Pauropoda

Pauropoda is a class of small, pale, millipede-like arthropods in the subphylum Myriapoda. More than 900 species in twelve families are found worldwide, living in soil and leaf mold. Pauropods look like centipedes or millipedes and may be a sister group of the latter, but a close relationship with Symphyla has also been posited. The name Pauropoda derives from the Greek pauros (meaning "small" or "few") and pous, genitive podos (meaning "foot"), because most species in this class have only nine pairs of legs as adults, a smaller number than those found among adults in any other class of myriapods.

==Anatomy== thumb|Ventral and dorsal views of Pauropus amicus from New South Wales, Australia. Pauropods are soft, cylindrical animals with bodies measuring only 0.3 to 2 mm in length. They have neither eyes nor hearts, although they do have sensory organs which can detect light. The body segments have ventral tracheal/spiracular pouches forming apodemes similar to those in millipedes and Symphyla, although the trachea usually connected to these structures are absent in most species. There are five pairs of long sensory hairs (trichobothria) located throughout the body segments. Pauropods can be identified because of their distinctive anal plate, which is unique to pauropods. Different species of pauropods can be identified based on the size and shape of their anal plate. The antennae are branching, biramous, and segmented, which is distinctive for the group. Pauropods are usually either white or brown.