I promise this is the last…
I promise this is the last thing I will send. I was going to ask what this gorgeous guy was. I found it at Jacks River Fields while camping. Jacks River Fields is located close to where Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina come together. It just outside of Blue Ridge, GA in North GA. It was July, and it was just hanging out next to our camp site.
Thank you again!
Starr Elliott
Hi Starr,
We believe this is a Pill Millipede in the Order Polydesmida. Its pink coloration is new to us as we are used to seeing photos of yellow specimens. They can secrete cyanide as a defense mechanism.
Correction: (05/10/2006)
WTB, you guys have a wonderful site! Something I really admire about you guys is that you’re more than willing to post corrections to identifications you have made. The pink millipede that was posted on your site is not a pill millipede. Pill millipedes are much shorter and are called such because they are able to curl up into a nearly perfect sphere resembling a pill ( http://www.intenseherp.com/images/SH0001_3.jpg ). I was looking to ID the pink flat-backed millipede and came up with this: http://bugguide.net/node/view/37831/bgimage Hope this helps. Thanks for the great site!
Nick
Thanks for the assistance Nick.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
6/3/06 Jacks River Falls ,GA. Sigmoria sp. (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae). Can tell species from photo.
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 03 June 2006
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millipede
Hi,
Can you help me identify this millipede?i found it under a rock in Mt. Spil, Manisa , Turkey. I think someone has the picture of the same specie from Lesvos, Greece.
Serhan
Hi Serhan,
We were never able to identify the Lesvian Millipedes. Now that your photo has arrived, we will put renewed energy into trying to find an accurate identification.
Update: (01/20/2008) Greece millipedes
While scrolling through sites tonight, I came across yours, and I can answer many of the questions, though it is late. Anyhow, there are two pictures of a lovely black millipede fro, Greece with bright yellow spots down the midbody and yellow-spottwed margins. This is a species of Melaphe (order Polydesmida: family Xystodesmidae).
Rowland Shelley ,North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 18 April 2006
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what does it eat?
What a fantastic, fun and informative site! Good for you — and great for the rest of us. Can you identify this species of millipede for me? This one was photographed in early August in a bushlot near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I know they eat decaying plant and organic matter but would like to know if millipedes eat any type of fungi? Will look forward to hearing from you at the earliest time possible.
Sincerely,
Celina in Canada
Hi Celina,
What a marvelous photo of an American Giant Millipede, Narceus americanus. Since Millipedes feed on decaying organic matter, and mushrooms also depend on decaying organic matter as a food source, they share the same habitat. As to whether the Millipedes would eat fungus, we see no reason why they wouldn’t, though have no concrete information regarding this presumption.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
2/5/06 Narceus americanus (Beauvois) (Spirobolida: Spirobolidae) in typical coloration.
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 05 February 2006
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millipede, but what species?
Hi bugman,
I love the website!!! I work for a non-profit environmental organization in Southwestern PA. We took a picture of this beautiful millipede while conducting field work one day. We are inducting it into our photo library but want to make sure that it is correctly identified as either native or exotic/invasive. Can you tell me what species of millipede this is and if it is native to the eastern US or, more specifically, to PA.
Thanks a lot,
Kylie Daisley, Projects Manager
Natural Biodiversity Conservation Strategy
Johnstown, PA
Hi Kylie,
Native and in your range. This is an American Giant Millipede, Narceus americanus. According to BugGuide, the range is “Southeastern US, north to Ohio, and west to Texas.”
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
1/25/06 . Narceus americanus (Beauvois)
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 25 January 2006
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indonesian millipede?
hi bugman,
I sent an email about a week ago and have seen a few updates on your site, but nothing about my little bug. I will attach pictures again, in case you didn’t get the first email, and if you did sorry to bug you…pardon the pun. he was found crawling across my dining room floor in december (-25 degrees Celsius outside). the best i have come to identifying him is that he is a millipede, not common to Canada, (at least I don’t think so). with some help from my biology teacher we figure he may be of the order chordeumida. He’s about two inches long, black and yellow banded, and has around 28 body segments, and pinkish legs. he greatly resembles the photo sent in in October, by Andre Boutin-Maloney, who also lives in Saskatchewan. I’ve got him set up in a terrarium with lots of humidity and veggies to eat, and he’s doing well, but I’d really like to know more specifically what type of pet it is I have taken in. thanks for any help you can offer,
Jamey Parker
Hi Jamey,
Sorry for the delay. One of our favorite sources for identification BugGuide, does not mention the order Chordeumida. Similar looking Millipedes are put in the order Spirobolida and BugGuide says there are about 35 species north of Mexico. We were never able to positively identify Andre’s Millipede and sadly, we are unable to give you anything more specific. Try a museum of natural history.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
1/11/06 . An introduced representative of the tropical family Rhinocricidae (Spirobolida), introduced to Canada where it cannot survive outdoors in winter.
