Myriapoda
Myriapods (from Ancient Greek μυρίος (muríos) 'ten thousand', and πούς (poús) 'foot') are the members of subphylum Myriapoda, containing arthropods such as millipedes and centipedes. The group contains about 13,000 species, all of them terrestrial.
| Myriapods Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Representatives of the four extant myriapod classes. Clockwise from top left: Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Symphyla, and Pauropoda. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Mandibulata |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda Latreille, 1802 |
| Classes | |
The fossil record of myriapods reaches back into the late Wenlock epoch of the late Silurian, although molecular evidence suggests a diversification in the Cambrian Period, and Cambrian fossils exist which resemble myriapods. The oldest unequivocal myriapod fossil species is Pneumodesmus from the late Silurian around 428 million years ago, which is important as the earliest known evidence of an air-breathing animal. Other early myriapod fossil species are Kampecaris obanensis and Archidesmus sp. from the late Silurian around 425 million years ago. The phylogenetic classification of myriapods is still debated.
The scientific study of myriapods is myriapodology, and those who study myriapods are myriapodologists.