Centipedes (Chilopoda) of Ojców National Park [ONP] were the subject of research conducted by Jadwiga Kaczmarek in the 1950s. Using qualitative and quantitative methods in the same area during the period between 2002 and 2004, we collected nearly 900 specimens of Chilopoda. Twenty-two species of centipedes were reported, including three species new to the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Currently, 29 species of Chilopoda are known from ONP, which constitutes 53% of the Polish species. The most numerous and most frequently found species include Lithobius mutabilis L. Koch, Lithobius burzenlandicus Verhoeff, and Strigamia acuminata (Leach). The most interesting species is the commonly found Carpathian endemic animal L. burzenlandicus. Due to the aforementioned species, the communities of ONP centipedes are of mountainous character.
Forests featuring the greatest diversity of centipede species include beech, hornbeam, and alder forests, while the smallest number of Chilopoda inhabit fir and pine forests of ONP.
The study presents a comparison, an update, and a review of the previous data from ONP. Featuring great diversity of habitats, ONP – from the myriapodological perspective – is a Polish region of exceptional value.