#4888 · 🪼 jellyfish, starfish, worms & co
Luminous Centipede
🇳🇱 Bruine aardkruiper ·Geophilus carpophagus
📍 Eibergen
📍 Noordbeemster, Oosthuizerweg, 1463 LM Noordbeemster, Nederland
📍 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland
📍 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland
📍 1792 AE Oudeschild, Nederland
📍 Westbeemster, Kerkplein (belbushalte), 1464 NG Middenbeemster, Nederland
📍 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Misia Clive · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Maxence Germain · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Pascal Dubois · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. Eibergen:© degraafmans · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. Noordbeemster, Oosthuizerweg, 1463 LM Noordbeemster, Nederland:© teddydolstra · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland:© Rob Olivier · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland:© Rob Olivier · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. 1792 AE Oudeschild, Nederland:© no rights reserved · CC0
- 9. Westbeemster, Kerkplein (belbushalte), 1464 NG Middenbeemster, Nederland:© teddydolstra · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. 9971 CT Ulrum, Nederland:© Rob Olivier · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Geophilus carpophagus is a species of soil centipede in the family Geophilidae, widely considered to be a type species of the genus Geophilus (along with G. electricus ). It grows up to 60 millimeters in length, with an orange/tan body bearing a distinctive purplish marbled pattern (also seen in Henia vesuviana ). Males of this species have 51 to 55 pairs of legs; females have 53 to 57.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 26 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #42 most seen of the jellyfish, starfish, worms & co in NL.
- 792 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
fact sheet
- English
- Luminous Centipede
- Nederlands
- Bruine aardkruiper
- scientific name
- Geophilus carpophagus
- class
- Chilopoda
- order
- Geophilomorpha
- family
- Geophilidae
- sightings in NL
- 26
- sightings in Europe
- 515
- sightings worldwide
- 792
- GBIF records in NL
- 248
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
relatives· Geophilidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 496758, Wikidata Q6508312, GBIF 2233622, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.