| Haplodesmidae | |
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| Eutrichodesmus aster | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
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| Order: | |
| Superfamily: | Haplodesmoidea |
| Family: | Haplodesmidae Cook, 1895 |
| Genera | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
Doratodesmidae Cook, 1896 | |
Haplodesmidae is a family of millipedes in the order Polydesmida. [1] This family includes about 70 species. [2] Species occur in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, although some species have been introduced to the New world tropics. [2] [3] [4]
Species in this family are small, usually less than 10 mm in length. [2] The tergites are always very convex, often with elaborate sculpturing in the form of two to four transverse rows of tubercles. [3] Many species are capable of volvation (rolling into a near-complete ball), but some are not. [2] [3] The ozopores appear on the dorsal surface of the paranota. [2] The sterna are so narrow that the walking legs are contiguous where they emerge from the body. The gonopods emerge from an aperture that is relatively modest in size and shaped like a transverse oval. Species in this family hold their gonopods parallel to the main axis of the body in a considerable hollow in the middle of the ventral surface. The gonopods do not cross, even at the distal end. [3]
This family includes some species that feature unusual deviations from the 20 segments (including the telson) normally observed in the order Polydesmida. For example, some species exhibit sexual dimorphism in segments number, including not only Prosopodesmus panporus and Eutrichodesmus peculiaris (adult females with the usual 20 segments, but adult males with only 19) but also Doratodesmus pholeter (adults females with 19 segments, adult males with 18). [5] This family also includes two species notable for being among the few species in Polydesmida to feature only 18 segments in adults (both sexes in D. hispidus and males only in D. pholeter). [5] Species arrive at these lower numbers of segments by going through the same stages of teloanamorphosis observed in other polydesmids but reaching maturity one moult earlier for 19 segments or two moults earlier for 18 segments. [5] [6]
The family Haplodesmidae includes the following genera: [1]
Polydesmida is the largest order of millipedes, with more than 5,000 species, including all the millipedes reported to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This order is also the most diverse of the millipede orders in terms of morphology. Millipedes in this order are found in all regions of the world other than Antarctica.
Eutrichodesmus is a genus of millipedes in the family Haplodesmidae, containing at least 32 species in China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. One of these species exhibits sexual dimorphism in segments number: The adult females have 20 segments, but the adult males have only 19.
Xystodesmidae is a family of millipedes in the suborder Leptodesmidea within the order Polydesmida. The family Xystodesmidae was created by the American biologist Orator F. Cook in 1895 and named after the genus Xystodesmus. This family includes more than 390 known species distributed among 62 genera. Many species, however, remain undescribed: for example, it is estimated that the genus Nannaria contains over 200 species, but only 25 were described as of 2006. By 2022, 78 species in Nannaria have been described.
Tridontomidae is a small family of millipedes. Its members are endemic to Guatemala. These millipedes range from 22 mm to 28 mm in length and are uniformly grayish in color; their legs and antennae are unusually long and slender. This family includes the remarkable species Aenigmopus alatus, in which adult males feature no gonopods. This millipede is the only species in the infraclass Helminthomorpha without gonopods.
Chordeumatida is a large order of millipedes containing more than 1,400 species. Also known as sausage millipedes, they are found nearly worldwide. Chordeumatida is the largest order in the superorder Nematophora, a group also known as spinning millipedes because their telsons feature spinnerets used to build nests of silk. These millipedes produce this silk to create chambers in which to molt or to lay their eggs.
Polydesmidae is a family of millipedes in the order Polydesmida. This family includes more than 240 species in about 30 genera. These millipedes have a mostly Holarctic distribution that extends south not only to Mexico and North Africa but also as far as Java.
Ammodesmidae is a family of small millipedes endemic to Africa, containing seven species in two genera. Ammodesmids range from 1.4 to 5.0 mm long with 18 or 19 body segments in both sexes, and are capable of rolling into a tight sphere.
Fuhrmannodesmidae is a family of millipedes belonging to the order Polydesmida. Although some authorities deem Fuhrmannodesmidae to be a junior synonym for Trichopolydesmidae, others still regard the taxonomic status of Fuhrmannodesmidae as valid. The family Fuhrmannodesmidae includes over 50 genera.
