Lithobius curtipes C.L. Koch, 1847
Synonyms
Lithobius (Monotarsobius) curtipes C.L. Koch, 1847
Status:
- GB IUCN status: Least Concern
- GB rarity status: Nationally Scarce
ID Difficulty
Identification
Lithobius is a difficult genus and at least 17 species are known from Britain and Ireland.
This is one of seven 'smaller species' with 2 + 2 forcipular teeth that lack backward projections on tergites 9, 11 and 13. Lithobius curtipes is one of two species with the antennae composed of c. 20 articles (the other being L. crassipes). Males are readily differentiated from L. crassipes by the characteristic projection on the last legs, but the two species also differ in the arrangement of their ommatida.
More information to allow accurate identification is given in the published identification keys by Tony Barber (2008 & 2009).
Distribution
This species is patchily distributed across England and Wales and is rare in southern Scotland. It has not been recorded from Ireland.
Habitat
It typically occurs in woodland, but can be found in other habitats and has been reported as a characteristic upland species at over 1000m asl (Barber & Gallon, 2020). It is most easily found under stones and dead wood or among leaf-litter.
This account is based on the 'Centipede Atlas' (Barber, 2022).
A review of this species' enigmatic distribution and habitat preferences across Europe and Asia is given by Barber (2022).
Links
ChiloBase 2.0 - World Catalogue of Centipedes: https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/1700
BRC code
19
idBmigTaxa
Cen_176