Decapauropus
Remy, 1931
Species Guides
1Decapauropus is a large of pauropods comprising over 300 in the Pauropodidae. The genus was established by Paul Remy in 1931 and is distinguished by females that may possess ten pairs of legs rather than the typical nine pairs found in most pauropods of the order Tetramerocerata. This unusual trait occurs in a minority of females in certain species and appears linked to environmental conditions and possibly parthenogenetic . The genus has a subcosmopolitan distribution with several widespread species.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Decapauropus: /ˌdɛkəˈpɔːrəpəs/
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Identification
Decapauropus can be distinguished from the related Allopauropus by two characters: (1) the pygidial sternum bears two pairs of setae (versus three pairs in Allopauropus), and (2) in the subadult (fourth) post-embryonic stage, the pygidial has one pair of setae (versus two pairs in Allopauropus). Both genera share the leg segmentation pattern of five segments in the first and last leg pairs and six segments in the intermediate pairs. females with ten leg pairs (rather than nine) occur in some but represent a minority of individuals.
Habitat
in this occupy diverse environments across their subcosmopolitan range. Females with ten leg pairs are more common in less hospitable environments and rare in warm, moist regions with favorable conditions. Geographic variation in the frequency of ten-legged females suggests local to environmental stress.
Distribution
Subcosmopolitan. Documented from Europe, North Africa, the Mascarene Islands, the United States, South Asia, Sri Lanka, Iraq, the Canary Islands, Israel, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland. Individual vary in range: D. cuenoti occurs in Europe, North Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and the United States; D. gracilis in Europe, Africa, South Asia, and the Americas; D. vulgaris in Europe, Africa, Sri Lanka, and North America; D. productus around the Mediterranean, Iraq, and the United States.
Life Cycle
Post-embryonic development includes five stages in most individuals. Some females undergo an additional stage beyond these five, acquiring a tenth pair of legs while retaining the twelve trunk segments typical of adults. This extra stage is rare in favorable environments but more common where conditions are less hospitable.
Similar Taxa
- AllopauropusAllopauropus shares the leg segmentation pattern (five-segmented first and last leg pairs, six-segmented intermediate pairs) but differs in having three pairs of setae on the pygidial sternum (versus two in Decapauropus) and two pairs of setae on the pygidial in the subadult stage (versus one pair in Decapauropus). Decapauropus was treated as a subgenus of Allopauropus from 1957 to 2008.
Misconceptions
The name Decapauropus (meaning 'ten-footed') does not apply to all or even most individuals. Only a minority of females in certain possess ten leg pairs; most , including most females of these species, have the typical nine leg pairs. The presence of ten leg pairs was unknown before 1931 and led to the genus's establishment.
More Details
Taxonomic history
Described as a by Paul Remy in 1931, demoted to a subgenus of Allopauropus by Remy in 1957, and restored to full generic status by Ulf Scheller in 2008.
Sex ratios and reproduction
Several (D. cuenoti, D. gracilis, D. productus, D. vulgaris) exhibit remarkably low male-to-female ratios, with males entirely absent in some regions. This pattern suggests parthenogenetic , particularly where environmental conditions are unfavorable. The extra stage producing ten-legged females may be an to parthenogenetic reproduction.
Geographic variation in ten-legged females
In D. cuenoti, 47% of females have ten leg pairs in northern Europe (where males are absent), versus 9.6% in central Europe, 4.5% in North Africa, and none in southern Europe. In D. vulgaris, such females are absent in southern Europe and North Africa and represent less than 1% in northern and central Europe. In D. gracilis, they represent 3–10% across northern Europe to North Africa.