''Acanthogeophilus spiniger'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of soil centipede in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Geophilidae Geophilidae is a family of soil centipedes in the superfamily Geophiloidea and the order Geophilomorpha. In 2014, a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological and molecular data found this family to be polyphyletic. To avoid this polyphyly, ...

found in

Northwest Africa The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

. The original description of this species is based on a male specimen measuring 27 mm in length with 71 pairs of legs. It was first assigned to the genus

Geophilus ''Geophilus '' is a large, heterogeneous genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae largely considered to be synonymous with '' Brachygeophilus''. The generic name first appeared in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopaedia in 1814 as '' Geoph ...

, but was moved to

Acanthogeophilus ''Acanthogeophilus'' is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae, found in the centro-west part of the Mediterranean region. The species in this genus are slender, 2-3 centimeters long, with 67 to 71 pairs of stout legs, peculiar spi ...

in 1999 by Foddai and Minelli. Like other species in its genus, it is characterized by incomplete

chitin Chitin (carbon, C8hydrogen, H13oxygen, O5nitrogen, N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of N-Acetylglucosamine, ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cell ...

lines, complete coxopleural sutures, stout legs, and a claw-like pretarsus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6506878 Geophilomorpha Animals described in 1870 Taxa named by Frederik Vilhelm August Meinert