Family GEOPHILIDAE
- Geophilidae Cook, O.F. 1896. An arrangement of the Geophilidae. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 18: 63-75 [66].
- Soniphilidae Chamberlin, R.V. 1912. The Geophiloidea of the southeastern states. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 54: 405-436 [405].
Introduction
The Geophilidae vary in appearance but generally have small (50–90 mm) elongate bodies of 33 or more segments, slender filiform antennae, a rectangular head, and short spineless legs (Hoffmann 1982: 687). A comparison of geophilid characters with those of the chilenophilids has been provided above (see introduction to Chilenophilidae). One of the more useful distinctions is the oblique pleuroprosternal suture of geophilids.
Due to confusion concerning their position, the families Soniphilidae and Sogonidae are included as part of the Geophilidae, although they are not considered subfamilies. Twenty-five genera and 150 species are recognised in the family Geophilidae, found in many parts of the world (Hoffmann 1982: 687). Five genera and nine species are recorded for the Australian fauna.
General References
Hoffmann, R.L. 1982. Chilopoda. pp. 681-688 in Parker, S. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 2.
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |