Centipedes

Definition

Predatory myriapod arthropods of the class Chilopoda, characterized by elongated metameric bodies with one pair of legs per trunk segment and venom-injecting forcipules derived from modified first walking legs. Distinguished from millipedes (Diplopoda) by leg number per segment, body shape, and predatory rather than detritivorous habits.

Etymology

Latin centum (hundred) + ped (foot), though no species possesses exactly 100 legs; leg pairs range from 15 to 191.

Example

The common house centipede Scutigera coleoptrata uses its long legs and rapid speed to hunt cockroaches, spiders, and silverfish in domestic environments, while larger tropical scolopendromorphs may capture vertebrate prey.

Synonyms

• Chilopods

Related Terms

• millipedes
• Myriapoda
• Forcipules
• Toxicognaths
• Metamerism
• Arthropoda
• Venom
• Predation

Usage Notes

Specialists distinguish centipedes from superficially similar millipedes by leg count per segment (one pair versus two), body cross-section (flattened versus rounded), and behavior (fast, venomous predators versus slow, often chemically defended detritivores). The name is misleading: leg pairs always number odd counts from 15 to 191, never 50. Forcipules are unique to Chilopoda and not true mouthparts; their venom composition varies significantly across orders, with some large tropical species causing medically significant envenomations.