''Geophilus hadesi'' is a species 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

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 ...

, named after Hades, king of the underworld in Greek mythology. This species is found in the caves of the

Velebit Mountains Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...

of Croatia and characterized by relatively elongated trunk segments and appendages, including unusually long claws of the legs. These centipedes have 33 pairs of legs and can be as long as 28 mm. Like other geophilomorhpans, this species lacks sight, has a flattened trunk, and is well adapted to underground life. Along with ''

Geophilus persephones ''Geophilus persephones'' is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae discovered in 1999. This species is named after Persephone, the queen of the underworld in Greek mythology, and found in caves in the Gouffre de la Pierre Saint- ...

'' it is one of the only two known

troglomorphic Troglomorphism is the morphological adaptation of an animal to living in the constant darkness of caves, characterised by features such as loss of pigment, reduced eyesight or blindness, and frequently with attenuated bodies and/or appendages. The ...

geophilomorphs and can even be found in

Lukina jama The Velebit mountains of Croatia have several deep caves with some of the world's largest subterranean vertical drops. The "Lukina jama" cave is 1431 m deep (2013), the deepest cave in Croatia, 14th deepest cave in the world and the deepest cave i ...

, the 15th deepest cave in the world.

References

Geophilomorpha Animals described in 2015 Myriapods of Europe Endemic fauna of Croatia Cave arthropods {{Myriapoda-stub