Tetramerocerata is an
order of
pauropods containing 12 different families and about 480 different species. Tetrameroceratans have a 12 segmented body, 4 segmented
antennae, 6
tergites
A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; plural ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the 'base' and posterior edge is called the 'apex' or 'mar ...
, and 8 to10 legs pairs of legs as adults. Most pauropods in this order have 9 leg pairs as adults,
but four genera (''Cauvetauropus'', ''Aletopauropus'', ''Zygopauropus'', and ''Amphipauropus'') have only 8 pairs,
and adult females in the genus ''Decapauropus'' (in the
Pauropodidae
Pauropodidae is a family of pauropods. It contains over 20 genera and 650 species, as well as the only known fossil pauropod, '' Eopauropus''. Like most adult pauropods in the order Tetramerocerata
Tetramerocerata is an order
Order, ORDER or ...
family) have either nine or ten pairs of legs. Pauropods in this order are generally 0.5 mm to 2 mm long, and are usually white or brown.
Tetramerocerata has a
subcosmopolitan distribution, occurring nearly worldwide.
References
External links
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Myriapod orders
{{Myriapoda-stub