Myriapod
Guides
Sigmoria bidens
Sigmoria bidens is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, described by Causey in 1942. It belongs to the order Polydesmida, one of the largest orders of millipedes, characterized by their flattened bodies and keeled tergites. The genus Sigmoria is part of the tribe Apheloriini within the subfamily Rhysodesminae. Very few observations of this species have been documented, with only 8 records in iNaturalist as of the knowledge cutoff.
Siphonophorida
Snout Millipedes
Siphonophorida is an order of millipedes in the subclass Colobognatha containing two families: Siphonophoridae and Siphonorhinidae. These millipedes are characterized by super-elongated, worm-like bodies with up to 190 segments and extreme numbers of legs—up to 750 in Illacme plenipes, the leggiest animal known. They lack eyes and exhibit euanamorphosis, adding segments throughout life even after sexual maturity. The order shows a scattered, disjunct distribution across multiple continents including North America, South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Strigamia bidens
A soil-dwelling centipede in the family Linotaeniidae. Like other members of the order Geophilomorpha, it possesses an elongated, highly segmented body with numerous legs. The species was described by Wood in 1862 and is documented from the United States.
Strigamia branneri
Strigamia branneri is a soil-dwelling centipede in the family Linotaeniidae, described by Bollman in 1888. It belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, which comprises elongated, burrowing centipedes with high numbers of leg pairs. The species is known from the United States.
Strigamia epileptica
Strigamia epileptica is a species of soil-dwelling centipede in the family Linotaeniidae, first described by Wood in 1862. It belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, characterized by elongated bodies with numerous leg pairs. The species is known from the United States and is part of the diverse Strigamia genus, which contains multiple North American species. Like other geophilomorph centipedes, it is adapted to life in soil and leaf litter environments.
Strigamia fusata
Strigamia fusata is a species of soil-dwelling centipede in the family Linotaeniidae, originally described from Mexico in 1903 by Attems as Diplochora fusata and later transferred to Strigamia. The species belongs to a genus characterized by distinctive morphological features including a conspicuous basal denticle on the forcipular tarsungulum and paired ventral pore areas on trunk segments. Like other Strigamia species, it likely exhibits substantial variation in leg number, with the genus ranging from 31 to 83 pairs.
Symphyla
Symphylans, Garden centipedes, Pseudocentipedes
Symphylans are small, cryptic, soil-dwelling myriapods that resemble centipedes but are non-venomous and only distantly related. They range from 2 to 13 mm in length, lack eyes and pigment, and possess 12 pairs of legs as adults. These arthropods are rapid runners that move through soil pores and are found from the surface to depths of about 50 cm. More than 200 species are known worldwide, with populations reaching up to 88 million per acre in favorable conditions.
Symphylella
Symphylella is a genus of symphylans in the family Scolopendrellidae, comprising approximately 49 cosmopolitan species of minute soil-dwelling arthropods. These myriapods inhabit soil and litter layers of broad-leaf and bamboo forests, where they are extracted using Berlese-Tullgren funnels. The genus is characterized by diagnostic morphological features including chaetotaxy patterns on the frons and tergites, with recent taxonomic work identifying two morphological groups based on inserted setae patterns on tergal processes.
Taiyuna
Taiyuna is a genus of soil-dwelling centipedes in the family Geophilidae, established by Chamberlin in 1912. Members are elongate, multi-legged arthropods adapted to burrowing in soil and leaf litter. The genus belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, which contains the most species-rich group of centipedes. Observations are relatively sparse, with limited published natural history information available.
Taiyuna isantus
Taiyuna isantus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae, order Geophilomorpha. It was described by Chamberlin in 1909 based on specimens from the United States. Like other geophilomorph centipedes, it is likely an elongate, multi-legged arthropod adapted to burrowing in soil and leaf litter. The genus Taiyuna contains multiple species distributed in North America, but detailed biological studies of T. isantus specifically remain limited.
Taiyuna moderata
Taiyuna moderata is a soil-dwelling centipede in the family Geophilidae, first described by Chamberlin in 1941. It belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, a group characterized by elongated bodies with numerous leg pairs. The species is known from the United States, with records indicating presence in North America. Limited published information exists regarding its biology and ecology.
Theatops
Theatops is a genus of centipedes in the family Cryptopidae, order Scolopendromorpha. Species in this genus are found in North America, southern Europe, and Asia. The genus includes Theatops posticus, a common eastern Nearctic species with a disjunct western population, and Theatops chuanensis, the first Asian record of the family. Theatops species possess distinctive morphological features including modified ultimate legs, with some species exhibiting ventral spurs on the prefemora and femora.
Theatops posticus
Big-leg Centipede
Theatops posticus is a common eastern Nearctic centipede in the family Cryptopidae. It exhibits a continental distribution pattern with eastern and western populations segregated by approximately 1,200 km in Texas and New Mexico. The species has been recorded from Santa Cruz Island in the Pacific Ocean off the southern California coast. Southwestern populations show morphological variation intermediate between eastern T. posticus and the congener T. californiensis.
Zygethobius
Zygethobius is a genus of centipedes in the family Henicopidae, order Lithobiomorpha. These small to medium-sized centipedes are characterized by 15 pairs of legs as adults, a defining trait of the order. The genus was established by Chamberlin in 1903 and contains species primarily found in western North America. Members of this genus are terrestrial predators adapted to specific microhabitats.
Zygona duplex
Zygona duplex is a species of soil-dwelling centipede in the family Geophilidae, described by Chamberlin in 1960. It belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, which comprises the most diverse group of centipedes characterized by their elongated, worm-like bodies with numerous leg pairs. The species is known from the United States.