Ballophilidae

Ballophilidae is a monophyletic group of centipedes belonging to the order Geophilomorpha and superfamily Himantarioidea. Authorities now dismiss this group as a family, citing phylogenetic analysis, and instead refer to this clade as Ballophilinae, a possible subfamily within the family Schendylidae. Centipedes in this clade differ from others in the family Schendylidae by having bodies tapered toward the anterior tip, short heads, slender forcipules that are well apart, and an undivided lamina for the female gonopods. Centipedes in this clade are found in most tropical regions.

The number of legs in this clade varies within as well as among species and ranges from 37 to 113 pairs of legs. Two species in this clade can have as few as 37 leg pairs, Ballophilus pallidus and Leucolinum trinidadense, and one species, Ityphilus grandis, can have as many as 113 pairs. Species in this clade tend to have more leg-bearing segments and greater intraspecific variability in this number than generally found in the family Schendylidae. Some species in this clade are notable for their small sizes, including L. trinadadense (reaching only 9 mm in length), Caritohallex minyrrhopus (10 mm), B. pallidus (11 mm), and Taeniolinum panamicum (11 mm).

Genera
Genera:


 * Afrotaenia Chamberlin, 1951
 * Ballophilus Cook, 1896
 * Caritohallex Crabill, 1960
 * Cerethmus
 * Clavophilus
 * Diplethmus
 * Ityphilus Cook, 1899
 * Koinethmus
 * Leucolinum
 * Taeniolinum
 * Tanophilus
 * Zygethmus