# Common centipede (*Lithobius forficatus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-centipede  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The common centipede (Lithobius forficatus) is an invertebrate in the family Lithobiidae, order Lithobiomorpha and class Chilopoda. Named by Linnaeus (1758), it belongs to the genus Lithobius within the phylum Arthropoda. Checklists record it as native in Brazil, Greenland, Ireland and Iceland. It is a living species, not extinct, and is also called brown centipede, stone centipede and common garden centipede.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | 1.8 cm – 3 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | arthropods |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | 4 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Chilopoda
- order: Lithobiomorpha
- family: Lithobiidae
- genus: Lithobius
- species: *Lithobius forficatus* Linnaeus (1758)

Synonyms: *Lithobius ameles*, *Lithobius americanus*, *Lithobius argus*, *Lithobius biunguiculatus*, *Lithobius biunguis*, *Lithobius biungulatus*, *Lithobius bonensis*, *Lithobius brevicalcaratus*, *Lithobius brevicornis*, *Lithobius britannicorum*, *Lithobius cheruscus*, *Lithobius convenicus*, *Lithobius coriaceus*, *Lithobius curtirostris*, *Lithobius degener*, *Lithobius diampolisi*, *Lithobius forcipata*, *Lithobius forcipatus*, *Lithobius forficatus biunguis*, *Lithobius forficatus biungulatus*, *Lithobius forficatus brevicalcaratus*, *Lithobius forficatus britannicorum*, *Lithobius forficatus cheruscus*, *Lithobius forficatus convenicus*, *Lithobius forficatus degener*, *Lithobius forficatus sorrentinus*, *Lithobius forficatus villosus*, *Lithobius golemanskyi*, *Lithobius hardwickei*, *Lithobius hortensis*, *Lithobius interrupta*, *Lithobius laevilabrum*, *Lithobius leachii*, *Lithobius muscorum*, *Lithobius parisiensis*, *Lithobius parvolus*, *Lithobius quadridentatus*, *Lithobius rapitus*, *Lithobius sorrentinus*, *Lithobius trilineatus*, *Lithobius vesuvianus*, *Lithobius villosus*, *Lithobius vulgaris*, *Scolopendra forcipata*, *Scolopendra forficata*, *Stenomera interrupta*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Brazil, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland

## Common questions

### What is the scientific name of the common centipede?

The scientific name of the common centipede is Lithobius forficatus.

### What kind of animal is the common centipede?

The common centipede is an invertebrate in the class Chilopoda, order Lithobiomorpha and family Lithobiidae, within the phylum Arthropoda.

### Who named Lithobius forficatus?

Lithobius forficatus was named by Linnaeus (1758).

### Which countries is the common centipede recorded in?

Checklists record the common centipede as native in Brazil, Greenland, Ireland and Iceland.

### Is the common centipede extinct?

No, the common centipede is a living species, not extinct, according to the Catalogue of Life.

### What other names does the common centipede have?

The common centipede is also called the brown centipede, stone centipede and common garden centipede.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS)](https://griis.org/), CC BY 4.0, 2026-11-13. Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common centipede (Lithobius forficatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-centipede