Diplopoda in the world fossil record

Abstract

We present a comprehensive catalog with an updated database of the fossil record of Diplopoda in the world. Taxonomic data was collected from descriptions and reports published from 1854 to the present. We also include new records from the Lower Miocene Mexican amber, counting 83 unknown fossil inclusions, with the first records of the orders Polyxenida, Platydesmida, and Julida, as well as the families Sphaeriodesmidae and Trichopolydesmidae within Polydesmida. According to our results, Diplopoda comprises 217 fossil records from the Middle Silurian to Upper Pleistocene, representing three subclasses, six superorders, 25 orders, one superfamily, 54 families, 90 genera, and 156 fossil species. To date, no fossils of the order Siphonocryptida have been reported. The fossil record extends over three geological eras: the Paleozoic, with 156 records; the Mesozoic, with 51; and the Cenozoic, with 77. The fossil preservation includes 87 impressions, 68 compressions, 108 amber inclusions, and 19 ichnites. Thus, this catalog allows us to estimate the size and taxonomic composition of Diplopoda in the fossil record worldwide.