#symphyla

Pauropods and symphylans.

Symphyla are the easier of the two to find, being relatively large and conspicuous if you look under stones or decaying wood. devoid of pigment and eyes, they spend their lives scurrying through the soil in search of detritus or fresh plant roots to eat, although a minority of species are predatory.

I was able to find symphylans of two different families in a few minutes of searching:

Scutigerellids are round-headed, slightly longer-legged symphylans, and quickly scurry away from disturbance. I believe this one is a Scutigerella. these tend to be somewhat gregarious, or at least tolerate one another, since I usually find groups of them together under stones. adults of my local species are about 3mm long.

Scolopendrellids are short-legged, flat-headed symphylans, which seem notably slower than scutigerellids. I can reliably find them in the entrance levels of termite nests, although I can’t tell if they’re termitophilous or just enjoying the fungal hyphae that creep into the nice open tunnels. mine are about the same length as the Scutigerella, but more slender.

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Symphyla is a class of soil-dwelling arthropods commonly called “Garden Centipedes” or “Pseudocentipedes”, though they are not that closely related to centipedes. They are broken into two families: Scutigerellidae and Scolopendrellidae.

Symphylans live deep in soil, under stones, and in decaying wood, feeding on decaying vegetation, but can also feed on the seeds, roots, and root hairs of plants, and at least one species is predatory. They are very small, generally 2 to 10 millimetres long, and lack pigment. They have no eyes, using a pair of long, segmented antennae to perceive the world around them. Like centipedes, they also have Organs of Tömösváry at the base of their antennae, which may be used to sense vibrations. While most arthropods breathe through spiracles on the sides of their body, symphylans have a pair of spiracles on either side of their head. They have 14 segments, with legs on the first 12, though the first pair is absent or vestigial in some species. The 13th segment is fused to the 12th, and bears a pair of spinnerets. The 14th segment has a pair of long sensory hairs (trichobothria), the anus, and a small telson. Symphylans use their spinnerets to create long threads of silk. They use this mainly in reproduction, but may also spray silk as a defense or even use it to suspend themselves in the air.

Like centipedes and pauropods, symphylans do not copulate. Males deposit spermatophores on small stalks of webbing and leave them for the female. When she finds them, the female picks them up in her mouth and lays her eggs. She attaches her eggs to the sides of crevices or moss, smearing the sperm over them as she does so. The young will hatch with 6-7 pairs of legs, adding additional segments and legs with each moult. They can live up to 4 years, moulting throughout their life, though they do not add on more segments or legs after they reach their adult form.

Propaganda under the cut:

Symphylan (Scutigerella sp.), family Scutigerellidae, Namur, Belgium

These animals are also called Pseudocentipedes or Garden Centipedes (although they are not true centipedes).

Symphylans are on of 4 different groups of Myriapods, along with Centipedes, Millipedes, and the Pauropods.

Bug son or breakcore daughter?

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