Canadian specimens appear to be most abundant in British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

[4] It is widespread across eastern North America from far southern Canada to the Carolinas and the Gulf Coast, and prefers hiding under rotting wood or leaf litter (see picture); it is thus difficult to find.

[5] The eastern red centipede has 23 pairs of legs, and is reddish-orange, although south-eastern individuals are browner.

[5][4] Grooves on the dorsal plates are incomplete, according to field work, and the first antenna segment (an antennomere) is less hirsute (hairy) than the second or more distant segments.

[5] The eastern red centipede is capable of thermoregulating and maintaining performance across a broad range of temperatures.