Stone Centipedes, lithobiomorpha or even stone dweller, are centipedes from the uniramia family. They are traditionally 1 to 2 inches longs and brown in their color. The most common have 18 body segments with fifteen pairs of legs. Stone Centipedes like to be under bark, on stones, in soil or under decaying material in gardens. There are about 500 species of stone centipedes and are primarily indigenous to Europe. They consume insects and other small invertebrates such as earthworms and have a lifespan of about 3 years. Stone centipedes are one of the fastest moving Centipedes and have venomous claws that are used to catch their prey. Stone centipedes are harmless to people and are rarely found indoors. Just ignore them when you find them in your garden or other places around the outside of your home. Should you find any in your home, physical removal is the only necessary control. Insecticides are not necessary. Centipedes are related to insects but are classified as their own group. There are many similarities between centipedes and that of millipedes, which are closely related, but they are very easy to distinguish between. First, centipedes have one pair of conspicuous legs per body segment while millipedes have two pairs of very short legs per body segment. Centipedes also move more quickly while millipedes are slower. Centipedes have flattened bodies with a conspicuous pair of antennae while millipedes possess cylindrical bodies and very short antennae.
Viewing Families in the Order "Lithobiomorpha" (Stone Centipedes). (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/browse/order.php?bid=311#b
Stone centipedes. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/stone-centipedes/
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