''Geophilus ampyx'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
soil centipede
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 ...
in the
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 ...
Geophilidae
The Geophilidae are a polyphyletic, cosmopolitan family of soil centipedes in the superfamily Geophiloidea containing the mostly defunct clades Aphilodontidae, Dignathodontidae, Linotaeniidae, Chilenophilinae, and Macronicophilidae. Species in ...
found in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, especially South Carolina. It grows up to 52 millimeters in length, though it averages 30–40, has 49–53 leg pairs in males and 51–55 in females, and is bright red in color. ''G. ampyx'' also bears five
sclerotized and deeply pigmented
labral teeth and a nearly entirely exposed prebasal plate. It's often confused with ''
G. mordax'', though it can be differentiated by the absence of sacculi.
References
ampyx
In Greek mythology, Ampyx (Ancient Greek: Ἄμπυξ) or Ampycus (Ἄμπυκος ''Ampykos'' means 'woman's diadem, frontlet') was the name of the following figures:
* Ampyx, also called Ampycus or AmpyceHesiod, ''Shield of Heracles'' 180 was a ...
Animals described in 1954
{{Myriapoda-stub