Appearance of a transparent protrusion containing two pairs of legs on the apodous ring preceding the anamorphic molt in a millipede, Niponia nodulosa.

BACKGROUND: Arthropods gradually change their forms through repeated molting events during postembryonic development. Anamorphosis, i.e., segment addition during postembryonic development, is seen in some arthropod lineages. In all millipede species (Myriapoda, Diplopoda), for example, postembryonic processes go through anamorphosis. Jean-Henri Fabre proposed 168 years ago the "law of anamorphosis", that is, "new rings appear between the penultimate ring and the telson" and "all apodous rings in a given stadium become podous rings in the next stadium", but the developmental process at the anamorphic molt remains largely unknown. In this study, therefore, by observing the morphological and histological changes at the time of molting, the detailed processes of leg- and ring-addition during anamorphosis were characterized in a millipede, Niponia nodulosa (Polydesmida, Cryptodesmidae).

RESULTS: In the preparatory period, a few days before molting, scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and histological observations revealed that two pairs of wrinkled leg primordia were present under the cuticle of each apodous ring. In the rigidation period, just prior to molt, observations of external morphology showed that a transparent protrusion was observed on the median line of the ventral surface on each apodous ring. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and histological observations revealed that the transparent protrusion covered by an arthrodial membrane contained a leg bundle consisting of two pairs of legs. On the other hand, ring primordia were observed anterior to the telson just before molts.

CONCLUSIONS: Preceding the anamorphic molt in which two pairs of legs are added on an apodous ring, a transparent protrusion containing the leg pairs (a leg bundle) appears on each apodous ring. The morphogenetic process of the rapid protrusion of leg bundles, that is enabled by thin and elastic cuticle, suggested that millipedes have acquired a resting period and unique morphogenesis to efficiently add new legs and rings.