The small elongate centipedes are impossible to differentiate by eye - a very good lens, or better, a microscope is needed to see the details.

These small ones are: S. antipodum, S. morbosum, Maoriella species, Pachymerium ferrugineum and the juveniles of the large species Zelanophilus provocator and Australiophilus ferrugineus.

S. antipodum is the common, often abundant, small (ca. 20 mm) centipede in the litter of forests and shrublands throughout New Zealand. It has usually has 39 pairs of legs but does vary from 37-41.