Juliformia

Juliformia 

an order of arthropods of the class Diplopoda.

The body is cylindrical, from 2 to 20–25 cm long (tropical forms), and has more than 30 segments. The cuticle is encrusted with calcium carbonate. The arthropod breathes through tracheae; each segment has two pairs of spiracles and two pairs of corresponding trachéal bundles. The secretion from its defense glands often contains hydrocyanic acid and is toxic for invertebrates. Members of the order are oviparous and develop by anamorphosis; that is, the larvae hatch from the eggs with a small number of segments and legs, and the number of segments and legs increases with each molt. Juliformia are found in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate belts. In the USSR there are approximately 150 species in the forests and steppes; they live in the soil and in the forest floor. In the central belt the most common representative is the gray wireworm (Sarmatiulus kessleri), which is about 3 cm long. The sand wireworm (Schizophyllum sabulosum ) is distributed all over Europe. Juliformia are useful in that they destroy vegetable remains. They seldom damage the roots of plants.