Red List 2026: Germany’s centipedes and millipedes are under pressure

A barely noticed animal world lives beneath our feet. Centipedes and millipedes move through their habitats among leaves, deadwood, roots, stones and crevices in the soil. In the process, they perform important tasks: centipedes hunt small soil animals, while millipedes break down dead plant material and thus contribute to the formation of fertile soils.

The new Red List of Germany’s centipedes and millipedes (2026) now brings these little-noticed animals more clearly into focus. It shows that although many species are currently not threatened, a large share of native diversity is under pressure—from habitat loss, fragmentation, changes in land use and, increasingly, climate change.

This means the Red List is not merely an inventory for specialists; rather, it makes visible what often remains hidden in nature conservation and species protection: biological diversity in the soil is vulnerable, and its decline often goes unnoticed.

What is the difference between centipedes and millipedes?

Biologically, centipedes and millipedes belong to the subphylum of myriapods (Myriapoda). Despite their similar names, they can be distinguished quite easily by their outward appearance.

Centipedes (Chilopoda) are usually rather flat-bodied and more mobile. Each of their walking-leg segments bears one pair of legs. The frontmost pair of legs has been modified into powerful venom claws. Despite their name, centipedes never have exactly 100 legs; the number of their leg pairs is always odd. Many species can move very quickly through leaf litter, soil, deadwood or narrow crevices.

Millipedes (Diplopoda), by contrast, usually appear more compact, rounder and more heavily armored. In them, most visible body rings bear two pairs of legs, meaning four legs. In evolutionary terms, these rings are fused from two segments each. Compared with centipedes, millipedes usually move much more slowly; many species curl up when threatened or protect themselves with hard body rings and defensive chemicals.

Small soil dwellers with great importance

Centipedes and millipedes are soil-dependent organisms that perform different ecological functions and form an important part of functioning soils.

Centipedes are predators. In Germany, they hunt small soil animals such as insect larvae, springtails, worms and other invertebrates, helping to regulate communities in the soil litter. This makes them an important part of the soil food web.

Millipedes are primarily decomposers. They feed on dead plant material, decaying animal remains, algae and fungi. In this way, they help break down organic matter, decompose leaves and deadwood, and return nutrients to the cycle.

Red List of centipedes and millipedes in Germany

The new Red List covers a total of 189 species or subspecies of centipedes and millipedes established in Germany. These include 62 centipedes and 127 millipedes. However, not all were included in the actual threat assessment: 7 established neozoans are considered non-native and were therefore excluded from the assessment. As a result, 182 native or archaeobiotic taxa were assessed—58 centipedes and 124 millipedes.

Of these 182 assessed taxa, 127 are considered not threatened, which corresponds to almost 70%. The majority of native centipedes and millipedes are therefore currently not threatened. At the same time, however, the Red List also shows that 21 taxa, or 11.5%, are threatened in their populations, while 1 species is extinct or missing in Germany. A further 20 taxa are considered extremely rare. In the Red List, the categories considered threatened are critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable and threat of unknown extent.

The figures from the new Red List at a glance:

• Not threatened: 127 taxa (69.8%) – 44 centipedes and 83 millipedes
• Extinct in Germany or missing: 1 species (0.5%) – millipede Mastigophorophyllon saxonicum; the last record dates from 1974
• Critically endangered: 4 species (2.2%) – 1 centipede, Strigamia maritima, and 3 millipedes (Julus terrestris, Leptoiulus montivagus and Stygiiulus seewaldi)
• Endangered: 9 millipede taxa (4.9%)
• Vulnerable: 7 taxa (3.8%) – 5 centipedes and 2 millipedes
• Threat of unknown extent: 1 species (0.5%) – millipede Geoglomeris subterranea
• Extremely rare: 20 taxa (11%) – 3 centipedes and 17 millipedes
• Near threatened: 2 millipede taxa (1.1%)
• Data deficient: 11 taxa (6%) – 5 centipedes and 6 millipedes

Centipedes and millipedes compared

Among the centipedes, 58 taxa were assessed. Of these, 44 are considered not threatened (75.9%). 6 taxa are threatened in their populations: 1 species is critically endangered, and 5 others are vulnerable. Added to these are 3 extremely rare species and 5 species for which the data are deficient.

