Class Chilopoda
Class Chilopoda
Chilopoda (ki-lop´o-da) (Gr. cheilos margin, lip, + pous, podos, foot), or centipedes, are land forms with somewhat flattened bodies that may contain from a few to 177 somites (Figure 20-1). Each somite, except the one behind the head and the last two in the body, bears a pair of jointed legs. Appendages of the first body segment are modified to form poison claws.
The head appendages are similar to those of an insect. There are a pair of antennae, a pair of mandibles, and one or two pairs of maxillae. A pair of eyes on the dorsal side of the head consists of groups of ocelli. The digestive system is a straight tube into which salivary glands empty at the anterior end. Two pairs of malpighian tubules empty into the hind part of the intestine. There is an elongated heart with a pair of arteries to each somite. The heart has a series of ostia to provide for return of the blood to the heart from the hemocoel. Respiration is by means of a tracheal system of branched air tubes that come from a pair of spiracles in each somite. The nervous system is typically arthropod, and there is also a visceral nervous system.
Sexes are separate, with unpaired gonads and paired ducts. Some centipedes lay eggs and others are viviparous. The young are similar in form to adults.
Centipedes prefer moist places such as under logs, bark, and stones. They are very agile and are carnivorous in their eating habits, living on earthworms, cockroaches, and other insects. They kill their prey with their poison claws and then chew it with their mandibles. Common house centipedes Scutigera (L. scutum, shield, + gera, bearing), which have 15 pairs of legs, are often seen scurrying around bathrooms and damp cellars, where they catch insects. Most species of centipedes are harmless to humans, although many tropical centipedes, some of which may reach a length of 30 cm, are dangerous.
Chilopoda (ki-lop´o-da) (Gr. cheilos margin, lip, + pous, podos, foot), or centipedes, are land forms with somewhat flattened bodies that may contain from a few to 177 somites (Figure 20-1). Each somite, except the one behind the head and the last two in the body, bears a pair of jointed legs. Appendages of the first body segment are modified to form poison claws.
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| Figure 20-1 A, A centipede, Scolopendra (class Chilopoda) from the Amazon Basin, Peru. Most segments have one pair of appendages each. First segment bears a pair of poison claws, which in some species can inflict serious wounds. Centipedes are carnivorous. B, Head of centipede. |
The head appendages are similar to those of an insect. There are a pair of antennae, a pair of mandibles, and one or two pairs of maxillae. A pair of eyes on the dorsal side of the head consists of groups of ocelli. The digestive system is a straight tube into which salivary glands empty at the anterior end. Two pairs of malpighian tubules empty into the hind part of the intestine. There is an elongated heart with a pair of arteries to each somite. The heart has a series of ostia to provide for return of the blood to the heart from the hemocoel. Respiration is by means of a tracheal system of branched air tubes that come from a pair of spiracles in each somite. The nervous system is typically arthropod, and there is also a visceral nervous system.
Sexes are separate, with unpaired gonads and paired ducts. Some centipedes lay eggs and others are viviparous. The young are similar in form to adults.
Centipedes prefer moist places such as under logs, bark, and stones. They are very agile and are carnivorous in their eating habits, living on earthworms, cockroaches, and other insects. They kill their prey with their poison claws and then chew it with their mandibles. Common house centipedes Scutigera (L. scutum, shield, + gera, bearing), which have 15 pairs of legs, are often seen scurrying around bathrooms and damp cellars, where they catch insects. Most species of centipedes are harmless to humans, although many tropical centipedes, some of which may reach a length of 30 cm, are dangerous.
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