A comprehensive account of centipede biology providing a critical review of the work on this subject.

Stories about sinister centipedes are legendary but behind the myths lie an important, valuable, and harmless group of invertebrate predators performing a vital service to ecosystems by helping to keep plant-eating pest populations in check. Orin McMonigle's Centipedes in Captivity details the five chilopod orders, highlighting the biggest and most beautiful species commonly kept in captivity. Those who want to learn more about these magnificent creatures, their toxicology, biology, and variety will find the accounts just as useful as those interested in containing, mating, and successfully reproducing the more spectacular centipedes in the laboratory, or at home.

"Centipedes include some of the most massive and impressive anthropods on earth. Many species display incredible colors and striking combinations of red, blue, green, yellow, orange and black...Giant Centipedes is written to promote the centipede hobby and offer information not readily available to the hobbyist" BOOK JACKET.

Myriapods are the only major zoological group for which a modern encyclopedic treatment has never been produced. In particular, this was the single major gap in the largest zoological treatise of the XIX century (Grassé’s Traité de Zoologie), whose publication has recently been stopped. The two volumes of “The Myriapoda” fill that gap with an updated treatment in the English language. Volume I opens with an introductory treatment of myriapod affinities and phylogeny. The following chapters are mostly devoted to the Chilopoda or centipedes, extensively treated from the point of view of external and internal morphology, physiology, reproduction, development, distribution, ecology, phylogeny and taxonomy. All currently recognized suprageneric and generic taxa are considered. Additional chapters deal with the two smaller myriapod classes, the Symphyla and the Pauropoda. All groups and features are extensively illustrated by line drawings and micrographs and living specimens of representative species of the main groups are presented in color photographs.

"The Myriapoda” is the first comprehensive monograph ever on all aspects of myriapod biology, including external and internal morphology, physiology, reproduction, development, distribution, ecology, phylogeny and taxonomy. It is thus of major interest for all zoologists and soil biologists.

Millipedes are common components of the leaf-litter fauna of most terrestrial environments. The Biology of Millipedes is the first single-volume review of this important group and covers their ecology, behaviour, physiology, and evolution. This book is essential reading for terrestrialecologists, zoologists, and students taking courses in invertebrate biology. Introductory chapters consider millipede taxonomy and phylogeny, basic anatomy, locomotion, and ecomorphology. Later chapters review feeding and digestion, metabolism, nerves, and neurosecretion, together with all aspects of millipedes in decomposition processes, and their role as pests. Theauthors provide an extremely comprehensive bibliography of research papers and literature.