Geophilus truncorum Bergsøe & Meinert, 1866
Synonyms
Brachygeophilus truncorum (Bergsøe & Meinert, 1886)
Status:
GB IUCN status: Least Concern
ID Difficulty
Identification
Ten species of Geophilus are known from Britain and Ireland.
Geophilus truncorum is a small orangish-brown species (to 20 mm) with just 37-43 leg pairs and distinct carpophagus fossae on the anterior sternites and just two coxal pores at the base of each ultimate leg. It is superficially similar to Schendyla nemorensis, but this latter species lacks carpophagus fossae and also lacks claws on its last legs.
More information to allow accurate identification is given in the published identification keys by Tony Barber (2008 & 2009).
Distribution
Geophilus truncorum is a very common species throughout Britain and Ireland, including Orkney and Shetland.
Habitat
It is most often found in woodland, but also moorland, parks, gardens, churchyards, etc.
It is usually associated with dead wood, either beneath logs or under loose bark, but also under stones or among leaf litter.
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/4182
BRC code
16
idBmigTaxa
Cen_147