7 Types of Centipedes in Illinois
7 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Illinois. The most frequently recorded are House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Japanese House Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.
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7 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Illinois. The most frequently recorded are House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Japanese House Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.
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Real sighting data, source iNaturalist
2,717 verified observations on iNaturalist of centipede have been recorded in Illinois, most often in April, March, May.
When centipede are recorded in Illinois
Verified species, source iNaturalist
7 types of centipedes recorded in Illinois
7 centipede species have a verified observation record in Illinois, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.
4 of the 7 shown are recorded as introduced to Illinois rather than native.
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Plus 12 more recorded only rarely (fewer than 10 verified sightings). Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.
The House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is the most commonly recorded, with 829 verified observations, about 55% of all centipedes reported in Illinois. If you spot a centipede here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.
Illinois also hosts less common centipedes such as Eastern Red Centipede, Diamondback Soil Centipede and Eastern Bark Centipede, 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 Illinois rather than native, so they arrived with human help rather than on their own.