World's leggiest millipede goes under the microscope and reveals its ancient and complex anatomy.
Most millipedes have 62 legs, far from living up to their name. But the
Californian millipede lllacme plenipes (Latin for "the pinnacle of
plentiful feet) holds the record, with males having a maximum of 562 and
females possessing a staggering 750. It measures a minute 1-3 cm long
and has a relativel
y unremarkable
appearance - the lead researcher, Paul Marek (University of Arizona),
says it "basically looks like a thread". However, when they looked at I.
plenipes with scanning electron microscopy, they found a number of
unusual features.
The thread-like exoskeleton is actually
scaly, jagged and translucent, and features body hairs that produce a
silky substance. Its head houses antennae massively out of proportion to
the rest of its body (used to feel its way though the dark, as it has
no eyes) and a set of mouthparts fused to its head. The majority of
millipedes have grinding mouthparts for devouring leaves or vegetation,
but I. plenipes is believed to use its rudimentary mouth for piercing
and then sucking up plant tissues.
The only member of its
family in the Western Hemisphere, I. plenipes has an ancient form. Its
closet living relative is the South African Nematozonium filum and this
relationship is thought to be 200 million years old, a time when the
continents existed as the supercontinent Pangea. At one time millipedes
like I. plenipes would have been widespread, but now it's one of the
last of its kind and under threat from human development. It has a
restricted habitat where a thick layer of fog keeps its environment
moist.
Despite this thorough examination I. plenipes is still
full of mystery - at the moment they can't be cultured in the
laboratory. They seem to need a food that researchers haven't been able
to give them so far. Marek also suggests it may only hold the title of
world's leggiest creature for a limited time. "The leggiest animal could
be in the tropics; we just skimmed the surface of biodiversity there."
Photo credit: Paul Marek.
Read their paper here: http://tinyurl.com/afhfxyj
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
World's leggiest millipede goes under the microscope and reveals its ancient and complex anatomy.
Most millipedes have 62 legs, far from living up to their name. But the Californian millipede lllacme plenipes (Latin for "the pinnacle of plentiful feet) holds the record, with males having a maximum of 562 and females possessing a staggering 750. It measures a minute 1-3 cm long and has a relativel
Most millipedes have 62 legs, far from living up to their name. But the Californian millipede lllacme plenipes (Latin for "the pinnacle of plentiful feet) holds the record, with males having a maximum of 562 and females possessing a staggering 750. It measures a minute 1-3 cm long and has a relativel
y unremarkable
appearance - the lead researcher, Paul Marek (University of Arizona),
says it "basically looks like a thread". However, when they looked at I.
plenipes with scanning electron microscopy, they found a number of
unusual features.
The thread-like exoskeleton is actually scaly, jagged and translucent, and features body hairs that produce a silky substance. Its head houses antennae massively out of proportion to the rest of its body (used to feel its way though the dark, as it has no eyes) and a set of mouthparts fused to its head. The majority of millipedes have grinding mouthparts for devouring leaves or vegetation, but I. plenipes is believed to use its rudimentary mouth for piercing and then sucking up plant tissues.
The only member of its family in the Western Hemisphere, I. plenipes has an ancient form. Its closet living relative is the South African Nematozonium filum and this relationship is thought to be 200 million years old, a time when the continents existed as the supercontinent Pangea. At one time millipedes like I. plenipes would have been widespread, but now it's one of the last of its kind and under threat from human development. It has a restricted habitat where a thick layer of fog keeps its environment moist.
Despite this thorough examination I. plenipes is still full of mystery - at the moment they can't be cultured in the laboratory. They seem to need a food that researchers haven't been able to give them so far. Marek also suggests it may only hold the title of world's leggiest creature for a limited time. "The leggiest animal could be in the tropics; we just skimmed the surface of biodiversity there."
Photo credit: Paul Marek.
Read their paper here: http://tinyurl.com/afhfxyj
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
The thread-like exoskeleton is actually scaly, jagged and translucent, and features body hairs that produce a silky substance. Its head houses antennae massively out of proportion to the rest of its body (used to feel its way though the dark, as it has no eyes) and a set of mouthparts fused to its head. The majority of millipedes have grinding mouthparts for devouring leaves or vegetation, but I. plenipes is believed to use its rudimentary mouth for piercing and then sucking up plant tissues.
The only member of its family in the Western Hemisphere, I. plenipes has an ancient form. Its closet living relative is the South African Nematozonium filum and this relationship is thought to be 200 million years old, a time when the continents existed as the supercontinent Pangea. At one time millipedes like I. plenipes would have been widespread, but now it's one of the last of its kind and under threat from human development. It has a restricted habitat where a thick layer of fog keeps its environment moist.
Despite this thorough examination I. plenipes is still full of mystery - at the moment they can't be cultured in the laboratory. They seem to need a food that researchers haven't been able to give them so far. Marek also suggests it may only hold the title of world's leggiest creature for a limited time. "The leggiest animal could be in the tropics; we just skimmed the surface of biodiversity there."
Photo credit: Paul Marek.
Read their paper here: http://tinyurl.com/afhfxyj
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
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