millipede it is a animal invertebrate belonging to the phylum Arthropoda which has a cylindrical or slightly elongated body and two pairs of legs per segment. The millipedes belong to the class Diplopoda, which is estimated to have about 80,000 species, found in various parts of the world, being more abundant in the tropics.
Due to the large number of legs they have, millipedes also are known as millipedes. It is worth mentioning that the name millipede is a popular name, so there are variations depending on the place.
In some regions of Brazil, for example, the name millipede is given to another animal, known in other areas of the country as centipede, belonging to the Chilopoda class. In this text, we will use the term millipede exclusively to address Diplopoda class animals.
Read too: Centipedes — the classification of centipedes as an arthropod
Synopsis of millipedes
Millipedes are animals of the Diplopoda class.
They have an elongated, cylindrical or slightly flattened body and two pairs of legs per segment.
They vary greatly in size, with some species reaching 30 cm in length.
They are terrestrial animals, usually found under leaves, tree bark and trunks.
Most mildew lice have herbivorous nutrition.
Mildew lice are harmless to humans.
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What is a millipede?
Despite its name, the millipede has nothing to do with snakes. These animals, also known as embuas and gongolos, they are arthropods of the Diplopoda class, that is, they are millipedes.
They are characterized by having a cylindrical or slightly flattened body, segmented and with two pairs of legs per segment (double segments or diplosomites).The first segment of a millipede's body is called the neck and has no legs, while the next three have only one pair of legs each and are called monosomites.
In this regard, it is important to emphasize that some authors consider that this animal has a body divided into head and trunk. Other authors, however, state that millipedes have a head, thorax and abdomen.
Concerning the heads of these animals, she:
it is dorsally convex and ventrally flattened;
it has a pair of antennae and a pair of eyes, when present.
millipedes vary greatly in size,with some species having a few millimeters and others having more than 30 cm in length. The largest millipedes are part of the Spirostreptidae family.
As for coloring,
most species are black with shades of brown;
certain part of the species is red or orange;
another part of the species is spotted or spotted.
living generally in ground, mildew lice are animals that avoid light, taking shelter under rocks, leaves, tree bark and stumps. Some species are also found in caves. Occur in all continents, with the exception of antarctica.
Just like the earthworms, mildew lice are important to the soil dynamics, since they promote the mixture of organic matter and mineral salts present in it; break up litter, thereby stimulating microbial activity; and, as they move, they change the porosity, transport of substances and soil moisture.
These animals have a slow movement, which makes it impossible for them to escape quickly from predators. Its locomotion is by wavy movements of the legs. Millet lice are known for curling their body when they feel threatened, assuming a curled up position. In addition, to ensure their protection, release quinones and other pigmenting and irritating substances.
See too: Crustaceans — arthropodss important for aquatic biodiversity
mildew louse feeding
Most millipedes are herbivorous, generally feeding on decaying vegetables. Few species have a diet carnivorous or omnivorous. Some species of millipedes can damage seeds in germination and damage crops.
Does millipede have venom?
The animal mildew lice harmless to humans. However, in a quick search on the internet it is possible to find pictures of people with spots on their skin that look like serious injuries caused by these animals.
In fact, mildew lice are responsible for cause a false bruise, which does not cause pain or swelling, but a color that resembles necrosis. The strange coloring on the skin is caused by contact with a substance called benzoquinone.
When stepping on this animal, for example, this substance can penetrate the human skin and cause the purple color that takes days to wear off. The resulting characteristic of the skin in contact with the substance released by the millipede may confuse physicians if the patient does not refer to this animal.
Video lesson on arthropods
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher
