Symphyla

Arthropoda -> Myriapoda -> Symphyla

Symphylans, sometimes called ‘garden centipedes’ or ‘pseudocentipedes’ are Myriapods, making them distantly related to millipedes, centipedes and pauropods. They are an absolute nightmare to photograph, as they rapidly run away when disturbed e.g. when their favourite stone-home is turned over. Symphylans are herbivores and detritivores, mostly feeding on decaying vegetation, but sometimes they eat the roots of young plants - giving them a bit of a bad name in agricultural circles. Which is a shame, because they’re amazing creatures - completely lacking eyes and instead possessing a pair of vibration-sensitive organs at the base of their antennae, named “organs of Tömösváry”. My favourite fact about Symphyla is that to reproduce, females will collect male spermatophores, which they store in their cheek pouches and lick sperm onto their eggs to fertilise them. And they say romance is dead! More information on these bizarre creatures is available at the British Myriapod and Isopod Group’s website.