Order POLYDESMIDA Pocock, 1887

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Introduction

Polydesmida is by far the largest order of millipedes (Hoffman 1982). All polydesmidans lack eyes, and the great majority of species have either 58 or 62 legs as adults: one legpair on each of the first three leg-bearing segments, and two legpairs on each of the posterior 13 or 14 leg-bearing segments. The eighth legpair in mature males is replaced by structures called gonopods which are used to transfer sperm during mating. Gonopod variations are of great importance in polydesmidan taxonomy and are often the only practical basis on which to distinguish species and sometimes genera. Polydesmidans are cylindrical but many species have wing-like lateral extensions to the tergites called paranota, giving the group its common name of 'flat-backed millipedes'.

Australia is not unique in having a highly diverse polydesmidan fauna, but the great majority of our species remain undescribed. Of the four suborders of Polydesmida, only Chelodesmidea is not known to be native to this country (Hoffman 1980).

General References

Hoffman, R.L. 1980. Classification of the Diplopoda. Geneva : Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Genève 238 pp.

Hoffman, R.L. 1982. Diplopoda. pp. 689-724 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. Vol. 2. New York : McGraw-Hill.

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