Ancient centipede. Giant Centipede: An assassin with poisonous claws. The danger of centipedes for people

(two-legged (diplopods), labiopods, pauropods, symphyla). To date, science knows more than 13,000 modern species of centipedes. As the name suggests, centipedes are known for their many pairs of legs. The number of legs varies from species to species. Some species have less than a dozen legs, while others have over a hundred. Illacme plenipes is a species from central California that has 750 legs and currently holds the record for the most legs of any centipede species.

Description

The body of centipedes is divided into two main sections: the body and the head. The head of centipedes is rounded and flat at the bottom (an exception is the labiopods). Centipedes have a pair of antennae (antennae) and two pairs of jaws (upper jaws - mandibles and lower jaws - maxilla) on the head of centipedes. The trunk is cylindrical and consists of many segments, each segment having at least one pair of appendages (legs). As a rule, they have about 25-100 segments. Each thoracic segment has one pair of legs while the ventral segment has two pairs. Centipedes have limited vision (some species have no eyes at all). Species that have eyes can only distinguish between light and dark, and do not have true vision of the world around them.

Habitat and food

Centipedes inhabit a variety of habitats, but are most common in forests. They are also found in deserts, savannahs and grasslands. Most centipedes are detritivores (animals that feed on decaying organic matter). The exceptions are the barnacles, which are predatory nocturnal and feed on a variety of animals, including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and various invertebrates. Two other lesser-known classes of centipedes, pauropods and symphyla, are small organisms (some species microscopic) that live in the soil.

The first centipedes

The first fossil evidence for centipedes dates back to the end of the Silurian period, about 420 million years ago. Molecular evidence shows that they appeared much earlier, possibly as early as the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago. Fossils from the Cambrian show some common features of early centipedes, indicating that their evolution began already at that time.

Main characteristics

Key characteristics of centipedes include:

• many pairs of legs;
• two main parts of the body (head and torso);
• one pair of antennae (antennae) on the head;
• simple eyes;
• mandibles and maxillae;
• respiratory exchange occurs through the tracheal system.

Classification

Centipedes are divided into the following four classes:

• lipopods (Chilopoda);
• Bipods (Diplopoda);
• Pauropods (Pauropoda);
• Symphiles (Symphyla).

Millipedes are arthropods, consisting of 4 classes: labiopods, bipedals, symphylls and pauropods. Scientists distinguish about 13 thousand species of centipedes.

From the name it becomes clear that these creatures have a large number of pairs of legs. For example, centipedes living in central California have 750 legs, according to this indicator, she holds the record among her fellows.

Description of centipedes

The body of a centipede consists of two parts: the head and the body. The head has a rounded shape, its lower part is flat, but the balopods are an exception. On the head is a pair of antennae and 2 pairs of jaws. The lower jaws are called maxillae and the upper jaws are called mandibles.

The body of a centipede is cylindrical, it is formed by a large number of segments. Each body segment has at least a pair of legs. Centipedes most often have 25-100 segments. The thoracic segments have a pair of legs, and the abdominal segments have 2 pairs of legs.

Centipedes have poor eyesight, and in some species the eyes are generally reduced. Millipedes, which have eyes, can only distinguish between darkness and light, that is, they are not able to truly see the world around them.

The color, as a rule, can be gray, brown and reddish. Underground and cave species of centipedes may have insufficient pigment, while in tropical species, on the contrary, the color can be very bright. Centipede sizes also fluctuate.

The first centipedes

Fossil finds indicate that centipedes existed at the end of the Silurian period, that is, these creatures lived on the planet 420 million years ago. But according to molecular studies, they appeared even earlier, perhaps 500 million years ago. Thanks to the found fossils from the Cambrian, you can see the common features of the ancient centipedes, outwardly they are similar to modern species.

Centipede habitat

Centipedes can live in a variety of environments, but they are most commonly found in forests. In addition, they live in grasslands, savannahs and deserts. They live almost everywhere, but not in the Arctic Circle.

Millipedes prefer damp environments because they do not have a waxy cuticle like arachnids and insects, so moisture is quickly lost through the skin. They can be found under leaves, in garbage heaps, under rocks, and in other places.

Centipede lifestyle

Centipedes are generalist predators, meaning they are able to feed on a variety of available food. They find prey mainly with the help of their antennae. Smaller species eat insects, but the giant Amazonian centipede is the largest among its relatives, and it can attack mice, frogs, birds, spiders, and lizards.

