greenhouse millipede

not listed

NNA - Not applicable

not listed

Greenhouse millipede is an exotic, small, flat-backed millipede. It is thought to be native to Japan, but it has been introduced around the world. It is now naturalized in Europe, western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, South Africa, New Zealand, North America, and South America. In the United States it is common east of the Great Plains and west of the Rocky Mountains. Between these regions it is also common in areas surrounding each of the large cities. Its spread is aided by shipments of garden soil. In Minnesota it has been recorded only in the southeast quarter of the state. It is found in areas with moist soil, including greenhouses, gardens, and leaf piles, especially in municipalities and urban environments. When disturbed it exudes a foul-smelling toxin. It is poisonous to predators but not to humans.

The adult is ⅝″ to 13⁄16″ (16 to 21 mm) long and 1⁄16″ to 3⁄32″ (2.0 to 2.5 mm) wide. The body appears flattened when viewed from the side. The head is large and round. It bears a pair of antennae, a pair of mouthparts (first maxillae) that are fused together and serve as a lower lip, no second maxillae, and no eyes.

There are 20 body rings and a total of 31 pairs of pale brown legs. Rings 1 through 4 are simple segments and are called segments. Ring 1 has no legs. Rings 2 and 3 have a single pair of legs. Ring 4 also has a single pair of legs but is the first segment to bear a pair of breathing pores (spiracles). Rings 5 through 18 are each composed of two segments that have been fused together and are called diplosegments. Each bear two pairs of legs and two pairs of spiracles. Ring 19 is a diplosegment but has no legs and no spiracles. Ring 20 is not a true segment. It is the anal ring and is called the telson. It bears no legs. On males, ring 7 has just a single pair of legs. The front pair has been modified into a pair of reproductive structures (gonopods).

Each ring is covered above with a black to dark brown, hard, rigid plate (tergite). Each tergite has a well-developed, flattened, plate-like extension (paranotum) on each side. The paranota are mostly, or at least in part, the same color as the legs. They are rounded and blunt near the middle of the body, but they get longer and sharper approaching the rear of the body. On each diplosegment the middle portion of each tergite (metatergite) has a distinct horizontal groove and one or two rows of stiff hairs (setae).

Total length: ⅝″ to 13⁄16″ (16 to 21 mm)

Areas with moist soil, especially in greenhouses, gardens, and leaf piles.

Year round

The flattened shape of the body allows the millipede to push its way between layers of leaves.

Decaying leaves and wood

Sources

24, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Location: Vetsch Park in La Crescent

Location: Albany, NY

Location: Albany, NY