New fossil evidence suggests myriapoda (centipedes, millipedes) developed their characteristic multi-leg body plans while still aquatic, before terrestrial transition.
Key Takeaways
Myriapoda is entirely terrestrial today, but the origin of their many-legged morphology has been unresolved until this fossil research.
Findings push the leg-evolution timeline back into a marine or aquatic phase, revising assumptions about arthropod land colonization.
Centipedes and millipedes share the myriapod lineage but diverged significantly in ecology and body plan despite common aquatic origins.
Evidence is fossil-based, so mechanistic details of the underwater leg-development process remain inferred, not directly observed.
Hacker News Comment Review
No substantive HN discussion yet; one comment pointed to a YouTube video on centipede-spider niche competition but did not engage with the fossil findings.
Notable Comments
@dmix: links a video on how centipedes and spiders coexisted for millions of years despite occupying overlapping predatory niches.
