Biodiversity & Conservation

A coastal centipede - Strigamia maritima

Strigamia maritima

Image Steve Trewhella - The centipede Strigamia maritima. Image width ca 5 cm.
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Distribution map

Strigamia maritima recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Strigamia maritima is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods, joint-legged animals, e.g. insects, crustaceans & spiders
Class Chilopoda Centipedes
Authority Leach, 1817
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Recorded off the south-west coasts of England and the west coasts of Scotland. Possibly under recorded.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Strigamia maritima is a littoral and supralittoral species found in a variety of coastal habitats.
Text page icon Description Strigamia maritima is a centipede, its worm-like body is divided into a head and a trunk. The trunk is subdivided into segments, all but two of which have a pair of walking legs. Segment number may vary between Strigamia maritima individuals. The first pair of modified legs are poison claws on the head. The last pair are strong and brightly coloured and used in display. It has two pairs of antennae coming off the head region.
Identifying features
  • Up to 15 cm in length.
  • Segmented worm-like body with one pair of legs per segment.
  • Fourteen segments in the antennae.
  • A spiracle is present on every segment except the first and last.
  • Pores over ventral surface of the the first segment of each leg.
Additional information icon Additional information No text entered

This review can be cited as follows:

Morvan Barnes 2008. Strigamia maritima. A coastal centipede. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 09/02/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4393>