Dictionary

chilopod en · NOUN

Etymology

From Ancient Greek χεῖλος (kheîlos, “lip”) + ποδός (podós) (genitive singular of πούς (poús, “foot, leg”)).

Meanings

1. Any myriapod of the class Chilopoda, a centipede.
   • Consequently most chilopods are carnivorous, searching for earthworms, enchytraeids, and insects. 2006, G. Eisenbis, “1: Biology of Soil Invertebrates”, in Helmut König, Ajit Varma, editors, Intestinal Microorganisms of Termites and Other Invertebrates, page 34:
   • However, the authors point out that the motoneurons' morphologies are dissimilar in hexapods and chilopods, a fact that argues against a homology of hexapodan and chilopodan longitudinal muscle motoneurons. 2013, Rudolf Loesel, Harald Wolf, Matthes Kenning, Steffen Harzsch, Andy Sombke, “13: Architectural Principles and Evolution of the Arthropod Central Nervous System”, in Alessandro Minelli, Geoffrey Boxshall, Giuseppe Fusco, editors, Arthropod Biology and Evolution: Molecules, Development, Morphology, page 308:
   • Important predatory groups in the beech forest at Göttinger Wald are chilopods, spiders, carabid and staphylinid beetles and gamasid mites. Chilopods consume a high proportion of collembolan populations and of other saprophagous groups (Poser, 1988, 1991). 2009, M. Schaefer, S. Migge-Kleian, S. Scheu, “Chapter 12: The Role of Soil Fauna for Decomposition of Plant Residues”, in Rainer Brumme, Partap K. Khanna, editors, Functioning and Management of European Beech Ecosystems, page 223:

Forms

Relateds

chilopodan · myriapod · diplopod

Synonyms

centipede (any species of class Chilopoda)