What is "pauropoda"

Pauropoda \Pau*rop"o*da\, n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? small + -poda.] (Zo["o]l.) An order of small myriapods having only nine pairs of legs and destitute of trache[ae].

Pauropods are small, pale, millipede-like arthropods. They form the order Pauropodina, belonging to the monotypic class Pauropoda. About 500 species in four families are found worldwide, living in soil and leaf mould. They look rather like centipedes, but are probably the sister group to millipedes. The name is derived from the Greek roots "few" and "foot".