Largest class of myriapods

The largest taxonomic class of myriapods is Diplopoda, containing the millipedes, of which approximately 12,000 species have currently been described by science. However, scientists believe that there may be many more still awaiting discovery, with estimates of the total number of millipede species in existence worldwide ranging from 15,000 to 80,000. They collectively exhibit an extremely wide distribution, existing on all continents except for Antarctica, and range in habitat from tropical rainforests and seashores to deserts and cold terrain above the Arctic Circle.

The remaining three taxonomic classes of myriapod constitute the centipedes, the symphylans, and the pauropods respectively, all of which are characterized by several (often numerous) pairs of limbs – hence their name, myriapod ('many-legged'). However, the centipedes include many of the largest myriapod species, and constitute some of the largest terrestrial invertebrate predators alive today.