Mulch munchers

Millipedes, which are “looked down upon”, contribute to conservation by breaking down wood and leaves and increasing soil mineralisation. They also can be a boon to farmers in search of alternatives to chemicals.

 

Bulldozer millipede with blue-green legs from the Eastern Ghats.

A giant pill millipede of the order Sphaerotheriida from southern Western Ghats.

Giant pill millipede beginning to open.

Giant millipede of the family Zephroniidae from north-eastern India. Pill millipedes roll into a ball when a threat is preceived.

Plate millipede, Anoplodesmus species, from Suchindrum, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. They are the most diverse Indian species.

A millipede of the order Spirostreptida from the family. Harpagophoridae.

Millipedes belong to the class Diplopoda. The term describes them accurately as they have two (diplo) pairs of legs (poda) in each segment of their body.

A giant pill millipede belonging to the Arthrosphaera species rolled into a ball.

Arthrosphaera species beginning its roll to close. A locking mechanism ensures that they cannot be prised open unless you harm them. This is also a protective mechanism to reduce water loss by reducing the surface area exposed to air.

Pink-legged millipede belonging to the Aulacobolus species from southern Western Ghats.

Millipedes prefer environments with constant to high moisture levels and moderate temperatures. They are therefore abundantly distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions.

Red and black giant pill millipede from southern Western Ghats.

Eumillipes persephone, a female with 1,306 legs, from Australia. Image by Dr Paul Marek (Wikipedia).

Flat-backed millipede of the Paradoxosomatidae species.

Trigoniulus corallinus from the Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary.

Centipede. Centipedes belong to the order Chilopoda. Unlike millipedes, they have only one pair of legs in a segment.

Centipedes are carnivorous, and their bite carries a venom that can harm humans.

Spirostreptids range in size from the largest millipedes to the smallest. They are adapted to live in various types of biomes—rain forests, grasslands, deserts and caves.

Trigoniulus corallinus, a pantropical Spirobolid millipede common across India.

A black bulldozer, Aulacobolus species, from Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary.

Litter splitters or plate millipedes from Suchindram.

While most millipedes are predominantly forest-floor/soil dwellers, some of them climb trees to reside in crevices to feed and escape the heat.

Wedge or litter splitter, Chondromorpha species, Suchindrum.

1 / 0

A Spirobolid bulldozer millipede, Eucentrobolus maindroni, from the southern Western Ghats region.