Armadillo Centipedes

The Russian name of armadillo centipedes is related to their ability to curl up in danger into a tangle like mammals. This is an example of convergent evolution - the independent emergence of the same trait in different systematic groups.

The Latin name Oniscomorpha (literally “wet-like”) indicates that some woodlice (Oniscidea), for example, armadillo common wood lice, are also capable of curling. The armadillo weasels are crustaceans and are not close relatives of armadillos.

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  Centipede Kamovidka kaemchataya

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  Battleship (mammal), curled into a ball

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  An armadillo ordinary (crustacean) is revealed

Armadillo centipedes have a shorter body than most other centipedes and have only 11 to 13 body segments, ^[3] .

On the back of the armadillo centipedes, you can count 12 visible shields, and if you turn them upside down, you can count 17 (for females) and 19 (for males) pairs of legs. In males, the last three pairs of legs are transformed into gonopodia.

Armadillo centipedes are able to curl up in a tangle, being disturbed, which is protection from predators. They can also release harmful liquid, which can be both caustic and toxic to repel predators. ^[4] Armadillo centipedes are detritophages , feeding on decaying plant matter, usually in a wooded area. ^[five]

Glomerida

Detachment Glomerida predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere. The main family is the Cloths (Glomeridae). A well-known representative is the kamchataya klubovidka ( Glomeris marginata ). They have from 11 to 12 body segments and have spinal pores of the protective glands, unlike the lateral pores observed in many other centipedes. ^[4] Representatives of the detachment Glomerida reach a maximum length of 2 cm, and the eyes, if any, are simple eyes , arranged in one row. ^[6]

The detachment contains about 450 species ^[7] found in Europe, Southeast Asia and America. ^[8] Four species reside in the British Isles. ^[9]

Sphaerotheriida

The Sphaerotheriidae is a taxon found in Gondwana , consisting of about 350 species in South Africa, Madagascar, ^[10] , Australasia ^[11] and South Asia. ^[8] Five species, all of the genus Procyliosoma are present in New Zealand, ^[11] and about 30 species are in Australia. ^[12] Armadillo centipedes of the Sphaerotheriidans order have 13 semena of the body and do not contain frightening odorous glands. Armadillo centipedes of the Sphaerotheriidans order reach a size of up to 10 cm and always have large eyes, resembling buds. ^[6]

Amynilyspedida

Armadillo centipedes also include an extinct squad of Amynilyspedida from the Upper Carboniferous of North America and Europe. ^{[3] [13]}

Representatives of this detachment differed in having 14 or 15 body segments. ^[14]

This detachment contains the genus Amynilyspes with unique spines on the tergites , as well as the genus Glomeropsis , Archiscudderia and Palaeosphaeridium . ^[3]