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 11 January 2006
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Millipede Question
Dear Bugman,
I bought a tropical plant at Walmart today and when I was transplanting it to a pot we found this little millipede inside. I looked on the net but couldn’t find anything that looked like him/her. Can you tell me what it is? I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. Is this native to Canada? If not, should I release it?
Thank you,
Andre Boutin-Maloney
Hi Andre,
What a lovely Millipede. We are not sure if it is exotic or Canadian. We do not recognize. We would not recommend releasing it until you are sure. Try a local Natural History Museum and we will try additional research on our end.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
10/9/05 . An introduced representative of the tropical family Rhinocricidae (Spirobolida), introduced to Canada where it cannot survive outdoors in winter.
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 09 October 2005
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centipedes
Hello folks, I hope all is well. On a hike at a local conservation area I photographed this mass! Is it centipede larva? Take Care, Janet from Dundas, Ontario
Hi Janet,
According to BugGuide, these Millipedes are in the order Polydesmida, the Flat Backed Millipedes. Sometimes the aggregate after rains.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
9/19/05 . Apheloria virginiensis corrugata (Koch) (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae), 1 adult plus juveniles.
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 19 September 2005
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Can you identify this….
I almost stepped on this (millipede?) this morning in West Virginia. I was visiting my brother-in-law and he said he had no clue what it was. It’s shell was pretty hard (I tapped it with a stick) and I think it looks poisonous- Can you identify it for me? Thanks!
Jennifer in Ohio
Hi Jennifer,
BugGuide lists this Millipede as being in the order Polydesmida. According to Eric Eaton they secrete a cyanide compound.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
7/24/05 . Oh Apheloria virginiensis corrugata (Koch) (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae),
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 24 July 2005
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hope 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
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Posted 09 June 2005
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the strangest bug i’ve ever seen in my life!
I was hiking at McConell’s Mills in Western Pennsylvania and happened across this bug sitting in the middle of the street. It appears to me to be some sort of beetle larva, but it’s SO big. It also had this fancy move it did when we touched its head with a stick – it would curl its tail under [which was soft like a catepillar's body] to quickly launch itself backward a few inches. Here it is pictured with my boyfriend’s finger [who, for scale, is 6'4"]. And here is another better picture of its face. I also have a video i took of it walking and doing its cool backwards launch maneuver, which you can have if you’re interested. PLEASE tell us what kind of bug this is. We’re absolutely dying to know. I almost regret not taking it home with me! I just hope it didn’t wander back into the middle of the road. Thanks!
Jen and Glenn
ps. We also found a bunch of these really pretty red and black millipedes, which i’ve included a picture of. They were about 4 inches long.
Hi Jen and Glenn,
You have just encounted a Hellgrammite, the larval form of the Dobsonfly. These curious larvae are prized by fishermen as bait. Your millipede is indeed quite beautiful.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
6/6/05 . W PA Narceus americanus .
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 06 June 2005
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Millipedes? Help…
Dear Bugman,
I recently moved into an large, old house in Italy and have been overrun by a millipede-like bug. Approximately 20 of these appear every day and seem to prefer affixing themselves to the ceiling. I have been blasting them daily with bugspray which is reducing their numbers, but would like to find their lair and get rid of them completely. Any advice….?
Thanks
Dom
Hi Dom,
You do have millipedes. They like damp conditions, and other than being a nuisance, they are not harmful. Populations tend to rise and fall with seasonal and weather conditions, and the drier days of summer should see the numbers decrease. Millipedes also do not wander far from damp ground, and finding them on the ceiling might be a sign of rotting wood in the walls. Sorry, I can’t give you any erradication advice.
Update: (01/20/2008) Millipede IDs
2/3/05 . Probably a representative of the Julidae (Julida) which are common in Europe .
Rowland Shelley
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
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Posted 03 February 2005
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