A preliminary survey of known and potentially Canadian and Alaskan centipedes (Chilopoda)

The centipedes of Canada and Alaska are poorly known. This paper indicates the present state of knowledge of the class, including "economic" and "biological" aspects, insofar as this is relevant to Canada and the adjacent United States of America. The systematic and other related literature applicable to the region is briefly reviewed. The principal part of the paper provides a classified list of the species of centipedes (with most of their synonyms) hitherto known for Canada and Alaska. In order to alert workers as to possible future additions to the Canadian fauna, those species known from other adjacent United States, southern New England, and Oregon are added. The known distribution of each species is given by province, territory, or state within the region, but known distributions further afield are not generally indicated. About 70 species (over a dozen of them introduced) are known for Canada and Alaska. Some 70 or so are found in the adjacent United States or southern New England. It is estimated that the Canadian–Alaskan fauna may eventually prove to comprise more than 100 species of Chilopoda. A note on Canadian Symphyla (including the record of a member of a hitherto unreported family) is appended.