Myriapods (myria = ten thousand, pod = foot) are a group of arthropods distinguished by the following characters:

• a body built from a head and long, repeating trunk
• one pair of antennae (number of other appendages on head varies), many (but not 10,000!) limbs on trunk

Examples of myriapods include centipedes and millipedes.

Centipede                                           Millipede

Centipede photo by James T. Johnson © California Academy of Sciences; Millipede photo © 2003 John White