Discover Top Posts Tagged with #polyxenida

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Millipedes are known for having lots and lots of legs, but not all of them can live up to the hype. One of the smallest millipedes, the bristly millipede, has only 13 pairs of legs! But that's still quite a lot when you consider that adults are only 4 mm (0.15 in) long.

(Image: A bristly millipede (Polyxenus lagurus) by Gilles San Martin)

#bristly millipede #Polyxenida #Polyxenidae #bristly millipedes #millipedes #myriapods #arthropods

can you spot the little guys on this dirty porch step? here is one zoomed in: a bristle millipede, Polyxenus lagurus. there are five here (and two ants, three springtails, and a baby isopod).

their binomial name roughly translates to Bizarre Bunnytail. (if only myriapods could afford cutesy common names maybe people would like them more!)

within the class Diplopoda (millipedes), polyxenidans are only distantly related to the roundbacked and flatback types that are more familiar.

accordingly their anatomy is pretty distinct at a glance—in addition to having relatively few segments, polyxenidans lack a hard exoskeleton and have no poison glands for defense. instead, the hair in their little cottontails has microscopic hooks that lock onto multiple setae hairs of an ant or other predator, Velcro-ing them sometimes to the point of immobility!

they’re also remarkably perceptive and hard to sneak up on! I spent a few minutes chasing them across a couple inches of slate while they hauled their fluffy tails away from me.

so tiny! so fuzzy! so perfect

#bugs #millipede #polyxenida

#Polyxenus lagurus #Polyxenidae #Polyxenida #Diplopoda #Arthropoda #gif #running

the high council gathers.....

#chilopoda #diplopoda #polyxenida #opiliones #scorpiones

Yesterday (for the second time in my life actually) I witnessed and photographed the poorly known Order of Polyxenida, commonly called bristly millipedes or pincushion millipede. It's a Order composed by only 86 known species around the world. Their setae are their only defense against predatory insect, cause they easily detach and literally block the predator's mouthparts. This one was huge, measuring something like 7mm! Shot with the @venuslaowa 25mm ultra macro and the new Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera (I love the focus peaking feature into the eyepiece!!). #pickoftheday #arthropod #diplopoda #polyxenida #soil #unknown #bristle #myriapoda @ilcp_photographers @nikoneurope @nikonitalia https://www.instagram.com/emanuele_biggi/p/Bvy1cVCACID/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11l22j1vji8je

#pickoftheday #arthropod #diplopoda #polyxenida #soil #unknown #bristle #myriapoda