General Description

Body often with narrow stripes from head to tail. Eight body segments with 15 pairs of long thin legs. Legs become longer toward the tail end. Large eyes and long antennae. Up to 5 cm long. Centipedes differ from millipedes in that they have one pair of legs per segment whereas millipedes have two pairs of legs per segment. House centipedes can be distinguished from other centipedes by having their legs long and with the first part of the leg (nearest the body) pointing upwards and the next part of the leg pointing downwards. This gives them an arched appearance. Usually the "knee" joints are white.

Biology

House Centipedes are fast-moving hunters, using their long legs to catch insects and spiders before killing them with venom. Once caught, the prey is dismembered and the soft body parts eaten.

Distribution

Australia wide.

Habitat

Under rocks or logs, occasionally inside houses.

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