The Cryptopidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of scolopendromorph

centipedes Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an a ...

. Cryptopids are blind (lacking

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

) and possess 21 pairs of legs. The genus ''

Cryptops ''Cryptops'' sometimes known as cave centipedes, is a centipede genus in the family Cryptopidae; species records have a world-wide distribution. Species The Global Biodiversity Information Facility The Global Biodiversity Information Facilit ...

'' is the numerically largest in the family, comprising over 150 species worldwide.

Classification

The four genera, with at least 184 species, are: *''

'' Leach, 1815 *'' Paracryptops'' Pocock, 1891 *'' Tonkinodentus'' Schileyko, 1992 *'' Trigonocryptops'' Verhoeff, 1906 The genera ''

Plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...

'' and '' Theatops'', formerly classified in the cryptopid subfamily Plutoniuminae, are now placed in the recently elevated family

Plutoniumidae Plutoniumidae is a family of centipedes belonging to the order Scolopendromorpha. Centipedes in this family are blind and have 21 pairs of legs. Genera: * ''Plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and at ...

References

Centipede families Scolopendromorpha {{Myriapoda-stub