In apparent laboratory experiments, starving centipedes even ate plant foods.

Centipedes are predominantly nocturnal. But studies have shown that the Strigamia chinophila species prefers to be diurnal. They protect themselves from predators due to the fact that they can develop good speed.

Centipede breeding

During the mating season, male centipedes dance in front of the females, courting them, and some species of centipedes simply leave their spermatophores, the females look for them and capture them.

In temperate areas, oviposition occurs in spring and summer, while in tropical and subtropical areas, centipedes may breed throughout the season. Females lay their eggs in a dug hole, and cover them with soil from above. One clutch can contain 10-50 eggs.

The time of development of embryos in different species of centipedes is very different - this process can take from one to several months. The stages of growth are also very different.

For example, beetles take 3 years to reach sexual maturity, while Lithiobiomorph species reach reproductive maturity in a year.

Centipedes live long enough, in comparison with other insects, for example, centipedes of the species Lithobius forficatus can live 5-6 years.

The females of the Scolopendromorpha and Geophilomorpha species take care of the eggs. They do not leave the clutch and take care of the eggs for 16-60 days, licking and guarding them. And the females of some species even stay with the young for some time. If someone disturbs the clutch, the female can leave it or eat the eggs.

The danger of centipedes for people

Some types of centipedes can be dangerous to humans because they bite. The bite can be very painful, besides, it provokes swelling, swelling, weakness, and can cause fever. And in severe cases, a centipede bite can be fatal. For young children, centipede bites are the most dangerous.

The long body, the edges of which are strewn with legs, is a centipede insect, as is commonly believed, although from a biological point of view this is not true. They are a separate superclass of arthropods. Its representatives can be seen almost all over the world, with the exception of regions with permafrost. Centipedes are not uncommon in the middle lane and even in human dwellings.

Description of centipedes and their common types

In Latin, this superclass of invertebrates is called Myriapoda. It includes 4 classes of arthropods:

• lipopods;
• bipedals;
• pauropod;
• symbol.

All of them are centipedes, although each of the classes has its own distinctive features that distinguish them from other relatives.

The most famous representatives of this superclass, with whom a person also deals, are:

1. , widespread in temperate latitudes, including Eurasia. The length of adult specimens ranges from 2 to 25 cm. Kivsyaki are very fond of humidity. This is one of the reasons for the appearance of centipedes in the apartment. They easily penetrate bathrooms and toilets. Sensing danger, they quickly curl up into a spiral.
2. The drupe has a short (up to 25 mm) reddish body, which is slightly flattened. Thanks to this, the centipede easily enters the premises through narrow gaps.
3. The flycatcher, often referred to as the centipede, is another frequent visitor to homes. She prefers well-moistened places, so she usually chooses to live in a bathroom, basement or basement room. It has a segmented body of 15 sections, each of which has a pair of legs. The legs on the last segment are noticeably longer than on the rest, and they are confused with a mustache. The paws of the anterior segment partially perform the function of capturing food.
4. Scolopendra is a genus of 90 species. Its representatives live in areas with a warm climate. Their poison and mucus are dangerous to humans.

There are 12,000 species of centipedes in total.

Structure

The body of each centipede consists of a long torso and a rounded head. Usually, the latter is practically flat from below (labopods are an exception to this rule), so that it would be easier for the arthropod to move along surfaces. Also on the head there is a pair of antennae that perform the function of a tactile and olfactory organ. Scientifically they are called antenulls. Food is provided by 2 pairs of jaws: the upper ones are the mandibles, and the lower ones are the maxillae.

The elongated body of a centipede has the shape of an elongated cylinder and consists of many segments, each of which is provided with a pair or more legs (often 4 legs on the abdominal segments and 2 on the chest). Therefore, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of how many legs a centipede has. Their number can be 742 (this is the number of limbs recorded in Siphonophora millepeda from Puerto Rico), but usually much less - 10-400 pieces.

The number of legs in centipedes varies even within the same species and depends on the sex of the individual: females have more limbs.

Centipedes are almost blind, and most species can only distinguish between light and dark, while others have no eyes at all. But they have a good sense of smell and touch. The color usually varies from gray to brown. Often centipedes are decorated with dark stripes. There are tropical species of very bright colors.

How do centipedes live?

Different types of centipedes inhabit almost the entire Earth. Most often they can be found in forests of temperate and tropical latitudes. They can also live in meadows, steppes and even deserts near water sources. The exception is the regions with permafrost.

Centipedes require sufficient moisture to thrive and thrive. Unlike spiders and insects, they lack a waxy cuticle that retains water in the body. Therefore, centipedes prefer to hide on sunny days under stones, trees, construction debris and in other secluded corners.

Food

All centipedes are predators by nature. Although an experiment conducted in a laboratory showed that in the absence of food for a long time, they do not disdain plant food.

Whiskers play an important role in prey hunting. They detect the presence of insects, which are the main prey of small species. Centipedes inject poison into their prey. At the same time, for example, the giant centipede is not averse to feasting on frogs and sluggish birds. Hunting usually takes place at night. But centipedes themselves often become prey. When threatened, they prefer to flee or hide.

reproduction

In temperate regions, centipedes lay their eggs in spring and summer when temperatures are warm enough. In hot countries, this process continues year-round. A pregnant female digs a small hole in moist soil, where she lays from 10 to 50 small eggs, and then masks the place, lightly sprinkling it with earth.

The duration of embryonic development in different species varies greatly. It can take from 1 to several months. Stages of growth and their time, length of life also differ. Some species live up to 6 years, which is a significant indicator.

Some females, in particular skolopendra, are caring mothers, guarding the masonry and even young offspring.

Centipedes in the house: a frightening neighborhood

Millipedes often appear in the house. They come to a person's home in search of food: cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, moths. The need for moisture makes them settle in the underground, bathroom, on the basement floor. Centipedes can crawl out of their hiding place into other rooms to hunt.

A centipede bite is usually not dangerous. The exception is poisonous species living in regions with a warm climate. In conditions of temperate latitudes, individuals that are unable to bite through human skin live. Moreover, arthropods cannot be called aggressive creatures that attack people. On the contrary, very often when large animals, and even more so a person, appear, they rush to retreat.

But still, the inhabitants of the premises in which these creatures are wound up often begin to look for ways to get rid of the centipede at home. This is mainly due to disgust and disgust for creatures whose appearance can hardly be called attractive. Although some exotic lovers keep arthropods as pets.

What to do?

How to get rid of a house centipede that has become an uninvited guest? First of all, you need to inspect the ventilation shafts in the bathroom and toilet, as well as check the grates in the floor. These are the main routes of entry into arthropods. If necessary, you can install a mosquito net on them, and then periodically treat it with insecticides.

It is important to remember that the centipede does not live in dry rooms. Therefore, if a tap is leaking somewhere, then the malfunction must be fixed. She also needs a lot of food, and, most likely, there are many other pests in the house that need to be fought.

Insect control chemicals

There are no specific drugs for dealing with centipede. Against it, you can use universal insecticides:

• well-known "Dichlorvos";
• aerosol "Reid";
• gel against cockroaches "Great Warrior"
• "Medilis-Ziper" is a toxic, but very effective remedy.

But it is useless to use sticky traps - only a few paws will remain on them, which will be an insignificant loss for a centipede.

The only harm that the centipede brings in the house is the psychological discomfort from being next to it. To get rid of it, you need to fight other insects and high humidity; and also use special insecticides.

Systematics of the superclass Millipedes:

Class: Chilopoda Leach, 1814 =

Squad/Order: Craterostigmomorpha =

Order/Order: Geophilomorpha = Geophiles

Order/Order: Lithobiomorpha = Drupes

Squad/Order: Scolopendromorpha = Scolopendra

Order/Order: Scutigeromorpha Pocock, 1895 = Scutigers

Class: Diplopoda Blainville et Gervais, 1844 = Bipedal millipedes

Subclass: Chilognatha Latreille, 1802 =

Subclass: Penicillata =

Order/Order: Sphaerotherida =

Squad/Order: Spirostreptida =

Class: Pauropoda Lubbock, 1866 = Pauropods

Superorder/Superorder: Tetamerocerata =

Class: Symphyla Ryder, 1880 = Symphyla

Class Myriapoda includes about 10,000 species of exclusively terrestrial, sometimes quite large arthropods. The worm-like, elongated body of centipedes is divided into two sections: a fused head and an articulated body, which often consists of a significant number of segments equipped with limbs.
All centipedes are combined into 4 subclasses: symphyla ( Symphyla), pauropods ( PauropodaDiplopoda), and lipopods ( Chilopoda).
Structure and physiology. The body of centipedes consists of segments sharply separated from each other, the number of which varies widely: from 18 in symphyla (subc. Symphyla) and 14 in pauropods (subcl. Pauropoda) up to 181 in some ravines (subcl. Chilopoda).
The head of Myriapoda is clearly separated from the body. It includes akron and 4 merged with it (connection Symphyla and Chilopoda) or 3 (connected Pauropoda and Diplopoda) of the first segments of the body. In the second case, the last head segment remains free and is called "cervical". This structural feature of the head of a part of centipedes is rightly regarded as a primitive feature.
The head bears antennae and mouth limbs: the upper jaws are mandibles, or mandibles, and the lower jaws are maxillas, which, according to the number of segments included in the head, can be one or two pairs.
The antennae, or antennae, of centipedes correspond to the antennules (antennae I) of crayfish and belong to the akron. They are more or less long, thin, segmented and mostly unbranched. Apparently, they serve as organs not only of touch, but also of smell. The limbs corresponding to the antennae II of the crayfish and belonging to the first segment of the body are reduced in centipedes. But their segment, called intercalary, is present. Other head limbs are turned into mouth organs and are homologous to the corresponding mouth parts of crayfish. Their structure is not the same in different subclasses of centipedes. Representatives of subclasses Symphyla and Chilopoda the mouth is covered in front with a chitinous fold of integument - the upper lip; the latter in origin has nothing to do with the limbs. The mandibles, the limbs of the second segment, consist of two short chewing plates with a serrated inner edge. The first and second pairs of lower jaws (limbs of segments III and IV, respectively) in most representatives consist of a base on which a jointed jaw palp and undivided chewing lobes sit. Both the palp and lobes can be partially reduced.
Representatives of subclasses Pauropoda and Diplopoda behind the upper lip and a pair of powerful serrated mandibles there is only one unpaired plate - the gnathochilarium of a rather complex structure. The history of development shows that it is laid down in the form of a paired rudiment and corresponds to the first pair of lower jaws of balopods. The limbs of the cervical segment were reduced.
The head is followed for the most part by a uniformly built torso. However, strictly homonomous segmentation is expressed only in the most primitive forms. In the process of evolution, the nature of segmentation changes markedly. In some centipedes (a number of labiopods), part of the body segments is noticeably reduced in size. At the same time, the reduced and normal segments alternate quite correctly. A different picture is observed in representatives of the subclass Diplopoda, in which there is a pairwise fusion of most of the segments (except for the first four, including the "neck" segment). Each such double segment, respectively, carries not one, but two pairs of limbs.
Such deviations from the original primitive homonomy do not lead, however, to the subdivision of the body into tagmas. Only in kivsyaks the first trunk segments, bearing one pair of limbs each and thus differing from the others, together with the legless "neck" segment are sometimes designated as "thoracic", and the double segments following them - "abdominal".
The homogeneity of the body segments of millipedes also determines the similarity in the structure of their limbs, which have the form of simple walking legs, consisting of one row of segments and ending in a claw. There are few examples of their functional and morphological differentiation. Thus, in balopods, the transformation of the legs of the first trunk segment into mandibles, which play the main role in capturing and killing prey, is characteristic. This pair of legs greatly increases in size and has an extremely thickened basal segment, while the terminal segment is strongly pointed and hook-shaped. At the base of the limb lies a poisonous gland, the duct of which opens at the end of the hook. The secreted poison has a strong effect on arthropods and vertebrates. Finger bite by a large centipede ( Scolopendra) leads to temporary swelling of the entire arm. Some pairs of legs that take part in copulation change somewhat in structure and are called gonopodia.
The body is covered with a chitinous cuticle, sometimes impregnated with lime, secreted by a single layer of hypodermal epithelium. The latter is quite rich in unicellular and multicellular skin glands, among which the protective glands of the nodule are of particular interest. They are placed on the dorsal side of part of the trunk segments and open outwards with defensive holes from which the secret is squirted. In different species of the subclass Diplopoda, the secretion varies enormously in appearance and chemical properties. Yes, secret. Spirobolus eater and stains human skin in a dark color. Polyzonium rosalbum secretes a milky liquid that has the smell and burning taste of camphor. Tropical Fontarla contains free hydrocyanic acid in the glands and smells of bitter almonds.
Digestive system centipedes look like a straight tube; only in the region of the hindgut does the alimentary canal form a loop-like bend.
The mouth lies on the ventral side of the head between the mouth limbs and leads to the foregut, often called the esophagus. The salivary glands are associated with the initial part of the digestive system. Kivsyaki have three pairs of glands, which open independent ducts into the oral cavity and at the base of the gnatohilarium. In view of their formation from the mesoderm, these glands are considered modified coelomoducts. Labiapods have 3-5 pairs of salivary glands with independent ducts that open into the oral cavity or on the sides of the mouth. They seem to be of purely ectodermal origin, i.e., they represent modified skin glands. The salivary glands that open on the second pair of jaws are equated with the spinning glands of insect larvae, the openings of which are placed on the same pair of mouth limbs.
The midgut serves as a site for digestion and absorption of food. The hindgut is short.
Subclass representatives Diplopoda they are herbivores and feed mainly on rotting leaves, plant debris, wood dust, etc. The gobopods are predators that feed on insects.
excretory system. On the border between the middle and posterior intestines, 1 or 2 pairs flow into the intestines (the latter in Chilopoda) long blindly closed tubes at the free end - Malpighian vessels. Concretions of uric acid accumulate in the epithelium of the vessels and their lumen; the latter in centipedes, as well as in insects, is the main excretory product. In addition to the Malpighian vessels, other formations also play an excretory role, primarily the lymphatic glands in the form of irregular cell strands located either along the Malpighian vessels, or along the abdominal blood vessel, or along the abdominal nerve chain. They serve to capture and accumulate solid waste products and phagocytize solid particles injected into the body cavity (for example, ink powder or carmine). In addition, the fat body takes part in the excretion. The body cavity - the mixocoel - of centipedes is filled in many places with irregular strands and clusters of cells, and these clusters are limited by a thin shell of their own. The totality of such accumulations is called the fat body. Numerous drops of fat are observed in its cells, as well as concretions of uric acid. The fat body serves not only for the accumulation of reserve nutrient material, but also for excretion (uric acid).
Nervous system consists of the brain, peripharyngeal connectives and the ventral nerve cord. The brain has a rather complex histological structure, indicating that the head of centipedes is formed from segments that exceed the number of pairs of head appendages. In the brain, in addition to a pair of ganglia that send nerves to the antennae, there are also paired clusters of nerve cells that correspond to the intercalary (intercalary) segment.
The abdominal chain consists of the subpharyngeal ganglion located in the head, which innervates all the oral limbs, and of a long row of trunk ganglia, well isolated and sitting on a common paired longitudinal nerve trunk. Each segment usually has one paired ganglion. At Diplopoda such a device is observed only in the four anterior segments, while the others contain two ganglia located one after the other, which proves the complex composition of these segments.
Organs of touch and smell the antennae are littered with sensitive hairs, sensitive cones, etc. In addition, on the sides of the head, between the bases of the antennae and the eyes, there are two temesvar sensory organs (apparently, chemoreceptors). These are either horseshoe-shaped pits, at the bottom of which there are ridges of sensitive cells, or clusters of sensitive cells that are located under the integument of the head in the depths of long narrow channels. Temesvarovy organs are innervated from the brain. The vast majority of centipedes are equipped with eyes, there may be 2, 4 or many. The eyes sit on the sides of the head and are in the nature of single, simply arranged ocelli. Flycatchers only ( Scutigera) on the head are two large clusters of eyes, so closely spaced that they touch each other and resemble the complex faceted eyes of insects. The visual abilities of centipedes are small. Centipedes prefer shaded areas.
Respiratory system represented by tracheas - thin air tubes of ectodermal origin, arising as deep protrusions of the integument. The walls of the trachea are lined with a continuation of the outer cuticle, which forms a spiral thickening along the entire length of the tracheal tube, preventing the trachea from collapsing. The tracheae begin with paired spiracles, or stigmas, lying on the ventral side of the trunk segments. As the initial form of the tracheal system, one should be considered in which each trunk segment bears a pair of stigmas, and each stigma leads to a separate bundle of thin tracheal tubes. The closest thing to this scheme is the subclass Diplopoda, in whose representatives almost all trunk segments are equipped with paired bundles of unbranched tracheae independent of each other. In connection with the double nature of the trunk segments, the latter bear not 1, but 2 pairs of spiracles. In most subclass species Chilopoda stigmas are located on the body through a segment, and in some forms (for example, Scutigera) the animal has only 7 pairs of stigmas, but the tracheal network itself is much more complex in baloney. The tracheae of some of them strongly branch, and between the tracheal bundles of adjacent segments and the same segment (right and left), messages are established in the form of longitudinal and transverse bridges. The terminal branches of the trachea of ​​centipedes braid all the internal organs. The change of air in the trachea occurs due to a change in the volume of the body during contraction and relaxation of the muscles.
Circulatory system quite well developed, in addition to the heart there is a system of peripheral blood vessels. The heart in the form of a delicate transparent tube stretches over the intestine along the entire body and closes blindly behind or continues into two short vessels lost in the muscles. The heart is divided into chambers according to the segments: each chamber has two ostia. Subclass Diplopoda, where the segments are double, awns are two pairs per segment. The heart continues into the head aorta, heading to the brain. In blanipods, the circulatory system is complex: the aorta gives off on its way to the brain an arterial ring that goes around the intestine and flows into the abdominal longitudinal vessel lying above the abdominal nerve chain. In addition, 2 lateral arteries depart from each chamber of the heart. The heart is suspended from the walls of the body with the help of special pterygoid muscles. Vessels departing from the heart branch more or less richly, but then break off, and the hemolymph enters the lacunae of the mixocoel, i.e., into the spaces between the organs. From the lacunae, it enters the pericardial region of the body cavity and from there again to the heart. The heart drives the hemolymph from the posterior end to the anterior, in the abdominal vessel it moves in the opposite direction.
Sexual system. All centipedes have separate sexes. The gonads only in rare cases retain (some pauropods) an originally paired character and usually merge into an unpaired formation of a different type. So, the testis, for example, has the form of a massive formation with lobes along the edge or a long thin tube, or consists of 11-12 pairs of small lobules connected by a common genital duct. The oviduct and vas deferens in the initial part of the nodule are unpaired ducts. Heading forward, they bifurcate and open outward on the ventral side of the second (not counting the cervical) trunk segment. The genital opening of symphyla and pauropods is located on the same segment.
The representatives of the subclass Chilopoda the genital duct is unpaired in the initial part, it can form two branches, which then necessarily merge. The genital opening is located on the penultimate segment of the body.
A number of additional formations are associated with the reproductive system of centipedes. So, long sac-like seminal vesicles often flow into the vas deferens. The female reproductive system may be equipped with seminal receptacles. Often special adnexal glands develop.
The methods of fertilization of centipedes are varied. In a simpler case, the male hangs a drop of seminal fluid or a real spermatophore on the web allocated by him, which are later picked up by the female. Sometimes copulation occurs, and the seminal fluid in this case is introduced into the genital opening of the female by the limbs of the male (most often specialized limbs - gonopodia) serve for this.
Development. The eggs of centipedes are large and rich in yolk, which is why they experience partial, superficial crushing. Postembryonic development Myriapoda can proceed in two slightly different ways,
The first type, or real direct development, is found in some representatives of the subclass Chilopoda (Geophilus, Scolopendra): a young animal hatches from an egg, having a full number of trunk segments and limbs, that is, it is quite similar to the mother's organism. The second type, or development with anamorphosis, is found in other bats and bipedals. In this case, the animal hatches with an incomplete number of trunk segments, which are replenished with a number of molts. With each molt, to the existing segments, segments are added behind the last formed segment, following it in order. Their formation is due to the growth zone, which lies directly in front of the telson (ie, in the same place as in the larvae of crayfish). Juveniles of anamorphic species subcl. Chilopoda hatches with 12 pairs of trunk limbs, juveniles concl. Diplopoda- with only 3 front pairs of walking legs, followed by several legless segments. This six-legged stage resembles the larvae of many insects when they are still devoid of wing rudiments.
Ecology. Centipedes are predominantly nocturnal, animals avoiding daylight, hiding under bark, stones, etc. Nods are very clumsy and slow, while grasshoppers, on the contrary, are dexterous and are distinguished by their speed of movement.
Many centipedes show concern for offspring. They either lay their eggs in special nests made of earth or other material, or curl up in a spiral around a laid heap of eggs and remain in this position for several weeks, without eating, until the juveniles hatch.
In the north, the variety of centipedes is small. In the south - in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, the number of their species is increasing. The largest centipedes and kivsyaki - up to 28 cm long and a finger thick - are found only under the tropics. The smallest centipedes are only 1-3 mm long. All centipedes, except conn. Chilopoda are completely harmless. Bites from large bats, e.g. Scolopendra may be painful.
Classification. Millipedes are divided into 4 subclasses (sometimes they are given the value of independent classes): symphylls ( Symphyla), pauropods ( Pauropoda), bipedal, or nodding ( Diplopoda), and lipopods ( Chilopoda).

Literature: A. Dogel. Zoology of invertebrates. Edition 7, revised and enlarged. Moscow "High School", 1981

Structural features

In the second case, centipedes are not recognized as a single, monophyletic group and are distributed among two groups of non-whiskers - Monomalata, in which the blanipods and Collifera, and Dimalata, in which symphylum and insects are placed.

Centipede classification

According to the centipede monophyly hypothesis, the four classes are grouped as follows. The lipopods stand somewhat apart from the other three classes that form the group Progoneata. All Progoneata are characterized by a number of specialized structural features (synapomorphies) that are unique to them. For example, the genital ducts open near the anterior end of the body; during the development of the embryo, the yolk is not in the intestine, but in the body cavity (later, cells rich in yolk form a fat body).

Within Progoneata distinct monophyletic group Collifera, including pauropods and bipedals. A number of synapomorphies speak in favor of her monophyly: there are only two pairs of mouth limbs (mandibles and gnathochilaria, which is a product of the fusion of the first pair of maxillae); segment of the second pair of maxillae, unlike other centipedes, does not bear limbs and is not part of the head, forming neck(lat. collum); genital openings are paired and located behind the second pair of walking legs; larvae of the first instar have only three pairs of legs (one per segment), further development proceeds with an increase in the number of segments that develop from the growth zone located behind the three segments of the larva.

• Progoneata:
  • Symphyla
  • Collifera:

Notes

Literature

• Kluge N. Yu. (2000). Modern taxonomy of insects. Principles of taxonomy of living organisms and the general system of insects with the classification of primary wingless and ancient winged ones. St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Lan". - 336 p.
• Kuznetsov N. Ya. (1951). "Class centipedes (Myriopoda)" Guide to Zoology. T. 3, part 2. M.: Soviet Science. pp. 124-166.
• Barnes, R. D. (1968). Invertebrate Zoology. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. 743p.
• Life of animals. Encyclopedia in six volumes. Volume 3. (The volume is devoted to land arthropods). General edition of Professor L. A. Zenkevich, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. - Moscow: Education, 1969. - 576 p.

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

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See what "Centipedes" is in other dictionaries:

- (Myriapoda), the common name for 4 classes of the tracheal-breathing subtype: labiopods, bipedals, symphylls and pauropods. Unlike insects, M.'s body consists of a head and a long, segmented, poorly differentiated (no real thoracic region) ... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Modern Encyclopedia

Common name for 4 classes of terrestrial arthropods: labiopods, bipedals, symphylls, and pauropods. The body is long, segmented (the number of segments, or segments, from 11 in pauropods to 177 in some balones), on almost all segments there are 1 or 2 pairs ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Myriapoda) a class of articular or arthropods (Arthropoda), tracheal-breathing articular-legs with a separate head and a body consisting of numerous, more or less identical segments, with one pair of ties (antennas), three pairs ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

CENTIPEDES- MILLIPEDES, Myriapoda, phylum class of arthropods (Arthropoda); the body consists of monotonous segments, each of which bears a pair or two pairs of dissected legs; head well separated; it has a pair of ties and mouth organs, consisting of ... ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

Centipedes- CENTIPEDES, invertebrate animals such as arthropods. Length from 1 mm to 30 cm. Over 53 thousand species, widely distributed. The body consists of a significant number of segments (up to 177), almost each of which has 1 or 2 pairs of limbs (hence ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

CENTIPEDES- (Myriapoda) - a class that unites terrestrial arthropods with a body that is clearly divided into only 2 sections - a head and a more or less strongly elongated body, almost all of which are equipped with limbs. For everyone ... ... Insect life

Mn. A class of arthropods that have many pairs of legs, legs; centipedes, many-legged. Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova