8 Types of Centipedes in Arkansas

8 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Arkansas. The most frequently recorded are Eastern Bark Centipede, House Centipede and Giant Desert Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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8 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Arkansas. The most frequently recorded are Eastern Bark Centipede, House Centipede and Giant Desert Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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Real sighting data, source iNaturalist

1,349 verified observations on iNaturalist of centipede have been recorded in Arkansas, most often in May, March, April.

When centipede are recorded in Arkansas

Verified species, source iNaturalist

8 types of centipedes recorded in Arkansas

8 centipede species have a verified observation record in Arkansas, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.

3 of the 8 shown are recorded as introduced to Arkansas rather than native.

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    1

    Eastern Bark Centipede

    Hemiscolopendra marginata

    216 records
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    2

    House Centipede

    Scutigera coleoptrata

    184 recordsIntroduced
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    3

    Giant Desert Centipede

    Scolopendra heros

    154 records
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    4

    Brown Centipede

    Lithobius forficatus

    109 recordsIntroduced
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    5

    Eastern Red Centipede

    Scolopocryptops sexspinosus

    60 records
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    6

    Japanese House Centipede

    Thereuonema tuberculata

    59 recordsIntroduced
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    7

    Theatops spinicaudus

    Theatops spinicaudus

    43 records
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    8

    Big-leg Centipede

    Theatops posticus

    18 records

Plus 8 more recorded only rarely (fewer than 10 verified sightings). Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.

The Eastern Bark Centipede (Hemiscolopendra marginata) is the most commonly recorded, with 216 verified observations, about 26% of all centipedes reported in Arkansas. If you spot a centipede here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.

Arkansas also hosts less common centipedes such as Eastern Red Centipede, Japanese House Centipede and Theatops spinicaudus, each recorded fewer than 100 times. These are the species worth a second look when you are out, since a sighting is more notable.

Not every one of these is originally from here. House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Japanese House Centipede are recorded by iNaturalist as introduced in Arkansas rather than native, so they arrived with human help rather than on their own.