Abstract:With approximately 3,500 species distributed across five extant orders, centipedes (class Chilopoda) make the second most speciose class among the subphylum Myriapoda. The most conspicuous synapomorphic character of centipedes is certainly the modification of the first pair of legs into powerful venomous forceps (the forcipules). The venom gland encased in each forcipule produces a potent cocktail of paralytic toxins delivered into prey and opponents via a cuticular duct which opens on the subterminal part of … Show more
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