Dipluran, << duh PLOOR uhn, >> is any of a group of tiny, six-legged animals without wings and eyes. Diplurans live in many parts of the world, typically in moist soil or under logs, stones, or fallen leaves. They include animals known as campodeids and japygids.
Diplurans have slender, pale-colored bodies that usually grow less than 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) long. However, some species (kinds) can reach 2 inches (50 millimeters) in length. Diplurans possess two long antennae on the head and a pair of segmented sense organs called cerci at the end of the abdomen. In some species, these cerci form stout pincers. Most diplurans also have small glands called vesicles beneath the abdomen. Vesicles probably help regulate the amount of water in the body, partly by absorbing moisture from the environment.
Diplurans eat a variety of foods. Some species eat primarily fungi, plants, or decaying vegetation. Others may feed on springtails, mites, insect larvae, and even other diplurans.
Male diplurans produce spermatophores (small packets of sperm), which they attach to the ground on the end of short stalks. Females later gather the spermatophores and use them to fertilize their eggs. The females then lay small clusters of eggs on rotting vegetation or in cracks in the ground. Young diplurans resemble the adults but are smaller.
