CHILOPODA (centipedes) > GEOPHILOMORPHA (soil centipedes) > Linotaeniidae

Strigamia acuminata is a distinctive dark orangey to reddish-brown coloured species with an 'acuminate' (tapering) front quarter (hence the name acuminata) and reduced number of body segments.

It is one of only three inland geophilomorph centipedes with less than 43 pairs of legs. The males have 37-39 leg-bearing trunk segments, and the females have 41. The other two species, Geophilus truncorum and Schendyla nemorensis have 37-41 and 37-43 segments respectively, but they are much paler. They are also a little shorter at a maximum of 20mm long whereas Strigamia acuminata can reach 30mm.

The tapering body makes the head region somewhat pronounced with the head itself being slightly broader than long and with the forcipular tergite about the same width and slightly wider than the first leg-bearing segment. The antennae are around 3.5 to 4 times the breadth of the head in accordance with the 'key'.

Interestingly, at the time of writing, Strigamia acuminata only had 154 recorded sightings, none of which were from Dorset, Hampshire or surrounding counties. For this reason alone, it didn't make the original list of species that could possibly be encountered within my area, but seeing no other likely candidates for the individual featured here I had it checked and confirmed. Notwithstanding the low number of official records, it is considered reasonably widespread across much of England and Wales, with most reported observations coming from woodland habitats.

For reference, the individual featured here has 41 pairs of legs, so presumably a female.