Mecistocephalidae

Mecistocephalidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha. This family is the only family in the monotypic suborder Placodesmata. Most species in this family live in tropical or subtropical regions, but some occur in temperate regions. This family is the third most diverse in the order Geophiliomorpha (after Geophilidae and Schendylidae), with about 170 species, including about 130 species in the genus Mecistocephalus.

==Description== Species of this family are characterized by an elongated head with lateral margins converging backwards; first maxillae with a relatively elongate coxosternite and coxal projections that are much wider than the telopodites, with both appendages ending with a distinctly hyaline part; second maxillae with small simple claws; an elongate forcipular coxosternite with pleurites projecting anteriorly into scapular points and displaced dorsally so that the coxopleural sutures run anteriorly on the dorsal side; metatergites on the posterior part of the trunk that are distinctly longer than those on the anterior part.