Callipodida is an
order of
millipede
Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...
s containing around 130
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, many characterized by crests or ridges.
Description
Callipodida are long and narrow millipedes, up to in length with 40-60 body segments. A dorsal groove is present running down the mid-line of the body, and many species are ornamented with longitudinal crests or ridges.
Sexually mature males possess a single pair of
gonopods
Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and milli ...
, consisting of the modified anterior leg pair of the 7th body segment, and carried concealed within a pouch.
Distribution
Callipodida occurs in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
west Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
,
southern China
South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
.
Classification
The living (
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
) Callipodida are classified into three suborders, seven families, and approximately 130 species.
The genus ''
Sinocallipus'', which constitutes the suborder Sinocallipodidea, is thought to be the most primitive, and a sister group to all
other callipodans.
A fourth, extinct, suborder was described in 2019 to accommodate ''
Burmanopetalum inexpectatum'', a 99 million-year-old specimen found in
Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
.
;Suborder Callipodidea
*
Callipodidae
;Suborder Schizopetalidea
*
Abacionidae
*
Caspiopetalidae
*
Dorypetalidae
*
Paracortinidae
Paracortinidae is a family of millipedes in the order Callipodida. It is currently made up of two genera and about 12 species; however, genetic studies are needed to properly determine the structure of the family. The members of the family are f ...
*
Schizopetalidae
;Suborder Sinocallipodidea
*
Sinocallipodidae
;Suborder Burmanopetalidea
*
Burmanopetalidae
References
External links
*
*
Millipede orders
{{Myriapoda-stub