''Geophilus becki'' 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 ...

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

Cabrillo Beach Cabrillo Beach is a historic public beach located in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. It is named after Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail up the California coast. Cabrillo has two separate beach areas. ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

near San Pedro under rocks and kelp at the water's edge. It grows up to 50 millimeters long and is generally orange-yellow in color with clear yellow legs and 61-63 leg pairs.

Etymology

The name comes from Dr. D. Elden Beck, who collected the first known specimen.

Related Species

''G. becki'' closely resembles '' G. nicolanus'', but differs in the presence of anal pores, by having the last tergite posteriorly truncate instead of strongly convex, and by having the prehensorial claws armed at the base.

References

becki Animals described in 1823 Fauna of California {{Myriapoda-stub