Peterjohnsiidae is a small family of
millipede
Millipedes (originating from the Latin , "thousand", and , "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derive ...
s belonging to the order
Chordeumatida.
The family was first described in 1987 by
Jean-Paul Mauriès.
These millipedes range from 3 mm to 8 mm in length and are found in Australia. Species in this family exhibit
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
in segment number: adult males have 30 segments, but adult females have 32 segments (counting the collum as the first segment and the
telson as the last).
In adult males in this family, the
gonopod complex involves three leg pairs (pairs 8 through 10) rather than just the two (pairs 8 and 9) usually modified into gonopods in this order.
Genera:
* ''
Peterjohnsia''
Mauriès, 1987
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21065054
Chordeumatida
Millipede families