4 Types of Centipedes in Minnesota

4 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Minnesota. The most frequently recorded are House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Diamondback Soil Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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4 types of centipedes have a verified observation record in Minnesota. The most frequently recorded are House Centipede, Brown Centipede and Diamondback Soil Centipede. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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Real sighting data, source iNaturalist

1,442 verified observations on iNaturalist of centipede have been recorded in Minnesota, most often in April, May, September.

When centipede are recorded in Minnesota

Verified species, source iNaturalist

4 types of centipedes recorded in Minnesota

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

3 of the 4 shown are recorded as introduced to Minnesota rather than native.

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    1

    House Centipede

    Scutigera coleoptrata

    470 recordsIntroduced
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    2

    Brown Centipede

    Lithobius forficatus

    316 recordsIntroduced
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    3

    Diamondback Soil Centipede

    Geophilus vittatus

    19 records
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    4

    Common Schendyla

    Schendyla nemorensis

    13 recordsIntroduced

Plus 6 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 470 verified observations, about 57% of all centipedes reported in Minnesota. If you spot a centipede here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.

Minnesota also hosts less common centipedes such as Diamondback Soil Centipede and Common Schendyla, 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 Common Schendyla are recorded by iNaturalist as introduced in Minnesota rather than native, so they arrived with human help rather than on their own.