Himantariidae is a monophyletic family of centipedes in the order Geophilomorpha and superfamily Himantarioidea,[1] found almost exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere.
[2] Centipedes in this family feature a short head with a concave labral margin bearing a row of denticles, a single dentate lamella and some pectinate lamellae on each mandible, second maxillae with strongly tapering telopodites and slightly spatulate claws, and a stout forcipular segment with short forcipules and a wide tergite; the ultimate legs usually have no pretarsus, and the female gonopods are distinct and biarticulate.
[4] The number of leg-bearing segments in this family ranges from 47 to 181.
[3] The maximum number of legs recorded in this family (181 pairs) appears in the species Chomatobius bakeri.
[5][6] The minimum number of legs recorded in this family (47 pairs) appears in the species Garriscaphus oreines,[7][8] This family contains these genera: