Lithobius macilentus L. Koch, 1862

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Synonyms

  • Lithobius (Lithobius) macilentus L. Koch, 1862
  • Lithobius aulacopus Latzel, 1880

Status:

  • GB IUCN status: Least Concern
  • GB rarity status: Nationally Scarce

ID Difficulty

3

Identification

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

Lithobius macilentus is one of five 'smaller species' with 2 + 2 forcipular teeth that have backward projections on tergites 9, 11 and 13 that can be confused with the common L. melanops. The shape of the forcipular teeth, in which the central two project forwards of the outer pair, is the main distinction from other similar looking Lithobius.

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

Nicola Garnham
Nicola Garnham

Distribution

Lithobius macilentus is widely recorded throughout Britain, but with a slight bias to the north. There is just a single record from Ireland (Co. Westmeath). 

Habitat

This is typically a centipede of rural woodlands, often found among deep accumulations of leaf litter (Gregory & Campbell, 1996) or under stones and dead wood. 

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/2093

BRC code

19

idBmigTaxa

Cen_166