Among the millipedes, 124 taxa were assessed. Of these, 83 taxa are considered not threatened (66.9%). 15 taxa are threatened in their populations: 3 are critically endangered, 9 endangered, 2 vulnerable and 1 has a threat of unknown extent. In addition, 1 millipede species is considered extinct or missing. Moreover, 17 millipede taxa are in the extremely rare category, 2 species are on the near-threatened list and 6 taxa are in the data deficient category.

Changes since the Last Red List

A comparison with the previous Red List from 2016 shows that the classification has not changed for the majority of centipedes and millipedes. At the same time, the new Red List is more informative than its predecessors. Since 2016, the data basis has improved considerably: around 30% more records were available for centipedes and around 25% more for millipedes. In addition, the assessment was placed on a stronger methodological footing.

This improved data basis explains an important part of the category changes. In total, 10 taxa were classified more favorably and 20 taxa less favorably than in 2016. Among centipedes, the category changed for only 4 species: one species was assessed more favorably, while three species were assessed less favorably. Among millipedes, the changes were more pronounced: 9 taxa were classified more favorably and 17 taxa less favorably.

A less favorable classification does not automatically mean that the population has actually deteriorated sharply since 2016. In many cases, species could be assessed more precisely only because of new records, targeted searches or better knowledge of their distribution. For example, among centipedes, Geophilus oligopus was downgraded from extremely rare to not threatened on the basis of new knowledge. Conversely, Lithobius calcaratus and L. curtipes were moved from not threatened to vulnerable; L. punctulatus changed from extremely rare to threatened. According to the Red List, these deteriorations also resulted from increased knowledge.

The picture is similar for millipedes: in eight cases, species previously classified as extremely rare are now assessed as not threatened; examples include Allajulus groedensis, Haasea germanica and Trachysphaera gibbula. At the same time, 17 millipede taxa were classified less favorably. In 2016, they were still considered not threatened or extremely rare and therefore not threatened in the narrower sense. In the new Red List, these include species such as Julus terrestris and Leptoiulus montivagus.

The new Red List is therefore not merely an update of old figures; above all, it shows how important targeted recording and expert evaluation are for soil organisms. Many centipedes and millipedes live hidden away, so declines often become apparent only late or not at all. Some species are found only when they are deliberately searched for.

Internationally, too, biodiversity in the soil is much less well studied than that of many above-ground animals. A recent IUCN study on soil-dependent species concludes that of around 8,650 soil-dependent organisms, about 20% are considered threatened. For almost as many species, the data are insufficient to reliably assess the risk of extinction. This means that far more soil organisms could be threatened.

Germany’s special responsibility: 4 endemics in the Black Forest

For centipedes, the new Red List does not identify any increased responsibility for Germany. For millipedes, the situation is different: Germany bears increased responsibility for 12 taxa in terms of their global conservation. Particularly important among them are four endemic species for which Germany is responsible to a particularly high degree: Pyrgocyphosoma titianum, Rhymogona verhoeffi, R. wehrana and Xylophageuma vomrathi. They occur worldwide only in Germany and are restricted to the Black Forest or adjacent parts of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

One example is Pyrgocyphosoma titianum, an endemic species of the southwestern Black Forest. The Red List also describes the species as a relict species from the Tertiary—a remnant of a fauna that was once more widespread. Rhymogona verhoeffi likewise has a very small range and is known from the eastern High Black Forest, the Central Black Forest and the upper Neckar valley. Rhymogona wehrana occurs only in the southwestern Black Forest and on the eastern Dinkelberg.

These species show that special conservation responsibility does not arise only for well-known or conspicuous animal species. What matters here is not just the current threat status, but distribution: if a species occurs worldwide in only a small area, local interventions can have global consequences. If suitable habitats are lost there, not only a regional population disappears—in the worst case, the species becomes extinct worldwide.

