Symphyla

Belongs within: Myriapoda.

The Symphyla are small, superficially centipede-like soil-dwelling arthropods.

Characters (Edwards 1990): White, 0.2–1.5 cm in length, with 12 pairs of legs when mature. Head heart-shaped, with biting mouthparts. Antennae long, up to 60 segments, with sense organs at tip. Eyes absent; postantennal organ present at base of each antenna; single pair of stigmas just below postantennal organ. Body with 12 apparent segments and posterior telson; dorsal surface with 15 to 22 scuta; genital aperture on ventral side of third body somite. Legs five-segmented, with claws; first pair of legs reduced or absent; sensory stylus at base of third-to last pair of legs; coxal sac associated with posterior of each coxal segment except first. Long sensory hairs emerging from cup-shaped receptacles on either side of last segment. Pointed paired cerci present; tip of each cercus with spinneret, with silk gland opening at base of long seta.

<==Symphyla
    |  i. s.: ‘Scolopendra’ nivea Scopoli 1763E90
    |         Scolopendrellina californica (n. d.)E90
    |         Neosymphyla Edwards & Belfield 1967E90
    |--ScutigerellidaeE90
    |    |--HanseniellaE90
    |    |    |--H. agilisM70
    |    |    |--H. arboreaWML89
    |    |    |--H. californicaE90
    |    |    `--H. vandykeiE90
    |    `--ScutigerellaE90
    |         |--S. causeyaeE90
    |         |--S. immaculataE90
    |         |--S. incultaE90
    |         |--S. linsleyiE90
    |         |--S. nodicercusE90
    |         |--S. palmoniiE90
    |         |--S. silvestriE90
    |         `--S. verhoeffiE90
    `--Scolopendrellidae [Ribautiellinae]E90
         |--Geophilella Ribaut 1913 [incl. Pseudoscutigerella; Geophilellidae, Geophilellinae]E90
         |    |--G. americanaE90
         |    `--‘Pseudoscutigerella americana’ non Geophilella americanaE90
         |--ScolopendrellopsisE90
         |    |--S. santaE90
         |    `--S. sensiferisE90
         |--SymphylellopsisE90
         |    |--S. albaE90
         |    |--S. arvernorumWK90
         |    |--S. geumE90
         |    `--S. subnudaM83
         |--Scolopendrella [Scolopendrellinae]E90
         |    |--S. americana Packard 1873E90
         |    |--S. immaculata Newport 1845E90
         |    |--S. notacantha Gervais 1839E90
         |    |--S. notella (n. d.)E90
         |    `--S. numexta (n. d.)E90
         `--SymphylellaE90
              |--S. brevipesE90
              |--S. capicolaE90
              |--S. capitataE90
              |--S. cubae (n. d.)E90
              |--S. essigiE90
              |--S. isabellaeE90
              |--S. longisetaE90
              |--S. ovicepsE90
              |--S. panama (n. d.)E90
              |--S. rossiE90
              |--S. santa (n. d.)E90
              |--S. sierraeE90
              |--S. subterraneaE90
              `--S. vulgarisE90

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[E90] Edwards, C. A. 1990. Symphyla. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 891–910. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

[M70] Mackerras, I. M. 1970. Evolution and classification of the insects. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 152–167. Melbourne University Press.

[M83] Martin, N. A. 1983. Miscellaneous observations on a pasture fauna: an annotated species list. DSIR Entomology Division Report 3: 1–98.

[WK90] Walter, D. E., & D. T. Kaplan. 1990. Antagonists of plant-parasitic nematodes in Florida citrus. Journal of Nematology 22 (4): 567–573.

[WML89] Walter, D. E., J. C. Moore & S. J. Loring. 1989. Symphylella sp. (Symphyla: Scolopendrellidae) predators of arthropods and nematodes in grassland soils. Pedobiologia 33: 113–116.