[1] The name "Geophilomorpha" is from Ancient Greek roots meaning "formed to love the earth.

[3] These centipedes are found nearly worldwide but are absent in Antarctica and most Arctic regions.

[4] Centipedes in this order are epimorphic, hatching with a full complement of segments.

[5] These centipedes each have an odd number of leg-bearing segments ranging from 27 (in the genus Schendylops)[6] to 191 (in the species Gonibregmatus plurimipes).

[8] Segment number is usually fixed by species in the family Mecistocephalidae, unlike the case in other families in this order, in which the segment number usually varies within each species.