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Plutoniumidae
Plutoniumidae is a family of centipedes belonging to the order Scolopendromorpha. Centipedes in this family are blind and have 21 pairs of legs. Genera: * ''Plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...'' Cavanna, 1881 * '' Theatops'' Newport, 1844 References {{Taxonbar, from=Q21055416 Centipedes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centipedes
Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals. Centipedes are elongated segmented ( metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful bites, injecting their venom through pincer-like appendages known as forcipules. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs, ranging from 30 to 382. Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs; no centipede has exactly 100. Like spiders and scorpions, centipedes are predominantly carnivorous. Their size ranges from a few millimetres in the smaller lithobiomorphs and geophilomorphs to about in the largest scolopendromorphs. Centipedes can be found in a wide variety of environments. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scolopendromorpha
The centipedes or Chilopoda are divided into the following orders. Scutigeromorpha The Scutigeromorpha are anamorphic, reaching 15 leg-bearing segments in length. Also known as house centipedes, they are very fast creatures, and able to withstand falling at great speed: they reach up to 15 body lengths per second when dropped, surviving the fall. They are the only centipede group to retain their original compound eyes, within which a crystalline layer analogous to that seen in chelicerates and insects can be observed. They also bear long and multi-segmented antennae. Adaptation to a burrowing lifestyle has led to the degeneration of compound eyes in other orders; this feature is of great use in phylogenetic analysis. The group is the sole extant representative of the Notostigmophora, defined by having a single spiracle opening at the posterior of each dorsal plate. The more derived groups bear a plurality of spiracular openings on their sides, and are termed the Pleurostigmopho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plutonium (centipede)
''Plutonium zwierleini'', in the monotypic genus ''Plutonium'', is one of the largest scolopendromorph centipedes in Europe, and one of the few potentially harmful to humans. Nevertheless, it has been rarely reported, only from the southern part of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, Sardinia and Sicily. Morphology The body is mainly brown-orange, slightly darker on the head and the most posterior part of the body, including the ultimate pair of appendages. Conversely, the antennae and the walking legs are paler. The body length may surpasses 12 cm, which is the maximum measured from the anterior margin of the head to the posterior tip of the trunk, among the few specimens collected. Even higher measures have been reported in the past. ''P. zwierleini'' is fully blind, without trace of eyes. As in all other centipedes, the first appendages of the trunk are a pair of piercing fangs, which are used to grasp and poison prey. Two denticulate plates project forwards between t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
