Adesmata

Adesmata is a suborder of centipedes within the order Geophilomorpha containing the superfamilies Geophiloidea and Himantarioidea.^[2] This suborder contains 13 families. All members of this suborder have ventral defensive glands.^[3]

Adesmata Temporal range: 155.7–Present Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Himantarium gabrielis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Myriapoda
Class:	Chilopoda
Order:	Geophilomorpha
Suborder:	Adesmata
Superfamilies
Geophiloidea Leach, 1815 Himantarioidea Bollman, 1893

Description

Species of the suborder Adesmata are characterized by a labrum without a separate intermediate tooth, the lateral parts fringed by projections; coxal projections and telopodites of the first maxillae possessing subapical spine-sensilla and apical scutefilaments; telopodites of the second maxillae short compared to the coxosternite width; forcipular coxosternite with chitin-lines; glands along the trunk opening in ventral pore-fields; and a variable number of legs between conspecific specimens. However, there are reversals within the suborder and most autapomorphies evolved in parallel to other centipedes.^[4]