Centipede

Lore & Background

Centipedes have a rounded or flattened head with a pair of antennae, elongated mandibles, and two pairs of maxillae. The first pair of limbs, the forcipules, stretch forward over the mouth and end in sharp claws connected to venom glands. Their size varies from a few millimeters in smaller lithobiomorphs and geophilomorphs to about 30 cm in the largest scolopendromorphs. Many species lack eyes or have only ocelli that discern light from dark; some use their first pair of legs as sensory organs, and the organ of Tömösváry at the base of the antennae may sense vibrations.

Reader's Guide

Centipedes are significant as widespread, venomous predators that help control insect and other invertebrate populations in terrestrial ecosystems. Their unique forcipules—modified legs rather than fangs—distinguish them from other arthropods. They require moist microhabitats because they lack the waxy cuticle of insects and arachnids, making them vulnerable to water loss. Their reproductive strategy includes no copulation; males deposit a spermatophore, and females provide parental care by curling around eggs and young. Development varies: some orders (Lithobiomorpha, Scutigeromorpha, Craterostigmomorpha) grow legs anamorphically between molts, while others (Geophilomorpha, Scolopendromorpha) are epimorphic, with all legs developed in the embryo. The number of leg-bearing segments is always odd, and the ultimate legs (the last pair) are modified for sensory, defensive, or reproductive roles, not locomotion. Centipedes are longer-lived than insects, with some species living over a decade.

Did You Know?

• Centipedes inject venom through forcipules, which are modified legs, not fangs.
• Some centipedes, like those in the genus Alipes, can stridulate their leaf-like ultimate legs to distract or threaten predators.
• The house centipede Scutigera coleoptrata hatches with only four pairs of legs and adds more through successive molts.