Ballophilus is the largest genus of centipedes in the clade Ballophilidae. Species in this genus are found in tropical and subtropical regions, mainly in Africa and southeast Asia. This genus includes more than 30 species.
Taxonomy This genus was first described in 1896 by the American biologist Orator F. Cook, who placed this genus in the family Ballophilidae, which he introduced to contain this new genus. In subsequent decades, however, some authorities rejected the taxonomic rank proposed by Cook, instead placing Ballophilus in a subfamily (Ballophilinae) within the family Shendylidae.
Species This genus includes the following species:
Ballophilus alluaudi Ballophilus australiae Ballophilus braunsi Ballophilus clavicornis Ballophilus comastes Ballophilus conservatus Ballophilus differens Ballophilus fijiensis Ballophilus filiformis Ballophilus flavescens Ballophilus foresti Ballophilus giganteus Ballophilus granulosus Ballophilus hounselli Ballophilus insperatus Ballophilus kraepelini Ballophilus latisternus Ballophilus lawrencei Ballophilus liber Ballophilus maculosus Ballophilus maldivensis Ballophilus mauritianus Ballophilus neocaledonicus Ballophilus pallidus Ballophilus paucipes Ballophilus pedadanus Ballophilus peruanus Ballophilus polypus Ballophilus pygmaeus Ballophilus ramirezi Ballophilus riveroi Ballophilus rouxi Ballophilus sabesinus Ballophilus smaragdus Ballophilus taenioformis Ballophilus tercrux
Description Centipedes in this genus feature distinctly club-like antennae and circumscribed sternal pore-fields that are subcircular or transversally elliptical, range from about 1 cm to about 7 cm in length, and have 37 to 91 pairs of legs. The Asian species Ballophilus pallidus measures only 11 mm in length and can have as few as 37 leg pairs (37 or 39 in males, 41 in females), the minimum number found in this genus. Both B. fijiensis and B. giganteus can have as many as 91 leg pairs, the maximum number found in this genus, but B. giganteus is also notable for its large size, reaching 75 mm in length.
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