Pauropoda
Also known as Pauropod
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 myriap
Species
pauropods
CLASS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassPauropoda
Habitatmarine, freshwater
Observations recorded3,117
Pauropoda is one of the four major clades of Myriapoda (Myriapoda = Chilopoda [centipedes] + Diplopoda [millipedes] + Symphala [symphylids] + Pauropoda [pauropods]) (Rehm et al. 2014 and references therein). The centipedes, the only predatory myriapods, include around 5000 known species. The millipedes, which have two pairs of legs per segment, include around 12000 species. Pauropods and symphylids are small, translucent, soil-dwelling "micro-myriapods", with body lengths of less than 2 mm and 1 to 8 mm, respectively. The symphylids have long and filiform antennae and a pair of specialized appendages at the preanal segment known as spinnerets. The pauropods have distinctive antennae, which are branching and have long flagella. Around 800 pauropod species and around 200 symphylid species have been described (Scheller 2008; Minelli (2011). Pauropods have the gonopore (sexual opening) between the bases of the 2nd pair of legs. The antennae have a 4- or 6-segmented stalk and are bifurcated distally. One antennal branch has two flagella, which flank a sense organ, known as the globulus, which resembles a ball in a spiny cup; the other branch bears a single flagellum.Adult pauropods have
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Article
9 sectionsContents
- Anatomy
- Discovery
- Evolution and systematics
- Reproduction and development
- Behavior and diet
- Gallery
- References
- Further reading
- External links
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.