Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Myriapods (Myriapoda) » Centipedes (Chilopoda) » Bark Centipedes (Scolopendromorpha)

Order Scolopendromorpha - Bark Centipedes

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited
Tiger Centipede - Scolopendra polymorpha Many Legs and some fangs to boot! - Hemiscolopendra marginata French Joe centipede - Scolopendra polymorpha Giant Redheaded Centipede - Scolopendra heros Florida blue centipede - Hemiscolopendra marginata Scolopocryptopidae - Scolopocryptops Giant Redheaded Centipede? - Scolopendra heros Scolopendra heros - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Myriapoda (Myriapods)
Class Chilopoda (Centipedes)
Order Scolopendromorpha (Bark Centipedes)
Explanation of Names
Scolopendromorpha Pocock 1895
Numbers
3 families, all represented in NA; in our area, 27 spp. (incl. 6 introduced) in 9 genera; worldwide, ~700 spp. in 35 genera total(1)(2)
Identification
see (2)
Range
warmer regions worldwide; in our area much more diverse towards the south, esp. in states bordering Mexico; 2 spp. reach Canada (s.ON, BC) and one, s.AK(2)
Remarks
can bite and also pinch with their last pair of legs. Bites may cause intense pain, swelling, numbness, and necrosis, and require medical assistance, although there are no really dangerous centipedes, and no confirmed human fatalities.(1)
Print References
Crabill R.E., Jr. (1960) A new American genus of cryptopid centipede, with an annotated key to the scolopendromorph genera from America north of Mexico. Proc. USNM 111: 1–15. (Full Text)
Works Cited
1.Shelley R.M. The myriapods, the world’s leggiest animals
2.Shelley R.M. (2002-) The centipede order Scolopendromorpha in North America
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:31pm
Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Aaron Schusteff, v belov, Harsi S. Parker, Joseph DeSisto Alling
Last updated 21 April, 2024 - 7:45pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact