Parajulidae

Bollman, 1893

Parajulid Millipedes

Parajulidae is a of in the Julida, distinguished by male genital : males possess greatly enlarged first pairs of legs and externally exposed . The family occurs predominantly in North America with extensions into Central America and East Asia, representing one of the most widely distributed millipede families in the Western Hemisphere. The Oriulus venustus alone covers three-fourths of the continental United States and adjacent southern Canada, making it the most broadly distributed North known.

Parajulidae by (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Don Loarie. Used under a CC-BY license.

Ptyoiulus impressus by (c) Derek Hennen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Derek Hennen. Used under a CC-BY license.

Uroblaniulus by (c) Derek Hennen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Derek Hennen. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Parajulidae: //ˌpærəˈdʒuːlɪdiː//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Males are distinguished from the related Julidae by two characters: greatly enlarged first pairs of legs (versus small, hook-shaped first legs in Julidae) and externally exposed (versus gonopods concealed internally in Julidae). These traits are visible externally and do not require dissection. The family is otherwise morphologically diverse, with nine recognized groups across at least four established .

Images

Distribution

North America from Alaska through the continental United States and adjacent Canadian provinces, south to Guatemala and El Salvador. The also occurs in East Asia including Japan. The southernmost record for the Julida in the Western Hemisphere is El Salvador. The Baja California Peninsula represents a newly documented region for the family.

Similar Taxa

JulidaeJulidae is the primarily Eurasian counterpart ; males have small hook-shaped first legs and internally concealed , versus enlarged first legs and external gonopods in Parajulidae.

More Details

Taxonomic instability

Most are currently retained in the "Parajulus" pending further revision, as many lack formally assigned generic placements. Four genera have available names: Parajulus, Thriniulus, Mexicoiulus, and Pheniulus, but only the species of each are definitively placed.

Notable species

Oriulus venustus (synonymized under multiple former names including Parajulus rugosus and several Chamberlin ) has the greatest distribution of any known North .