Page:Wood 1865 - The Myriapoda of North America.djvu/93

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THE MYRIAPODA OF NORTH AMERICA.

Fam. POLYXENIDÆ, Newport.

"Caput arcuatum, prominens. Corpus latum. Pedes attenuati; coxis maximis. Segmentum anale fasciculis longis."

Head arcuate, prominent. Body broad. Feet attenuate, with very large coxæ. Anal segment with long fasciculi.

As I have never seen a specimen of this family, the characters of it and the genus are those given by Mr. Newport, Philos. Trans., vol. xix, p. 277.


Gen. POLYXENUS, Latreille.

"Corpus breve, squamis parvis penicillatis vestitum. Pedum paria 13."

Body short, clothed with small penicillate scales. Pairs of feet 13.

P. fasciculatus.

"Body pale-brown, linear, incisures ciliated, fasciculated each side; head deeply ciliated before. Segments smooth, ciliate at the incisures, and fasciculate with brown setæ each side; terminal pencil cinereous; head semi-orbicular, depressed, deeply and densely ciliated on the edge with setæ; eyes small, oval, prominent, placed obliquely in the middle of the lateral margin; antennæ very short, thick, reddish-brown; feet white. Length rather more than the one-tenth of an inch."

"Inhabits the Southern States."

Say, Journ. A. N. S., 1st series, vol. ii, p. 108.


Sub Ord. SUGENTIA.[1]

Caput parvissimum, conicum. Os elongatum, tubulatum. (Figs. 58, 59.)

Head very small, conical. Mouth elongate, tubular.

In the Sugentia the head is very small, and is so placed as to be almost entirely concealed beneath the broad anterior scuta. The parts around the mouth are so fused together as to make a conical beak of greater or less length, suitable only for the imbibition of liquid food. The eyes may be present or absent. The antennæ are formed according to the type of the Diplopoda, with seven joints. The body is composed of numerous segments. The scuta may be prolonged laterally into laminæ, but afford protection only to the back and flanks; the central part of the abdomen is not covered by a firm,

  1. Order Sugentia, Brandt, Recueil.