Fixed-segment-number

Guides

• Mecistocephalidae

  Mecistocephalidae is a monophyletic family of soil-dwelling centipedes constituting the sole family of the monotypic suborder Placodesmata. With approximately 170 species across 11 genera, it ranks as the third most diverse family in Geophilomorpha. The family exhibits a distinctive trait among geophilomorphs: leg-bearing segment numbers are generally fixed within species and identical between sexes, ranging from 41 to 101 pairs. Most species inhabit tropical and subtropical regions, though some extend into temperate zones. The genus Mecistocephalus dominates the family with roughly 130 species, most possessing 49 leg pairs.

  centipedessoil-faunageophilomorphfixed-segment-numbertropicalsubtropicaltemperateJapanTaiwanChinaHimalayaMiddle-Asiasoil-predatorearthworm-predatorbioindicator