Ballophilus
Genus of centipedes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballophilus is the largest genus of centipedes in the clade Ballophilidae.[1] Species in this genus are found in tropical and subtropical regions, mainly in Africa and southeast Asia.[2]
| Ballophilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ballophilus hounselli | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Geophilomorpha |
| Family: | Ballophilidae |
| Genus: | Ballophilus Cook, 1896 |
Species
There are about 40 species, including:[3]
- Ballophilus alluaudi
- Ballophilus australiae
- Ballophilus braunsi
- Ballophilus clavicornis
- Ballophilus comastes
- Ballophilus conservatus
- Ballophilus differens
- Ballophilus fijiensis
- Ballophilus filiformis
- Ballophilus flavescens
- Ballophilus foresti
- Ballophilus giganteus
- Ballophilus granulosus
- Ballophilus hounselli
- Ballophilus insperatus
- Ballophilus kraepelini
- Ballophilus latisternus
- Ballophilus lawrencei
- Ballophilus liber
- Ballophilus maculosus
- Ballophilus maldivensis
- Ballophilus mauritianus
- Ballophilus neocaledonicus
- Ballophilus pallidus
- Ballophilus paucipes
- Ballophilus pedadanus
- Ballophilus peruanus
- Ballophilus polypus
- Ballophilus pygmaeus
- Ballophilus ramirezi
- Ballophilus riveroi
- Ballophilus rouxi
- Ballophilus sabesinus
- Ballophilus smaragdus
- Ballophilus taenioformis
- Ballophilus tercrux
Description
Centipedes in this genus feature distinctly club-like antennae and circumscribed sternal pore-fields that are subcircular or transversally elliptical, range from about 1 cm to about 7 cm in length, and have 37 to 91 pairs of legs.[2] The Asian species Ballophilus pallidus measures only 11 mm in length and can have as few as 37 leg pairs (37 or 39 in males, 41 in females), the minimum number found in this genus.[4] Both B. fijiensis and B. giganteus can have as many as 91 leg pairs, the maximum number found in this genus, but B. giganteus is also notable for its large size, reaching 75 mm in length.[5][6]
