6 Types of Centipedes in Kansas
6 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Kansas. The most frequently recorded are Common Desert Centipede, House Centipede and Japanese House Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.
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6 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Kansas. The most frequently recorded are Common Desert Centipede, House 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
879 verified observations on iNaturalist of centipede have been recorded in Kansas, most often in April, May, March.
When centipede are recorded in Kansas
Verified species, source iNaturalist
6 types of centipedes recorded in Kansas
6 centipede species have a verified observation record in Kansas, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.
3 of the 6 shown are recorded as introduced to Kansas rather than native.
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Plus 5 more recorded only rarely (fewer than 10 verified sightings). Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.
The Common Desert Centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha) is the most commonly recorded, with 152 verified observations, about 30% of all centipedes reported in Kansas. If you spot a centipede here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.
Kansas also hosts less common centipedes such as Japanese House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Giant Desert 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, Japanese House Centipede and Brown Centipede are recorded by iNaturalist as introduced in Kansas rather than native, so they arrived with human help rather than on their own.