Opisthocheiron

Opisthocheiron is a genus of millipedes in the family Opisthocheiridae. These millipedes are found in France and Spain. The French entomologist Henri Ribaut created this genus in 1913 to contain the newly discovered type species Opisthocheiron penicillatum. This genus also includes the cave-dwelling species Opisthocheiron canayerensis, notable as one of only a few species in the order Chordeumatida with only 26 segments in adults (counting the collum as the first segment and the telson as the last), four fewer segments than typically found in adults in this order. The adult female of this species has only 42 pairs of legs, and the adult male has only 40 pairs of walking legs, excluding two pairs of gonopods.

Species
This genus contains six species:


 * Opisthocheiron canayerensis Mauriès & Goeffrey, 1982
 * Opisthocheiron cornutum Ribaut, 1922
 * Opisthocheiron elegans Ribaut, 1922
 * Opisthocheiron fallax Ribaut, 1922
 * Opisthocheiron lacazei Brölemann, 1932
 * Opisthocheiron penicillatum Ribaut, 1913