Siphonophorida

Siphonophorida (Greek for "tube bearer") is an order of millipedes containing two families and over 100 species. This order includes the millipede with the most legs, Illacme plenipes.[1]

Not to be confused with Siphonophora.
For the cnidarian group formerly called "Siphonophorida", see Leptolinae.

Siphonophorida
Temporal range: Cenomanian–Present
Illacme plenipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Diplopoda
Subclass:
Chilognatha
Infraclass:
Helminthomorpha
Order:
Siphonophorida

Newport, 1844
Families

Siphonophoridae
Siphonorhinidae

Synonyms

Californizoniinae Verhoeff, 1941

Description

Millipedes in the order Siphonophorida are long and worm-like, reaching up to 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in length and up to 190 body segments. Eyes are absent, and in many species the head is elongated into a long beak, with mandibles highly reduced. The beak may serve in a suctorial function. The body has a dense covering of fine setae. Each body segment consists of a dorsal tergite, two lateral pleurites, and ventral sternite, which are unfused. The male reproductive appendages (gonopods) are simple and leg-like, consisting of the ninth and 10th leg pairs. This lack of specialization has led to Siphonophorida being called a "taxonomist's nightmare",[1] and Jeekel (cited in[1]) jokingly gave the order the "taxonomists' award for least popular group among diplopods".[2]

Distribution

Siphonophorida occurs from southwestern USA to Brazil and Peru in the western hemisphere, as well as South Africa, India, southeast Asia and Australia.[3] The oldest fossil of the group is from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber, assignable to the extant genus Siphonophora.[4]

Classification

Two families are traditionally recognized. Differences between the two families include antennae and head structure: the large family Siphonophoridae, with over 100 species, has elongate beak-like mouthparts, and straight antennae with sensory pits on the fifth and sixth antennal segments ("antennomeres)". The family Siphonorhinidae, with only around 10 species, lacks the beak-like mouthparts, and has elbowed antennae lacking sensory pits on the fifth and sixth antennomere. The siphonorhinid genus Nematozonium with two species, is sometimes placed in its own monotypic family, Nematozoniidae.[1]

Family Siphonophoridae Newport, 1844

Head of Siphonophora barberi from Central America, showing large antennae and tubular "beak"
Columbianum major, Brazil
  • Balizonium
  • Columbianum
  • Gonatotrichus
  • Linozonium
  • Lomboknium
  • Okeanozonium
  • Pterozonium
  • Rhinosiphora
  • Siphonacme
  • Siphonophora

Family Siphonorhinidae Cook, 1895

  • Illacme
  • Kleruchus
  • Nematozonium
  • Siphonorhinus

References
  1. Read, H. J., & Enghoff, H. (2009). "The order Siphonophorida– A taxonomist's nightmare? Lessons from a Brazilian collection" (PDF). Soil Organisms. 81: 543–556.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. "Diagnostic features of Millipede Orders" (PDF). Milli-PEET Identification Tables. The Field Museum, Chicago. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  3. "Geographic distribution of Millipede Families" (PDF). Milli-PEET Identification Tables. The Field Museum, Chicago. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. Jiang, Xuankong; Shear, William A.; Hennen, Derek A.; Chen, Huiming; Xie, Zhicai (May 2019). "One hundred million years of stasis: Siphonophora hui sp. nov., the first Mesozoic sucking millipede (Diplopoda: Siphonophorida) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber". Cretaceous Research. 97: 34–39. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.01.011.
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