Geophilidae is a

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 ...

of soil centipedes in the superfamily

Geophiloidea Geophiloidea is a superfamily in the order Geophilomorpha and suborder Adesmata containing the families Zelanophilidae, Gonibregmatidae Gonibregmatidae is a family of soil centipedes belonging to the superfamily Geophiloidea. In 2014, a p ...

and the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Geophilomorpha Geophilomorpha is an order of centipedes commonly known as soil centipedes. The name "Geophilomorpha" is from Ancient Greek roots meaning "formed to love the earth." This group is the most diverse centipede order, with 230 genera. These centiped ...

. In 2014, a

phylogenetic analysis In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical data ...

based on morphological and molecular data found this family to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

. To avoid this polyphyly, authorities dismissed the families Aphilodontidae, Dignathodontidae, Linotaeniidae, and Macronicophilidae, which are now deemed to be junior synonyms for Geophilidae. Authorities also moved some

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

from Geophilidae to form the family Zelanophildae in order to avoid the polyphyly of the family Geophilidae. The family Geophilidae now includes more than 650 species in more than 120 genera. This family has a

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

distribution, with species found almost worldwide.

Description

Species in this family are characterized by mandibles with a single pectinate lamella. Sternal pores are often present but with variable arrangements, and coxal organs are usually present and open into pits or through distinct pores. Female

gonopod Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and millipe ...

s in this family are usually an undivided

lamina Lamina may refer to: People * Saa Emerson Lamina, Sierra Leonean politician * Tamba Lamina, Sierra Leonean politician and diplomat Science and technology * Planar lamina, a two-dimensional planar closed surface with mass and density, in mathem ...

. Compared to most other families in the suborder Adesmata, this family features a modest number of leg-bearing segments and limited variation in this number within each species. Two European species in this family include centipedes with only 29 pairs of legs: '' Geophilus persephones'' (29 in the only specimen, a male), and '' G. richardi'' (29 or 31 in males and 33 in females). In the order

, only two species include centipedes with fewer leg pairs, both of them in the family

Schendylidae Schendylidae is a family of Geophilomorpha, soil centipedes in the superfamily Himantarioidea and the order Geophilomorpha. These centipedes are found in the Americas, the Palearctic realm, Palearctic region, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and ...

. Several other species in the family Geophilidae are known from specimens with notably few leg pairs in each sex, including '' Ribautia platensis'' (as few as 31 in each sex), '' G. hadesi'' (33 in each sex), '' Schendyloides alacer'' (as few as 33 in each sex), and '' Strigamia sibirica'' (as few as 33 in each sex).

Genera

This family contains these genera: *'' Abatorus'' *'' Acanthogeophilus'' *'' Achilophilus'' *'' Agathothus'' *'' Agnathodon'' *'' Algerophilus'' *'' Alloschizotaenia'' *'' Aphilodon'' *'' Apogeophilus'' *'' Arctogeophilus'' *'' Arenophilus'' *'' Aztekophilus'' *'' Barrophilus'' *'' Bebekium'' *'' Bithyniphilus'' *'' Brachygeophilus'' *'' Brachygonarea'' *'' Caliphilus'' *'' Cephalodolichus'' *'' Cheiletha'' *'' Chileana'' *'' Chilenophilus'' *'' Chomatophilus'' *'' Clinopodes'' *'' Condylona'' *'' Damothus'' *'' Dekanphilus'' *'' Dignathodon'' *'' Diphyonyx'' *'' Dyodesmophilus'' *'' Dysmesus'' *'' Ecuadoron'' *'' Endogeophilus'' *'' Eremerium'' *'' Eremorus'' *'' Erithophilus'' *'' Eurygeophilus'' *''

Eurytion Eurytion (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυτίων, "widely honoured") or Eurythion (Εὐρυθίων) was a name attributed to several individuals in Greek mythology: * Eurytion, the king of Phthia. *Eurytion, a Centaur of Arcadia who demanded to marr ...

'' *'' Fagetophilus'' *'' Filipponus'' *'' Galliophilus'' *'' Garrina'' *'' Geomerinus'' *'' Geoperingueyia'' *''

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 ...

'' *'' Gnathoribautia'' *'' Gosipina'' *'' Hapleurytion'' *'' Harmostela'' *'' Harpacticellus'' *'' Henia'' *'' Horonia'' *'' Hovanyx'' *'' Hyphydrophilus'' *'' Ketampa'' *'' Kurdistanius'' *'' Lionyx'' *'' Macronicophilus'' *'' Mairata'' *'' Maoriella'' *'' Mecistauchenus'' *'' Mecophilus'' *'' Mixophilus'' *'' Nabocodes'' *'' Nannocrix'' *'' Navajona'' *'' Nesidiphilus'' *'' Nesomerium'' *'' Nicopus'' *'' Nothogeophilus'' *'' Oligna'' *'' Orinomerium'' *'' Ortognathus'' *'' Pachymerellus'' *'' Pachymerinus'' *'' Pachymerium'' *'' Pagotaenia'' *'' Pandineum'' *'' Peruphilus'' *'' Philacroterium'' *'' Plestophilus'' *'' Plateurytion'' *'' Pleurogeophilus'' *'' Poaphilus'' *'' Polycricus'' *'' Polygonarea'' *'' Porethus'' *'' Portoricellus'' *'' Portoricona'' *'' Proschizotaenia'' *'' Pseudofagetophilus'' *'' Purcellinus'' *'' Pycnona'' *'' Queenslandophilus'' *'' Ribautia'' *'' Schendyloides'' *'' Schizonampa'' *'' Schizonium'' *'' Schizopleres'' *'' Schizotaenia'' *'' Sepedonophilus'' *'' Serrona'' *'' Sogona'' *'' Steneurytion'' *'' Stenotaenia'' *'' Strigamia'' *'' Stylolaemus'' *'' Sundageophilus'' *'' Synerium'' *'' Synthophilus'' *'' Taiyuna'' *'' Taschkentia'' *'' Telocricus'' *'' Timpina'' *'' Tretechthus'' *''

Tuoba The Tuoba (Chinese language, Chinese) or Tabgatch (, ''Tabγač''), also known by #Names, other names, was an influential Xianbei clan in early imperial China. During the Sixteen Kingdoms after the fall of Han and the Three Kingdoms, the Tuoba e ...

'' *'' Tylonyx'' *'' Watophilus'' *'' Zantaenia'' *'' Zygona'' *'' Zygophilus''

References

Centipede families Geophilomorpha {{Centipede-stub