'' (A) male, dorsal view; (B) male, ventral view; (C) telopods; (D) female, lateral view; (E) female, ventral view Millipedes in this order are small, usually 4 to 8 mm (0.16 to 0.31 in.) long, with the largest reaching in length. Glomeridesmidans have
antennae with seven segments but are blind and lack
ommatidia. The penultimate pair of legs in males are modified into telopods. In most species, females feature a very long
ovipositor. Male specimens in this order are rare, unknown for all species in the family Termitodesmidae, and known for only a small number of species in the family Glomeridesmidae. Descriptions of mature males in at least four species (
Glomeridesmus spelaeus,
G. siamensis,
G. arcostriatus, and
G. marmoreus) report 35 leg pairs, including a pair of telopods, and 20 segments, one fewer than the 21 segments found in adult females. Some species, however, seem to deviate from the most common body plan. The description of an adult male of
G. indus, for example, reports 37 pairs of legs, including a pair of telopods, and the same 21 segments normally found in adult females. Furthermore, the description of a species from another genus (
Glomeridesmoides termitophilus) reports some deviations from the usual pattern, describing females with the usual 21 segments but only 35 leg pairs and two males with the same 21 segments (with 34 and 35 leg pairs, including a pair of telopods). == Habitats ==