Which multipede is which?

Millipedes have 2 pairs of legs on most body segments (below left). Centipedes, Pauropoda and Symphyla never have more than 1 pair of legs on a body segment (below centre). Velvet worms (below right) do not have obvious body segments, and their legs (unlike those of the other multipedes) are not divided into joints.

Pauropoda have branched antennae and 9 or 10 pairs of legs (below left). Symphyla have unbranched antennae, 12 pairs of legs and 2 tail-like appendages (cerci) at the rear end (below centre). Centipedes have at least 15 pairs of legs as adults. Some juvenile centipedes have fewer than 15 pairs of legs, but these juveniles can be distinguished from Pauropoda because the antennae are unbranched, and from Symphyla because the rear end lacks cerci (below right).

These 3 drawings not to same scale.

Pauropod drawing from Harrison, L. 1914. On some Pauropoda from New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 39: 615-634 + pls. (Pl. LXX; Pauropus amicus Harrison, 1914).

Symphyla drawing © Graham Milledge, used with permission, from Harvey, M.S. & Yen, A.L. 1989. Worms to wasps. An illustrated guide to Australia's terrestrial invertebrates. Melbourne: Oxford University Press; 203 pp.

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