Myriapoda
Guides
Akamptogonus
A genus of flat-backed millipedes in the family Paradoxosomatidae, containing approximately 11 described species. The genus was established by Attems in 1914. Species occur across parts of Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding regions. As members of the Polydesmida, they possess a flattened body form with lateral extensions (paranota) on each body segment.
Arctogeophilus
Arctogeophilus is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Geophilidae, comprising fourteen species distributed across subarctic and temperate regions of Asia, North America, and western Europe. First described as a subgenus by Carl Attems in 1909 and elevated to genus rank by Henri Ribaut in 1910, its name references the northern distribution toward Ursa Major. Species range from 11 mm to 50 mm in length and possess 35 to 69 pairs of legs.
centipedesoil-dwellingsubarctictemperateGeophilidaeGeophilomorphaChilopodaMyriapodaArthropodanorthern-distributionelongate-headforcipule-denticlesvariable-leg-number14-speciesAttems-1909Ribaut-1910AsiaNorth-AmericaEuropephylogenetic-sister-to-AlloschizotaeniaPachymeriumSchendyloidescarpophagus-absentultimate-legs-longer-than-penultimatescattered-pores-on-ultimate-legs11-50-mm-length35-69-leg-pairsA.-sachalinus-smallA.-wolfi-smallA.-melanonotus-largeA.-macrocephalus-fewest-legsA.-atopus-most-legsA.-glacialis-phylogenetic-representativeArctogeophilus-atopusArctogeophilus-attemsiArctogeophilus-corvallisArctogeophilus-fulvusArctogeophilus-glacialisArctogeophilus-inopinatusArctogeophilus-insularisArctogeophilus-macrocephalusArctogeophilus-melanonotusArctogeophilus-quadratusArctogeophilus-sachalinusArctogeophilus-shelfordiArctogeophilus-umbraticusArctogeophilus-wolfiArthrorhabdus pygmaeus
Arthrorhabdus pygmaeus is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae, first described by Pocock in 1895. It is a small scolopendrid centipede with a distribution spanning the southern United States and Mexico. The species belongs to a genus characterized by distinctive morphological features, though detailed ecological and behavioral studies remain limited.
Boraria deturkiana
Boraria deturkiana is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidaedescribed by Causey in 1942. The genus Boraria is part of the tribe Rhysodesmini within the subfamily Rhysodesminae. Like other members of the order Polydesmida, this species possesses laterally expanded dorsal segments (paranota) that give it a flattened appearance. The taxonomic status of this species has been debated, with some sources treating it as a synonym of Howellaria deturkiana.
Boraria infesta
Boraria infesta is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, native to southeastern North America. It belongs to a group of polydesmidan millipedes that produce hydrogen cyanide as a chemical defense and display aposematic coloration warning predators of their toxicity. The species is part of a genus closely related to other cyanide-producing millipedes including Apheloria and Pleuroloma.
Boraria stricta
Boraria stricta is a flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, characterized by its dorsoventrally flattened body form typical of the order Polydesmida. The species is native to North America and belongs to a genus known for aposematic coloration warning of chemical defenses. Like other xystodesmid millipedes, it possesses paranota—lateral extensions of body segments that contribute to its flattened appearance.
Californiulus chamberlini
Californiulus chamberlini is a species of millipede in the family Paeromopodidae, native to western North America. It is one of several species within the genus Californiulus, which is endemic to California and adjacent regions. Like other members of its family, it possesses the elongated, cylindrical body form typical of juliform millipedes. The species was described by Brölemann in 1922.
Dicellarius lamprus
Dicellarius lamprus is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae. It was described by Chamberlin in 1918 and is found in North America. The species belongs to a genus of xystodesmid millipedes characterized by their flattened body form.
Diplopoda
millipedes
Millipedes (Diplopoda) are a class of myriapod arthropods characterized by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments, a result of segmental fusion during their evolutionary history over 400 million years ago. They are primarily detritivores that play critical roles in ecosystem nutrient cycling through decomposition of organic matter. The class contains approximately 12,000 described species across 16 extant orders, with body forms ranging from elongated cylindrical forms to short, pill-like species capable of conglobation (rolling into a defensive ball).
Ptyoiulus impressus
Flocculent Tailed Millipede
Ptyoiulus impressus is a species of millipede in the family Parajulidae, commonly known as the Flocculent Tailed Millipede. It was described by Thomas Say in 1821 and is found in North America. The species belongs to the order Julida, which contains many common cylindrical millipedes. As a member of the Ptyoiulinae subfamily, it shares characteristics with other Parajulidae including relatively elongated bodies and typical juliform morphology.
Scutigerella
garden symphylans, garden centipedes (misapplied)
Scutigerella is a genus of symphylans (class Symphyla) established by John A. Ryder in 1882, with S. immaculata as the type species. It is the second-largest genus in the family Scutigerellidae, comprising at least 35 extant species plus two fossil species preserved in amber. Species range from 3.5 to 9 mm in length and are characterized by a heart-shaped head with spiracles on the anterior surface, 20–50 segmented antennae, 15 tergites with notched posterior margins, and 12 pairs of legs. The genus has a subcosmopolitan distribution centered in northern temperate zones, with introduced populations in Australasia and Oceania.
Sigmoria aequalis
Sigmoria aequalis is a species of flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, described by Shelley in 1981. It belongs to the order Polydesmida, a large and diverse group of millipedes characterized by their flattened body form. The genus Sigmoria is part of the tribe Apheloriini within the subfamily Rhysodesminae, a predominantly North American lineage of xystodesmid millipedes.
Siphonorhinidae
Siphonorhinidae is a family of millipedes in the order Siphonophorida, characterized by super-elongated trunks with more than 180 diplosegments and leg counts exceeding 710 in some species. The family includes the leggiest animal on Earth, Illacme plenipes, with females possessing up to 750 legs. Members are small, threadlike, slow-moving, unpigmented, and inhabit deep soil microhabitats. The family exhibits a fragmentary, disjunct distribution across California, southern Africa, Madagascar, the Malay Archipelago, Indo-Burma, and now Chile. Siphonorhinidae is represented in the Western Hemisphere solely by the genus Illacme in California and the newly described genus Notorhinus in Chile.
Zygona
Zygona is a genus of soil-dwelling centipedes in the family Geophilidae, first described by Chamberlin in 1960. Members of this genus are elongate, multi-legged arthropods characteristic of the order Geophilomorpha. The genus is poorly documented in scientific literature, with minimal published information on its species composition or biology. A single observation exists on iNaturalist, suggesting it is rarely encountered or underreported.