Millipede

A myriapod in the class Diplopoda, typically with two pairs of legs on most trunk segments. Millipedes are detritivores that feed mainly on decaying plant matter.

Diplosegment: A millipede body unit formed from the fusion of two embryonic trunk segments and usually bearing two pairs of legs. This distinctive fused unit gives most millipede trunk segments their paired leg arrangement.
Diplopoda: The arthropod class comprising millipedes, characterized by a trunk with paired leg-bearing segments. Millipedes are the living members of this class.
Decomposition: The breakdown of dead organic matter into simpler substances by physical, chemical, and biological processes. Millipedes fragment leaf litter, making it more available to microbes.
Pneumodesmus newmani: An extinct millipede-like arthropod from the Silurian period, known from fossils in Scotland. Its fossils have been cited as evidence for very early air-breathing land animals.
Illacme plenipes: A rare Californian millipede species known for having an exceptionally high number of legs. Its unusually numerous legs illustrate how far millipede segment counts can vary.
Ecdysis: The periodic shedding of an arthropod's old exoskeleton as it grows. A millipede must molt to add body segments and increase in size.
Myriapoda: An arthropod group that includes millipedes, centipedes, and several smaller lineages. This broader group contains millipedes and their close relatives.
Soil food web: The network of feeding relationships among organisms living in soil and leaf litter. Millipedes connect plant litter to predators and decomposer microbes.
Arthropleura: An extinct genus of giant millipede-like arthropods that lived during the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Its size shows how large some ancient diplopod relatives became.
Motyxia: A genus of Californian millipedes that can produce light through bioluminescence. These species combine millipede chemical defense with a conspicuous warning signal.

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