| Mammamia | |
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| The gonopods of M. profuga | |
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| Genus: | Mammamia Akkari, Stoev, & Enghoff, 2011 |
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| Mammamia profuga Akkari, Stoev, & Enghoff, 2011 | |
Mammamia profuga is a species of cave-dwelling millipede in the family Julidae. The only known species of the genus Mammamia, it was described in 2011 from a specimen discovered in a cave in Italy.
Mammamia profuga measures about 26 mm (1 inch) long, and 1.5 mm wide, consisting of around 50 body segments, the last two without legs. The body and legs are pale yellow in color, without markings, and the walking legs are about 2.25 mm long, except for the first pair in males, which are small and hook-like, as in other julidan millipedes. The species completely lacks eyes or ocelli. Like all members of the order Julida, mature males have two pairs of highly modified legs, the gonopods, consisting of the 8th and 9th pair, and in Mammamia the anterior (forward-most) gonopods are slightly longer than the posterior gonopods. [1]
Mammamia profuga was described from a single male specimen collected from a cave in Taranto Province, Italy in 1964. It was described as a new genus and species in 2011 by a team of Danish and Bulgarian scientists. [1]
The genus name Mammamia derives from the Italian expression "Mamma mia!" in reference to the "astonishing" features, including eyelessness and unique feature of the gonopods. The species name profuga is Latin for "homeless" or "refugee", a reference to the fact that the cave the species was discovered in was subsequently destroyed. [1]
Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a tight ball. Although the name "millipede" derives from Latin for "thousand feet", no species was known to have 1,000 or more until the discovery in 2020 of Eumillipes persephone, which can have over 1,300 legs. There are approximately 12,000 named species classified into 16 orders and around 140 families, making Diplopoda the largest class of myriapods, an arthropod group which also includes centipedes and other multi-legged creatures.
Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and millipedes, gonopods are modified walking or swimming legs. Gonopods may be highly decorated with elaborate structures which may play roles in sperm competition, and can be used to differentiate and identify closely related species. Gonopods generally occur in one or more pairs, as opposed to the single (un-paired) reproductive organs such as the aedeagus of insects or the penis of harvestmen.
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.
Ommatoiulus moreleti, commonly known as the Portuguese millipede, is a herbivorous millipede native to the western Iberian Peninsula where it shares its range with other Ommatoiulus species. From here, it has spread by international commerce to a number of new localities. This species was accidentally introduced into Australia without its natural enemies and has since become an invasive pest. A number of methods have been developed to manage this millipede.
Julida is an order of millipedes. Members are mostly small and cylindrical, typically ranging from 10–120 millimetres (0.39–4.72 in) in length. Eyes may be present or absent, and in mature males of many species, the first pair of legs is modified into hook-like structures. Additionally, both pairs of legs on the 7th body segment of males are modified into gonopods.
Ommatoiulus is a genus of millipedes in the family Julidae.
Callipodida is an order of millipedes containing around 130 species, many characterized by crests or ridges.
Chordeumatida is a large order of millipedes containing some 1200 species with a nearly worldwide distribution. Also known as sausage millipedes, they grow and develop through a series of moults, adding segments until they reach a fixed number in the adult stage, which is usually the same for a given sex in a given species, at which point the moulting and the addition of segments and legs stop. This mode of development, known as teloanamorphosis, distinguishes this order from most other orders of millipedes, which usually continue to moult as adults, developing through either euanamorphosis or hemianamorphosis.
Sinocallipus is a genus of predominantly cave-dwelling millipedes in the order Callipodida. Five of the six known species are found in limestone caves on the Indochinese Peninsula from Vietnam to southern China, and it is the only callipodidan genus entirely confined to the tropics. Individuals range from 40–70 mm (1.6–2.8 in) long and possess 55 to 70 segments. Sinocallipus is the sole taxon of the callipodidan suborder Sinocallipodidea, and thought to be the most primitive and sister group to all other callipodidans. In contrast to many other millipede groups, the gonopods of Sinocallipus show little variation between species, while other characters such as color, size, and other body parts differ more noticeably between species.
Siphoniulus is a poorly known genus of millipede containing only two living species: S. alba from Indonesia, and S. neotropicus from Mexico and Guatemala. An additional two fossil species are known from Cretaceous amber. Siphoniulus species are the only members of the family Siphoniulidae and order Siphoniulida, making Siphoniulida the smallest millipede order. Few specimens are known, and their classification is contentious, although most recent studies place them as basal members of the Helminthomorpha.
Parajulidae is a family of millipedes in the order Julida, occurring predominantly in North America but also in Central America and East Asia. Parajulids are found from Alaska to as far south as Guatemala. Male Parajulids have a greatly enlarged first pair of legs, and externally exposed gonopods, in contrast to the largely Eurasian family Julidae which have a small, hook-shaped first pair of legs, and gonopods concealed internally.
Aprosphylosoma darceneae is a species of cylindrical julidan millipede found only in the U.S. state of Oregon and comprising the sole species of the family Aprosphylosomatidae. It is known from only a single known specimen collected from Oregon Caves National Monument in 1956 that measures approximately 16 mm (0.63 in) long and 1 mm wide, possessing 59 body segments. The first pair of legs are extremely reduced into non-jointed, peg-like structures. The body color is yellowish brown with darker brown mottling on the dorsal surface, and the legs are white.
Paeromopus is a genus of large cylindrical millipedes endemic to the U.S. state of California. All species exceed 10 centimeters in length, and the largest, P. paniculus, reaching 16.5 cm is the longest millipede species in North America. The genus was named by German entomologist Ferdinand Karsch in 1881 and contains four species: three occupying small ranges in the Sierra Nevada mountains and one occupying a large range including the Sierra Nevada and much of Northern California to the Central Coast.
Paeromopus paniculus is a species of millipede endemic to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the United States state of California. Reaching up to 16.5 centimeters in length, it is the longest known millipede in North America.
Titanophyllum spiliarum is a species of cave-dwelling millipede in the family Julidae. The only known species of the genus Titanophyllum, it was described in 2011 from specimens discovered in a cave in Greece. It has several unusual characteristics including eyelessness and a small hook on its hind-most body section that may be involved in keeping the animal ‘locked’ when it coils-up defensively.
Juliformia is a taxonomic superorder of millipedes containing three living orders: Julida, Spirobolida, and Spirostreptida, and the extinct group Xyloiuloidea known only from fossils.
Ommatoiulus avatar is a species of European millipede in the family Julidae. Individuals are known from Andalusia, southern Spain. Individuals are 25 to 38 mm long. Color in alcohol preserved specimens is brownish with yellowish and black marbling on the dorsal surface. O. avatar was described in 2015, with the aid of X-ray microtomography that produced a three-dimensional digital model, becoming the first millipede described from reference to physical type specimens as well as virtual models, known as "cybertypes".
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.
Devillea is a genus of flat-backed millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae. These millipedes are rare and limited to caves. Species in this genus are found in Sardinia, Capri, and southern France in the Maritime Alps. These species are notable for featuring more than the 20 segments usually found in the order Polydesmida. This genus is one of only two genera in this order to feature these extra segments and the first such genus to be discovered.
Opisthocheiron canayerensis is a species of millipede in the family Opisthocheiridae. This species is found in France, far inside deep caves. This millipede is notable as one of only a few species in the order Chordeumatida with only 26 segments in adults, four fewer segments than typically found in adults this order.