House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata Linnaeus (1758)
Status not recordedother invertebrates
The house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a species in the phylum Arthropoda, class Chilopoda, order Scutigeromorpha and family Scutigeridae. It was named by Linnaeus (1758) and is placed in the genus Scutigera.
Quick facts about the house centipede
Checklists record it as native in Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Cyprus, France, the United Kingdom and South Africa. The Catalogue of Life lists it as a living species, not extinct.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 2.5 cm – 3.5 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 3 years – 7 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- 6 countriessrc for Countries on record
How big is the house centipede?
Which animals does the house centipede eat?
Species recorded in published studies and collections.
Recorded prey of the house centipede
1 on record
- Common European earwig Forficula auricularia2 sources
Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).
References for these records
- Poelen, J. H. Global Biotic Interactions: Interpreted Data Products. Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5708970 (2021).
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80217590
Photos of the house centipede
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the house centipede live?
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.
The house centipede is listed for 6 countries.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Why a country list is not a range map
Listed by: ChiloBase (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
Where has it been introduced?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the house centipede as introduced in 4 countries.
Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).
What is the house centipede?
Scutigera coleoptrata, also known as the house centipede, is a species of centipede that is typically yellowish-gray and has up to 15 pairs of long legs. Originating in the Mediterranean region, it has spread to other parts of the world, where it frequently lives in and around human homes. It is an insectivore, preying on insects and arachnids by envenomating them. Their mild venom and small organs of envenomation render the species nearly incapable of harming humans.
From the Wikipedia article “Scutigera coleoptrata” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scutigera_coleoptrata&oldid=1384472301), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the house centipede endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the house centipede classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classChilopoda
- orderScutigeromorpha
- familyScutigeridae
- genusScutigera
- SpeciesScutigera coleoptrata Linnaeus (1758)
Synonyms Cermatia floridana, Cermatia floridensis, Cermatia livida, Cermatia variegata, Cryptomera nemura, Julus araneoides, Scolopendra coleoptrata, Scolopendra lineata, Scolopendra nigricans, Scutigera aranea, Scutigera araneoides, Scutigera araneoides, Scutigera asiaeminoris, Scutigera capensis, Scutigera coleoptrata crinita, Scutigera coleoptrata genuina, Scutigera coleoptrata graeca, Scutigera coleoptrata insularum, Scutigera coleoptrata natalensis, Scutigera crinita, Scutigera floridana, Scutigera forceps, Scutigera graeca, Scutigera lineata, Scutigera livida, Scutigera longipes, Scutigera mohamedanica, Scutigera muscivora, Scutigera natalensis, Scutigera nemura, Scutigera nigricans, Scutigera nigrifrons, Scutigera pretzmanni, Scutigera rubrovittata, Scutigera variegata, Scutigera vesuviana, Selista forceps
Other names and names in other languages (34)
- ciempiés caseruAsturian
- Къщна стоножкаBulgarian
- Cinquanta-camesCatalan
- Centpeus DomèsticCatalan
- strašník dalmatskýCzech
- HusskolopenderDanish
- SpinnenasselGerman
- SpinnenläuferGerman
- Οικιακή ΣκουτιγκέραGreek
- Ciempiés doméstico del MediterráneoSpanish
- scutigèreFrench
- Scutigère véloceFrench
- Cempés domésticoGalician
- אצנדלHebrew
- Štitonosna strigaCroatian
- Légyölő pókszázlábúHungarian
- Scutigera comuneItalian
- spinduizendpootDutch
- NengodwaakogaadedOjibwa
- Przetarcznik wielonóżkaPolish
- Centopeia caseiraPortuguese
- Обыкновенная мухоловкаRussian
- Stonožka domováSlovak
- pqirakuAlbanian
- shumëkëmbëshi i shtëpisëAlbanian
- Кућна стоногаSerbian
- Kućna stonogaSerbian
- husspindelfotingSwedish
- ตะขาบขายาวธรรมดาThai
- Ev ÇıyanıTurkish
- Скутигера хатняUkrainian
- Мухоловка звичайнаUkrainian
- Скутигера звичайнаUkrainian
- 蚰蜒Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS
Relatives of the house centipede
Other species in the same genus Scutigera.
Arizona house centipede
Scutigera linceci
South African house centipede
Scutigera planiceps
Orange-spotted house centipede
Scutigera buda
CompareHouse centipede vs Arizona house centipedeHouse centipede vs South African house centipedeHouse centipede vs Orange-spotted house centipedeHouse centipede vs Scutigera aethiopica
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the house centipede?
The house centipede belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, class Chilopoda, order Scutigeromorpha and family Scutigeridae.
What is the scientific name of the house centipede?
The scientific name of the house centipede is Scutigera coleoptrata, in the genus Scutigera.
Who named the house centipede and when?
The house centipede was named by Linnaeus (1758).
Which countries is the house centipede recorded in?
Checklists record the house centipede as native in Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Cyprus, France, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Is the house centipede extinct?
No, the house centipede is a living species, not extinct, according to the Catalogue of Life.
Is the house centipede an invasive species?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the house centipede as introduced in 4 countries: Belgium, Denmark, South Africa and Sweden, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.
Which animals does the house centipede eat?
Animals recorded as prey of the house centipede include common european earwig. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · 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 · 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 Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products · CC0 1.0 · 0.11
Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference. - Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-centipede
“House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-centipede.
@misc{house_centipede_2026,
title = {House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-centipede},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}