a clypeus rather longer than wide, filiform antennae, central part of the labrum with 8 teeth, maxilla completely fused without median suture, tergite bifurcate, final leg tarsus bipartite, and a clawed pratarsus. It's similar to G. strictus, though the latter differs by the middle part of the labrum bearing a large number of very small teeth, and the final hip bearing a large number of pores.
Geophilus crenulatus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in a ravine above the Hemis monastery in India, 3525 meters above sea level. It was originally thought to be a subspecies of G. intermissus and named Geophilus intermissus var. crenulata. The original description of this species is based on a specimen measuring 22 mm in length with 57 pairs of legs.
Geophilus duponti is a species of centipede in the Geophilidae family. It is endemic to Australia, and was first described in 1897 by Italian entomologist Filippo Silvestri.
