Myriapoda
Chilopoda - Centipedes
Diplopoda - Millipedes
Pauropoda - Pauropods
Symphyla - Symphylans
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Four groups of arthropods—the
centipedes,
millipedes,
pauropods, and
symphylans—share a number of common features such as a similar body plan consisting of a head followed by an elongate trunk with many legs. The four groups also exhibit marked differences.
Traditionally the myriapods have been considered close relatives of the
insects and other
Hexapoda, and united with them in the Subphylum
Uniramia, among which the Myriapoda were treated as a class or
superclass. Their status was questioned by some biologists (e.g. Barnes, 1968), and in particular it was considered likely that they were
paraphyletic to the hexapods. However genetic studies support their monophyly, and suggest they may not be close relatives of the hexapods, instead belonging near the
Chelicerata. This view is reflected by treating them as a separate subphylum within the Arthropoda.
Reference
- Barnes, R.D. 1968. Invertebrate Zoology. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. 743 p.
