Myriapods fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are myriapods?

Myriapods include centipedes and millipedes as well as some lesser known species such as symphyla. Myriapods have bodies made up of multiple segments, most having pairs of legs. The group contains over 13,000 species, all of which are terrestrial. Centipedes belong to the class Chilopoda and millipedes, Diplopoda.

Centipedes have segmented flattish bodies with one pair of legs per segment. They can regenerate lost legs during their moulting stages.

Millipedes have segmented round bodies. They have two pairs of legs per segment. Most millipedes eat dead or decaying plants.

All myriapods belong to a larger groups of animals called arthropods. This means they have a segmented body covered in an exoskeleton and pairs of jointed limbs.

There are over one million known arthropod species. Arthropods include insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans.

Case study – centipede

Appearance

Centipedes are one of the largest terrestrial carnivorous invertebrates with some species reaching 30 centimetres in length. They are characterised by having one pair of legs per body segment. The last pair of legs, often brightly coloured, is used for grasping prey.

The fossil record of centipedes dates back 430 million years.

Habitat

Centipedes are found under rocks and rotting logs, in leaf litter and inside old logs. They rapidly slide under the leaf litter if exposed.

Centipedes have very streamlined, flat bodies allowing them to move swiftly through leaf litter.

Centipedes move rapidly and quickly hide if uncovered.

Diet and role in the ecosystem

Invertebrates make up the majority of a centipede's diet. Some larger species have been known to eat reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds.

Centipedes are an important part of the food chain and control other invertebrate populations. They are food for other animals such as birds, reptiles and small mammals.

Leaf litter invertebrates such as pill bugs, insects, spiders and slaters are prey for centipedes.

Centipede anatomy

Head

A centipede's head is flat and is covered in a shield. Centipedes are often blind or have just simple eyes. They have venom claws just inside their mouth on the underside of the head.

A single pair of antennae are important sense organs used to smell and feel the surrounding environment.

Trunk

The trunk of a centipede has 15 to 200 segments. The segments on the trunk each have one pair of jointed legs. The number of legs varies between each species from 10 to 300 pairs.

The last pair of legs on a centipede is often brightly coloured and is used to grasp prey.

Centipedes have a head with antennae and a segmented trunk. There is one pair of legs on each segment of the trunk.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Crustaceans fact sheet – pill bugs and slaters that often share log and leaf-litter habitats and can be prey for centipedes.
• Arachnids fact sheet – spiders and other predators in the same leaf-litter and log ecosystems.
• Annelids fact sheet – earthworms and other segmented worms living in soil and leaf litter.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitat fact sheet
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet

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