Haplophilus subterraneus
Species of centipede
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haplophilus subterraneus, commonly known as the western yellow centipede is a species of centipede in the family Himantariidae that can be found in Central Europe, Ireland, Newfoundland, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.[1] It was recorded from a compost heap of the Botanical Garden at the University of Oslo at Teryen, Oslo in 1992 and 1995.[2]
| Haplophilus subterraneus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Chilopoda |
| Order: | Geophilomorpha |
| Family: | Himantariidae |
| Genus: | Haplophilus |
| Species: | H. subterraneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Haplophilus subterraneus (Shaw, 1794) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
It was for some time known as Stigmatogaster subterranea, but the name was reverted back to Haplophilus subterraneus in 2014.[3][4]
Description
It is fairly large, measuring up to, and sometimes exceeding, 70 mm in length. It has 77 to 83 leg pairs.[4]
Distribution
Haplophilus subterraneus is widespread in central and eastern Europe, along with the British isles, and has also been introduced to Newfoundland and New York.[5][6] It is common in woods and grassland habitats, and is also commonly found in gardens and other synanthropic habitats.[7][8]
Morphological anomalies
Several papers have reported high levels of morphological anomalies in H. subterraneus. One study found that on average, 30% of individuals may have some kind of anatomical deformity.[8]
