Systematics of cyanogenic millipedes in the order Polydesmida
Arthropods are the most species-rich animal taxon ever to live on Earth, but they are critically understudied. Fewer than 15% of their estimated 10 million species have been described by scientists, and they are suffering extremely high extinction rates due to human activity. Of all the arthropods, cyanide-producing millipedes of the order Polydesmida are among the most poorly known to science, with several thousand species awaiting description. Cyanide-producing millipedes of the order Polydesmida are widespread and ecologically significant, occurring in forests across Earth. We outline a plan to expediently describe millipede diversity in the order Polydesmida and accomplish the following objectives: (1) establish a phylogenetic systematic foundation for describing species, (2) use this phylogeny as an evolutionary informative context to produce a classification of its taxa and keys for identification, and (3) resolve taxonomic deficiencies in millipede studies using an efficient and accurate approach to the revisionary treatments of the order. These millipedes feed on decaying leaf matter and other detritus, and are ancient remnants of a native guild of decomposers that have steadily declined due to forest habitat loss and competition with non-native organisms. Annually, forests provide invaluable environmental services, including decomposition and biogeochemical cycling; understanding and cataloging the biodiversity that underpins these natural capital processes is paramount before these species suffer anonymous extinction.