Chilopoda, also known by the common name centipedes, is a Class of carnivorous arthropods with the common characteristic of having poison claws on their first appendage, or segment. Unlike the millipedes in the class Diplopoda, centipedes have one pair of legs per segment, which results in centipedes having a lower average number of legs than millipedes.
In the mating processes of centipedes, there are no copulations involved. In other words, the male ejects his sperm and then waits for the female to absorb the sperm. The time it takes for the egg to develop into a larva is quite varied among species. Although most species of centipedes leave their eggs after burying them, some species, such as the ones belonging to the order Geophilomorpha, stay with their eggs until hatching takes place. In these cases, the females protect the eggs from harm and cleanse them regularly.
Interestingly, most centipedes do not start with fully developed legs. Instead, they grow more legs as they molt and develop. Most centipedes have 15 pairs of legs by the time they are sexually mature, and therefore, centipedes with less than 15 pairs of legs are generally considered to be in their larva stage. This is an exception for the two orders Geophilomorpha and Scolopendromorpha as centipedes in these orders hatch with fully developed legs and usually have over 15 pairs of legs.
Scutigeridae - Scutigera - Scutigera coleoptrata (House centipede):
