Inʋestigadores en el Reino Unido han encontrado el exoesqueleto fosilizado del artrópodo мás grande que jaмás haya existido.
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Estas criaturas gigantes parecidas a мilpiés tenían la longitud de un autoмóʋil y proƄaƄleмente ʋagaron por la tierra durante el Período CarƄonífero, hace entre 359 мillones y 299 мillones de años.
Centipedes have rounded or flattened heads, bearing a pair of antennae on the front part of the head. They have a pair of long upper jaws and two pairs of lower jaws. The first pair of lower jaws grow from the lower lip and carry short tentacles. The first pair of jaws extend from the body to the front to cover the rest of the mouth. The tip of the jaws is pointed, carrying a poisonous stinger to secrete venom into the prey.[6]
Centipedes have many single eyes on their heads, and they sometimes gather in clusters to form compound eyes. However, it seems that centipedes only have the ability to distinguish light/darkness, but do not have true vision like other arthropods. In fact, many species of centipedes don’t even have eyes. Some species of centipedes have the last pair of legs that have a sensory function like antennae, but grow from front to back. Some groups of centipedes have a special sense organ called the Tömösvary organ. It is located at the base of the antennae and consists of a disc-shaped structure with a central hole surrounded by sensory cells. It is possible that they are used to sense vibrations and may even be used as a form of hearing organ.[6]
Underside view of Scolopendra cingulata, showing the base of the jaws developed into venomous pincers.
The centipede’s venomous pincer is the characteristic organ of the members of the Athleteidae—other classes of Arthropods do not have this feature. This pair of pliers is the first pair of legs of the centipede, which is transformed into a pliers-shaped appendage located just behind the head.[7] Thus, the centipede’s poisonous pincers are not true mouth appendages, although their functions are to capture prey, inject poison, and hold prey. And of course, the centipede’s poison pliers have a hollow tube inside to inject poison into the prey[7] like a needle.
Behind the head, the centipede’s body is divided into 15 or more segments. Each segment has 1 pair of legs, in which the first segment has a pair of jaws/poison pliers pointing forward, and the last 2 are quite small and have no legs. Each pair of legs is slightly longer than the one in front of it, which ensures that the legs don’t touch each other when moving too fast. In some special cases, the last pair of legs can be twice as long as the first pair of legs. The last segment becomes a pointed brooch and carries the cloaca of the genitalia.
Centipedes are predators and they use their antennae to detect prey. The digestive system takes the form of a simple tube with digestive glands that connect to the mouth. Like insects, centipedes breathe through a tracheal system, with each segment having a pair of spiracles. Excretion is accomplished through a pair of malpighi microtubules.[6]
The Amazon giant centipede Scolopendra gigantea is the largest living centipede in the world, with a length of up to 30 cm (12 in). Its prey can include lizards, frogs, birds, mice and even bats – caught in flight[8] – as well as rodents and spiders. In natural history, the Permian centipede, Euphoberia, is the largest centipede with a length of up to 1 meter.
