Geophilus osquidatum explained

Geophilus osquidatum is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae found in western Europe, from mainland Spain through western France to Britain and Ireland, though it's also been recorded in Italy, Czech Republic, and Germany.^[1] Males of this species have 51 to 57 pairs of legs; females have 53 to 63 leg pairs.^[2] This species grows up to 30 millimeters and is bright yellow with a darker reddish head. Because of this, it's often confused with G. flavus and G. gracilis.^[3] Its subspecies, G. osquidatum porosum, was found synonymous with G. flavus.^[4] In Britain, G. osquidatum is found in a wide range of habitats including woodland, grassland, and coastal shingle as well as gardens and waste ground.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Gregory . Steve J. . Lewis . J.G.E . Geophilomorph centipedes (Chilopoda: Geophilomorha) from north-west Spain and northern Portugal collected by the British Myriapod and Isopod Group in 2004 . Bulletin of the British Myriapod and Isopod Group . 2015 . 28 . 2–14 . 4 November 2021.
2. Iorio . Etienne . Labroche . Aurélien . 2015 . Les chilopodes (Chilopoda) de la moitié nord de la France: toutes les bases pour débuter l’étude de ce groupe et identifier facilement les espèces . Invertébrés Armoricains . French . 13 . 1-108 [65].
3. Web site: Geophilus osquidatum Brölemann,1909 . British Myriapod and Isopod Group . 5 November 2021.
4. Bonato . Lucio . Minelli . Alessandro . Chilopoda Geophilomorpha of Europe: a revised list of species, with taxonomic and nomenclatorial notes. . Zootaxa . 2014 . 3770 . 1–136 . 10.11646/zootaxa.3770.1.1 . 5 November 2021.
5. Book: Webb . Jon . Natural England Commissioned Report NECR186 - A review of the millipedes (Diplopoda), centipedes (Chilopoda) and woodlice (Isopoda) of Great Britain . 2015 . Natural England . 978-1-78354-234-5 . 77–78 . Species Status No. 23 . 5 November 2021.