Lithobius microps Meinert, 1868

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Synonyms

  • Lithobius (Sigibius) microps Meinert, 1868 
  • Lithobius duboscqui Brolemann, 1896

Status:

GB IUCN status: Least Concern

ID Difficulty

2

Identification

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

Lithobius microps one of the 'smaller species' with 2 + 2 forcipular teeth that lack backward projections on tergites 9, 11 and 13. It is a small chestnut brown species (to 9 mm), distinguished by having three ommatidia on either side of the head (all other Lithobius have 6 or more ommatidia). The antennae typically have about 23 articles.

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

J.P. Richards
J.P. Richards
Keith Lugg
Amelie Keane
Amelie Keane

Distribution 

Lithobius microps is very common in England and Wales (and probably Ireland), but becomes increasingly scarce further north with very few records in northern Scotland. 

Habitat

In the south it is ubiquitous, both inland and on the coast; woodland, grassland, wetlands, sand dunes, churchyards, gardens, etc. Further north it but becomes increasingly restricted to sites with human activity, such as gardens and churchyards. 

It is typically found under stones and dead wood, among leaf-litter, 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/2152

BRC code

19

idBmigTaxa

Cen_177