Geophilus osquidatum Brölemann, 1909
Status:
- GB IUCN status: Least Concern
- GB rarity status: Nationally Scarce
ID Difficulty
Identification
Ten species of Geophilus are known from Britain and Ireland.
Geophilus osquidatum is another distinctly yellowish centipede (to 30 mm) with a darker reddish head, which is differentiated from G. flavus and G. seurati on subtle (microscopic) characters (coxal pores, carpophagus fossae and poison claw). However, with 53 to 63 leg pairs some specimens can be identified on basis of leg count (maximum of 57 pairs in latter two species).
More information to allow accurate identification is given in the published identification keys by Tony Barber (2008 & 2009).
Distribution
Geophilus osquidatum is most abundant in south-west Ireland and south-west Britain, but there are scattered records elsewhere.
Habitat
It can be found in both coastal and inland habitats, including woodland, churchyards and gardens where it can be found under stones and dead wood, etc.
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/3836
BRC code
16
idBmigTaxa
Cen_144