Categories
Millipedeshope it doesn’t bite!!!
Hi Bugman!
LOVE your site. I’ll be visiting a lot! Can you tell me what this beast is? I can’t tell if it is a centipede or a millipede. He was scurrying across our patio here in Apex, North Carolina. Thanks!
Nancy Nice


Hi Nancy Nice,
The difference between Millipedes and Centipedes is that Centipedes have one pair of legs per segment and Millipedes have two pairs of legs per segment. We couldn’t locate a species name for your Millipede, so we contacted Eric Eaton. Here is his response: “It is a flat-backed millipede (Polydesmida order). Very pretty, but many species like this secrete a cyanide compound to defend themselves. As long as you don’t eat one or lick it, you should survive.”
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
6/9/05 . Apex, NC. Apheloria tigana Chamberlin, 1939 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae)
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science

I like This






Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
Post a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.