''Siphonophora albiceps'' is a species 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 ...

belonging to the family

Siphonophoridae Siphonophoridae is a family of millipedes in the order Siphonophorida. There are about 12 genera and more than 110 described species in Siphonophoridae. Genera These 12 genera belong to the family Siphonophoridae: * ''Bactrois'' Cook, 1896 * '' ...

. The species is distinct for the contrast of its white front with its dark middle, its small body, and large middle joints in its first pair of legs. It was first described by Harold Loomis in 1970 and its type locality is in the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

Description

The largest specimens of ''Siphonophora albiceps'' was a female which had 41 segments and was 7 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Most specimens have around 32 segments, and in general the females are wider than the males. They have fused pairs of segments which form diplosegments, and the rear half of these pairs rise distinctly above the front half. Their antennae, head, and front one or two body segments are white, and stand out in contrast to the middle and rear of the body which is a dark color. Their head is short and not quite the shape of a half

sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

. They have slender beaks which are just over half as long as the head. The antennae are long and thick, unlike similar species. The front end of the body is wider than the rest, a change which occurs quickly along its length. The surface of the head, first segment, and the rear halves of the diplosegments are densely covered with bristly hairs (

setae In biology, setae (; seta ; ) are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Depending partly on their form and function, protostome setae may be called macrotrichia, chaetae ...

) of different lengths and numbers. At the base of these hairs are dense arrangements of small, shiny granules which keep the hairs upright. Both males and females have large middle joints on their first pairs of legs which stand out from the rest of the legs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6452929 Siphonophorida Millipedes of North America Fauna of the United States Virgin Islands Animals described in 1970