# Geophilus hadesi

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Species of centipede

Geophilus hadesi Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Myriapoda Class: Chilopoda Order: Geophilomorpha Family: Geophilidae Genus: Geophilus Species: G. hadesi Binomial name Geophilus hadesi Stoev et al., 2015

***Geophilus hadesi*** is a [species](/source/Species) of [soil centipede](/source/Geophilomorpha) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Geophilidae](/source/Geophilidae).[1][2] This [centipede](/source/Centipede) is a [troglobite](/source/List_of_troglobites), spending its entire life cycle in a cave environment. This species and *[Geophilus persephones](/source/Geophilus_persephones)* are the only two troglobites known in the [genus](/source/Genus) *[Geophilus](/source/Geophilus)* and among the few known in the [order](/source/Order_(biology)) [Geophilomorpha](/source/Geophilomorpha).[3][4] The species *G. hadesi* is named after [Hades](/source/Hades), god of the underworld in [Greek mythology](/source/Greek_mythology) and the husband of [Persephone](/source/Persephone), the namesake of the first [troglomorphic](/source/Troglomorphism) species (adapted to life in caves) discovered among the soil centipedes.[5][6] The species *G. hadesi* has been observed in a cave as far as 1,100 meters below the surface, the deepest underground that any centipede has ever been recorded.[5]

## Discovery

This species was first described in 2015 by a team of [biologists](/source/Biologist) led by the Bulgarian [myriapodologist](/source/Myriapodology) [Pavel Stoev](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Stoev) of the [National Museum of Natural History](/source/National_Museum_of_Natural_History%2C_Bulgaria) in [Sofia](/source/Sofia), [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria). The original description of this species is based on three specimens collected by [biospeleologists](/source/Biospeleology) in 2011 from three different caves in the [Velebit](/source/Velebit) mountains in [Croatia](/source/Croatia). The first specimen collected, a female [holotype](/source/Holotype), was found 250 meters underground in the Munižaba cave. The second, a female [paratype](/source/Paratype), was found 500 meters underground in the [Muda Labudova](/source/Muda_Labudova) cave. The third, a male specimen, was found 980 meters underground in the [Lukina jama](/source/Velebit_caves) cave, the 15th deepest cave in the world. Another specimen was seen in the same cave at a depth of about 1,100 meters but could not be collected.[5]

## Description

Like other [soil centipedes](/source/Geophilomorpha), this species is blind, has a flattened body, and is well adapted to life underground. This species also exhibits troglomorphic features, such as elongated appendages (including long [antennae](/source/Antenna_(biology)), walking legs, and [ultimate legs](/source/Ultimate_legs)), as well as elongated trunk segments and unusually long claws on its legs. The female specimens range from about 22 mm in length (in the paratype) to a maximum length of 28 mm (in the holotype); the male specimen measures 27 mm in length. Specimens of both sexes have only 33 pairs of legs.[5]

The [forcipules](/source/Forcipule) feature only a single small [denticle](/source/Denticle_(tooth_feature)), located at the base of the ultimate article.[5][7] The metasternites in the anterior part of the trunk, except for the first segment, feature pits on the anterior margin. The posterior margin of the metasternites features a field of pores, with these pore-fields forming a single transverse band on each metasternite in the anterior half of the trunk but dividing into two groups in the posterior half of the trunk.[5]

This species shares many traits with other centipedes in the [genus](/source/Genus) *[Geophilus](/source/Geophilus)*. For example, each of the ultimate legs ends in a claw, and the ventral side of these legs features pores, with most of these coxal pores close to the adjacent [sternite](/source/Sternum_(arthropod_anatomy)). Furthermore, the [coxosternite](/source/Maxilla_(arthropod_mouthpart)) of the second [maxillae](/source/Maxilla_(arthropod_mouthpart)) is entire rather than divided, and the coxosternite of the [forcipular](/source/Forcipule) segment features incomplete chitin-lines. Moreover, as in many species in the same genus, the anterior trunk metasternites feature anterior pits and posterior pore-fields in the form of transverse bands.[5][8][9]

Two other species in the genus *Geophilus* resemble *G. hadesi* most closely: *G. persephones* and *G. piae*, which share a number of distinctive traits with *G. hadesi*. These traits include a modest number of legs: *G. persephones* has 29 leg pairs (in the only recorded specimen, a male),[10] and *G. piae* can have as few as 35 pairs in males and 37 pairs in females.[11] All three species also feature [sternal](/source/Sternum_(arthropod_anatomy)) pore-fields that extend to the posterior parts of the trunk.[5] Traits shared by these three species also include second maxillae that end in a stout [tubercle](/source/Tubercle) with a small tip instead of a curved article that tapers gradually.[5][12] Furthermore, the species *G. persephones* and *G. hadesi* also share troglomorphic features, such as long antennae and legs.[5]

