Scheme Organiser: Tony Barber

The centipede recording scheme was established in 1970 to collate biological records of all species of Centipedes (Chilopoda) found in Britain and Ireland. From its inception the recording scheme collected habitat information alongside the species records such that a large database of ecological data now exists on the group. A provisional analysis of the ecological data was undertaken for the publication of the Provisional Atlas of the Centipedes of the British Isles (Barber & Keay, 1988). Further analysis of a much larger volume of data is underway for the forthcoming centipede atlas.

The scheme organiser welcomes all records of centipedes.  All records, even those for common species or those that don’t add new ‘dots’ to the maps, are valuable. Records may be submitted on recording cards or in electronic spreadsheets, those accompanied by ecological information are especially welcome as this can only lead to better understanding of the conservation needs of our species. Records may also be submitted via iRecord (BRC's website for collating species records), but please include images of the specimen to enable verification (see the individual species accounts and the recommended literature for guidance on key identification features) and as much ecological information as possible.