[5] The species has alternating bands of black and yellow-gold.

[6] At approximately 15–18 centimetres (5.9–7.1 in), Scolopendra cingulata is one of the smallest species in the family Scolopendridae.

[3] Widely distributed, this species can be found throughout southern Europe, including Portugal and around the Mediterranean Sea, in such countries as Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Israel, and Greece, around the Black Sea in South Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, as well as parts of North Africa.

[3][7] Scolopendra cingulata is a burrowing animal, preferring dark, damp environments such as beneath logs and in leaf litter.

It will attack and consume almost any animal that is not larger than itself; this includes insects and small lizards.