Lithobius variegatus Leach, 1814

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Common name

Banded Centipede

Synonyms

Lithobius variegatus variegatus Leach, 1814

Status:

GB IUCN status: Least Concern

ID Difficulty

1

Identification

Lithobius is a difficult genus and at least 17 species are known from Britain and Ireland. 

Lithobius variegatus ssp.variegatus is the exception! This distinctive sub-species is readily identifiable in the field or from a photograph by its large size (to 30 mm body length) and bold purple banded posterior legs.This is the sub-species is found in Britain and Ireland. 

However, this diagnostic purple pigment is lost upon preservation in alcohol and identification of preserved material is more problematic. The combination of >4 + >4 forcipular teeth and strong projections on tergite 7, in addition to the usual 9, 11 and 13, help differentiate it from other species such as the ubiquitous L. forficatus. 

More information to allow accurate identification is given in the published identification keys by Tony Barber (2008 & 2009).

J.P. Richards
J.P. Richards
J.P. Richards
Tony Barber
Stephen Plant
Mark Robinson
Mark Robinson
Keith Lugg
Christian Owen
Warren Maguire

Distribution

Although very common over much of western England, Wales and throughout Ireland, it is apparently absent from much of eastern England and mainly restricted to the far west of Scotland. There are isolated outliers, including records from the Edinburgh area (e.g. BMIG 2015 field meeting). 

Our distinctive 'purple banded' sub-species L. variegatus variegatus also occurs patchily in western France, while L. variegatus rubriceps (with uniformally coloured legs) is only known from the Iberian peninsular. 

Habitat 

It is mostly recorded from rural areas, typically woodland, grassland and moorland, but also in gardens and churchyards. In some parts of central England (e.g. Oxfordshire, Gregory & Campbell, 1996, pg.37) it is mainly restricted to ancient woodland. Specimens can be found under stones and dead wood and within leaf-litter, and characteristically freeze upon disturbance (relying, unsuccessfully from a centipede recording perspective, on their camouflage to remain hidden). 

This account is based on the 'Centipede Atlas' (Barber, 2022).

Links

ChiloBase 2.0 - World Catalogue of Centipedes: https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/2693

BRC code

19

idBmigTaxa

Cen_174