Anthroleucosomatidae is a family of millipedes in the order Chordeumatida. This family includes more than 100 species distributed among 40 genera. This family has a mostly Holarctic distribution, with the greatest diversity in the area around the Mediterranean sea.
Metopidiotrichidae is a family of millipedes in the order Chordeumatida. This family includes more than 70 species. These millipedes are found in Indochina, Australia, and on Pacific islands from New Zealand to Japan.
Brachydesmus is a genus of millipedes belonging to the family Polydesmidae. The Czech zoologist Camill Heller first described this genus to contain the type species B. subterraneus. This genus now includes about 75 described species.
Chordeumatidae is a family of millipedes belonging to the order Chordeumatida. These millipedes range from 7 mm to 18 mm in length and are found in Europe. Adult millipedes in this family have either 28 or 30 segments. This family features distinctive sex-linked modifications to the legs in adults: In the adult female, a legless sternite replaces the third pair of legs, and in the adult male, five pairs of legs are modified in the gonopod complex. These modifications are more extensive than those found in other adult males in this order, which often have only two leg pairs modified into gonopods. With the more extensive modifications to the legs in this family, species with the usual 30 segments feature adult females with only 49 leg pairs and adult males with only 45 pairs of walking legs, and species with only 28 segments feature adult females with only 45 leg pairs and adult males with only 41 pairs of walking legs.
Entomobielziidae is a family of millipedes belonging to the order Chordeumatida. This family includes 18 species, including 13 in the genus Tianella. Millipedes in this family are found in Romania, central Asia, and the Himalayas.
Opisthocheiridae is a family of millipedes belonging to the order Chordeumatida. This family includes 40 species distributed among seven genera. These millipedes are found in western Europe and Morocco.
Agenodesmus is a genus of millipedes in the family Fuhrmannodesmidae, which some authorities consider a junior synonym of Trichopolydesmidae. This genus is notable for being among the very few genera in the order Polydesmida to feature adults with only 18 segments rather than the 20 segments usually found in this order. The genus Agenodesmus contains only two species, A. reticulatus and A. nullus. The type species A. reticulatus is notable as the first polydesmidan millipede discovered with only 18 segments in adults, the smallest number recorded in the order Polydesmida. Before the discovery of A. reticulatus, polydesmidans were known to have only 19 or 20 segments in adults.
Metamastigophorophyllon is a genus of millipedes in the family Anthroleucosomatidae. This genus includes millipedes found in Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Georgia. All five species in this genus have 31 segments in adults. This genus is notable for including the only species in the order Chordeumatida with 31 segments rather than the 30 segments usually observed in adults in this order.
Devilliea tuberculata is a species of flat-backed millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae. Like other members of the genus Devillea, this species is limited to caves. This millipede has been found in several caves in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France. This species is notable as the first millipede in the order Polydesmida found to feature more than the 20 segments usually found in this order.
Agenodesmus reticulatus is a species of millipede in the family Fuhrmannodesmidae, which some authorities consider a junior synonym of Trichopolydesmidae. This millipede is among the very few species in the order Polydesmida to feature adults with only 18 segments rather than the 20 segments usually found in this order. This species is notable as the first polydesmidan millipede discovered with only 18 segments in adults, the smallest number recorded in the order Polydesmida. Before the discovery of A. reticulatus, polydesmidans were known to have only 19 or 20 segments in adults.
Prosopodesmus is a genus of flat-backed millipedes in the family Haplodesmidae. These millipedes are found primarily in Australia and southern Japan. This genus includes the species P. panporus, which is notable for exhibiting sexual dimorphism in segment number: Whereas adult females of this species feature the usual 20 segments usually observed in the order Polydesmida, the adult males of this species feature only 19 segments.
Prosopodesmus panporus is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Haplodesmidae. Also known as the hothouse millipede, this species was first discovered in hothouses for tropical plants in England, where it is well established, but is probably native to Australia. This species features a unique distribution of ozopores, which appear on all segments with two pairs of legs. The species P. panporus is named for this complete series of ozopores and is the only species in the order Polydesmida with this distribution. This millipede is also notable for exhibiting sexual dimorphism in segment number: Whereas adult females of this species feature the 20 segments usually observed in the order Polydesmida, the adult males of this species feature only 19 segments.
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