House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata

Description

Body often with narrow stripes from head to tail. Eight body segments with 15 pairs of long thin legs. Legs become longer toward the tail end. Large eyes and long antennae. Up to 5 cm long. House centipedes can be distinguished from other centipedes by having their legs long and with the first part of the leg (nearest the body) pointing upwards and the next part of the leg pointing downwards. This gives them an arched appearance. Usually the "knee" joints are white.

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Please supply a photograph to support your record.

Habitat

In its native environment it may be found under rocks or logs, and also inside houses. 

When to see it

All year round.

Life History

House Centipedes are fast-moving hunters, using their long legs to catch insects and spiders before killing them with venom.

UK Status

A non-native that comes into Britain with produce from time to time. Many instances may go unrecorded so frequency of these occurrences is difficult to determine.

VC55 Status

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
House Centipede
Species group:
Centipedes & Millipedes
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Scutigeromorpha
Family:
Scutigeridae
Records on NatureSpot:
1
First record:
11/07/2020 (Gamble, Gavin)
Last record:
11/07/2020 (Gamble, Gavin)

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% of records within its species group

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