The species *G. hadesi*, however, is larger than either *G. persephones*, which measures only 16.2 mm in length, or *G. piae*, which reaches only 11 mm in length. The other two species may also be distinguished from *G. hadesi* by the pattern of coxal pores on ventral side of the ultimate legs: In *G. hadesi*, one pore is isolated in a distinctive position posterior to the other pores.[5]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["ITIS - Report: Geophilus hadesi"](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1092293#null). *www.itis.gov*. Retrieved 2024-06-16.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_2-0)** Bonato, L.; Chagas Junior, A.; Edgecombe, G.D.; Lewis, J.G.E.; Minelli, A.; Pereira, L.A.; Shelley, R.M.; Stoev, P.; Zapparoli, M. (2016). ["Geophilus hadesi Stoev, Akkari, Komerički, Edgecombe & Bonato, 2015"](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/4350). *ChiloBase 2.0 - A World Catalogue of Centipedes (Chilopoda)*. Retrieved 2024-06-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Bonato, Lucio; Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes (2023-12-01). ["Assessing troglomorphic and phylogenetically informative traits in troglobionts: a new cave-dwelling centipede illuminates the evolution of a soil-dwelling lineage (Chilopoda: Geophilidae)"](https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-023-00618-7). *Organisms Diversity & Evolution*. **23** (4): 833–856 [Table 3]. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s13127-023-00618-7](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs13127-023-00618-7). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11577/3491565](https://hdl.handle.net/11577%2F3491565). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1618-1077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1618-1077).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Chagas-Jr, Amazonas; Bichuette, Maria Elina (2018-02-12). ["A synopsis of centipedes in Brazilian caves: hidden species diversity that needs conservation (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5904458). *ZooKeys* (737): 13–56 [14]. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3897/zookeys.737.20307](https://doi.org/10.3897%2Fzookeys.737.20307). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1313-2970](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1313-2970). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [5904458](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5904458). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [29674871](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29674871).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-Stoev_et_al_2015_5-10) Stoev, Pavel; Akkari, Nesrine; Komericki, Ana; Edgecombe, Gregory; Bonato, Lucio (2015). ["At the end of the rope: *Geophilus hadesi* sp. n. – the world's deepest cave-dwelling centipede (Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae)"](https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=5527&display_type=list&element_type=2). *ZooKeys* (510): 95–114. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3897/zookeys.510.9614](https://doi.org/10.3897%2Fzookeys.510.9614). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [4523767](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4523767). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [26257537](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26257537).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Foddai, D.; Minelli, A. (2010-12-03). ["A troglomorphic geophilomorph centipede from southern France (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Geophilidae)"](https://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs-web/docs/download/31401). *Journal of Natural History*. **33** (2): 267–287. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/002229399300416](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F002229399300416).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:5_7-0)** Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory; Lewis, John; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis; Shelley, Rowland; Zapparoli, Marzio (2010-11-18). ["A common terminology for the external anatomy of centipedes (Chilopoda)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088443). *ZooKeys* (69): 17–51. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2010ZooK...69...17B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ZooK...69...17B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3897/zookeys.69.737](https://doi.org/10.3897%2Fzookeys.69.737). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1313-2970](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1313-2970). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3088443](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088443). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [21594038](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21594038).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:12_8-0)** Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Zapparoli, Marzio (2011). "Chilopoda – Taxonomic overview". In Minelli, Alessandro (ed.). *The Myriapoda. Volume 1*. Leiden: Brill. pp. 363–443 [414]. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-18826-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-18826-6). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [812207443](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/812207443).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Crabill, Ralph E. (1954). ["A conspectus of the northeastern North American species of *Geophilus* (Chilopoda Geophilomorpha Geophilidae)"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16179236). *Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington*. **56**: 172–188 [174]. Retrieved 24 October 2021 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Pereira-2013_10-0)** Pereira, Luis Alberto (2013-01-01). ["Discovery of a second geophilomorph species (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) having twenty-seven leg-bearing segments, the lowest number recorded up to the present in the centipede order Geophilomorpha"](https://doi.org/10.1590%2FS0031-10492013001300001). *Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia*. **53** (13): 163–185. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1590/S0031-10492013001300001](https://doi.org/10.1590%2FS0031-10492013001300001). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11336/3449](https://hdl.handle.net/11336%2F3449). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1807-0205](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1807-0205).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Minelli, Alessandro (1982). ["On Sardinian centipedes (Chilopoda)"](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F11250008209439365). *Bolletino di Zoologia*. **49** (1–2): 1–16. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/11250008209439365](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F11250008209439365).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Bonato, Lucio; Edgecombe, Gregory; Lewis, John; Minelli, Alessandro; Pereira, Luis; Shelley, Rowland; Zapparoli, Marzio (2010-11-18). ["A common terminology for the external anatomy of centipedes (Chilopoda)"](https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/2466/). *ZooKeys* (69): 17–51. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2010ZooK...69...17B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ZooK...69...17B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3897/zookeys.69.737](https://doi.org/10.3897%2Fzookeys.69.737). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1313-2970](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1313-2970). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3088443](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088443). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [21594038](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21594038).

Taxon identifiers Geophilus hadesi Wikidata: Q20635184 Wikispecies: Geophilus hadesi GBIF: 8777291 ITIS: 1092293 Open Tree of Life: 7690872 ZooBank: 1D7108A5-11D9-49C0-8D4E-EF39DBD80957

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Geophilus hadesi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophilus_hadesi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophilus_hadesi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.