For the four Black Forest endemics, small-scale, structurally rich habitats are therefore crucial: moist soil areas, deadwood, crevice spaces, boulder fields, old litter layers and near-natural forests. Such microhabitats are vital for many soil animals. Special responsibility therefore means that Germany is home to the entire global population and accordingly bears the central responsibility for its preservation.

Threats: When habitats disappear, dry out or become isolated

The most important cause of threat for centipedes and millipedes is the loss of suitable habitats. Particularly affected are dry and semi-dry grasslands, heathlands, bogs, swamp and floodplain forests, extensively managed agricultural land, and structurally rich mixed forests with a high proportion of deadwood. Alpine and subalpine habitats, boulder fields, rocky sites and cave systems also play an important role for some specialized species.

Added to this is the fragmentation of such habitats. Many centipedes and millipedes are closely tied to specific microhabitats: moist litter layers, loose soil structures, deadwood, rock crevices, boulder fields or cool, damp refuges. When these habitats become smaller and more strongly separated from one another, the animals often cannot simply move elsewhere. Their low mobility and slow dispersal make them particularly vulnerable; newly created or restored areas are often recolonized only with difficulty, or not at all.

The Red List also names several concrete interventions that directly alter or destroy habitats. These include construction work, bank reinforcement, coastal engineering and the expansion of infrastructure. This becomes very clear in the case of the shore centipede Strigamia maritima: the species, rediscovered in Germany only in 2021, lives on the German North Sea coast under loose stones and in rock crevices in the littoral zone. Increasingly concreted coastal defenses are considered one reason why its population is declining sharply over the long term; it is therefore classified as critically endangered.

Changes in land use also play a role. Dry grasslands and other open habitats are lost either through abandonment, when they become overgrown with scrub or are afforested, or through overly intensive use. Agricultural intensification can further worsen living conditions—for example through soil compaction, lower amounts of detritus, pesticides, fertilizers and eutrophication. For soil animals that depend on loose, structurally rich and organically shaped microhabitats, this can be decisive.

Climate change adds another burden. Centipedes and millipedes are generally moisture-loving; many species require stable, cool and moist conditions in the soil or in the litter layer. Extreme droughts can dry out the topsoil to greater depths. This shortens activity and reproduction periods, especially in spring and autumn. Heavy rainfall and floods can also hit populations directly. Species in alpine habitats, boulder fields and cave systems are at risk because they often have narrow temperature tolerances and can hardly move into other habitats.

The protection of centipedes and millipedes must begin with their habitats. Structurally rich, connected habitats with deadwood, litter layers, hiding places and small-scale differences in microclimate are important. The authors of the Red List therefore primarily recommend preserving and promoting such structures, connecting suitable habitats—for example through hedgerows or other corridors—taking myriapods into account in construction and coastal protection measures, and adapting the management of grassland, boulder fields and similar special sites.

Red Lists as a basis for targeted protection

Red Lists document the state of biological diversity. They make visible where populations are deteriorating, species are disappearing or protection measures are becoming urgently necessary. Especially for little-known groups such as centipedes and millipedes, such Red Lists are important, because without data the decline of many species remains invisible. The new Red List provides a better basis for protecting soil habitats in a more targeted way.

Centipedes and millipedes may be inconspicuous, but they are emblematic of a dimension of species extinction that often remains hidden: the loss of biological diversity in the soil. In the place where a large part of life takes place, but which is only rarely perceived.

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Source

• Decker, P., Burkhardt, U., Hauser, H., Lindner, E. N., Moritz, L., Reip, H., Spelda, J., & Voigtländer, K. (2026). Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der Hundertfüßer und Doppelfüßer (Myriapoda: Chilopoda et Diplopoda) Deutschlands. Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt, 170(12), 1–83.
  https://www.rote-liste-zentrum.de/wp-content/uploads/NaBiV_170_12_1_RL_Hundertfuesser_und_Doppelfuesser_2026_20260430-0709.pdf