House Centipede Identification and Indoor Context

Entity scope

This profile covers Scutigera coleoptrata, the house centipede. Other centipedes differ in leg proportions, habitat, and appearance.

Quick identity

Scientific name: Scutigera coleoptrata
Entity scope: One centipede species
Legs: Adults have 15 pairs of very long, banded legs
Body: Flattened yellow-gray body with three dark lengthwise stripes
Movement: Very fast, with abrupt starts and stops
Common context: Dark, damp indoor areas with arthropod prey

Key characteristics

The very long legs make the animal appear much larger than its body.
Adults have 15 leg pairs; immature stages gain pairs as they molt.
Long antennae and the last leg pair can be visually confusing in poor images.
Many-legged appearance alone does not distinguish it from every centipede.

Life stages

Immature

Begins with fewer leg pairs and adds legs through molts; young individuals should not be judged by adult leg count.

Adult

Has 15 pairs of long legs and a striped, flattened body.

Where it is found

Basements, bathrooms, closets, crawl spaces, and other protected humid locations.
May run across walls, ceilings, or floors while hunting.
Repeated sightings can reflect abundant prey or suitable moisture.

Behavior and activity

Fast nocturnal predator of insects and other small arthropods.
Uses modified front legs to subdue prey.
Usually retreats rather than confronting people.

Diet and resources

Feeds on silverfish, firebrats, cockroaches, spiders, carpet beetle larvae, and other small arthropods.
Prey availability helps explain persistent indoor occurrence.

Common lookalikes

Millipedes

Have shorter legs, a more cylindrical body, and slower movement.

Firebrats

Small six-legged insects with three tail filaments.

Sowbugs

Oval crustaceans with overlapping plates and much shorter legs.

Why it matters

Predatory but usually low risk

House centipedes can bite if trapped or handled, but bites are uncommon. Their appearance and speed are not evidence of an aggressive or medically important infestation.

Avoid handling for a closer image.
Frequent sightings may justify checking moisture and prey rather than escalating fear.

Management direction

Confirm the long-legged Scutigera body plan.
Check moisture and monitor for abundant prey arthropods.
Use exclusion and targeted source reduction if repeated activity is unwanted.

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Reviewed guidance and sources

Last reviewed August 2026. Sources support the claims listed with them; their limits remain part of the review.

Penn State Extension — House centipedes
Supports: Species taxonomy, adult and immature morphology, indoor habitat, prey, and proportionate risk.
Does not support: A medical diagnosis or certainty from a blurred many-legged silhouette.
Scope note: North American household and structural-pest context; local conditions vary.
University of Minnesota Extension — Sowbugs, millipedes and centipedes
Supports: Broad morphology, moisture associations, indoor entry, and proportionate risk context.
Does not support: Exact species identification or a universal indoor survival period.
Scope note: North American household and structural-pest context; local conditions vary.