I.d. help?

[Christoph27]

Found this beauty on a hike yesterday, wondering if anyone could help me out with the identification.

 

[Wesley Smith]

Almost certainly N. Americanus.

 

[7Fin]

Almost certainly N. Americanus.

Yup, definitely. And a really pretty one at that!

 

[Christoph27]

Ive never found one this large, I've really only seen a few and they have only been around 2". I believe they are a favorite of the woodpeckers and shrews we have in East TN, therefore ther is a short window between them coming out and then being eaten. You see a lot more Harpaphe haydeniana in this area as well.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Ive never found one this large, I've really only seen a few and they have only been around 2". I believe they are a favorite of the woodpeckers and shrews we have in East TN, therefore ther is a short window between them coming out and then being eaten. You see a lot more Harpaphe haydeniana in this area as well.

I would be rather surprised if a mammal could eat Narceus. When mine really get scared the benzoquinones are enough to make my eyes water. I can't imagine what that would taste like.

 

[Christoph27]

I would be rather surprised if a mammal could eat Narceus. When mine really get scared the benzoquinones are enough to make my eyes water. I can't imagine what that would taste like.

Thats what i thought as well. My brother and i were hiking a regular trail we visit and came across a number of them. They had been decapitated and were hollow (one still moving). It was like a murder scene miniaturized... We had seen both woodpecker and mole shrews on the same day so it was my only logical guess.

 

[Arthroverts]

Harpaphe haydeniana is only found in the Northwest from Alsaska to Northern California, so what you're seeing could be Sigmoria sp. or Apheloria sp., or maybe some other species.
The N. americanus you found is beautiful, by the way!

Arthroverts

 

[Christoph27]

Harpaphe haydeniana is only found in the Northwest from Alsaska to Northern California, so what you're seeing could be Sigmoria sp. or Apheloria sp., or maybe some other species.
The N. americanus you found is beautiful, by the way!

Arthroverts

So many that look so very similar, im better with the eight legged. Thanks for the help.

 

[Arthroverts]

So many that look so very similar, im better with the eight legged. Thanks for the help.

You're welcome!

 

[LawnShrimp]

Thats what i thought as well. My brother and i were hiking a regular trail we visit and came across a number of them. They had been decapitated and were hollow (one still moving). It was like a murder scene miniaturized... We had seen both woodpecker and mole shrews on the same day so it was my only logical guess.

Firefly larvae are obligate millipede eaters that leave perfect shells behind. I don't know if any are active in your area though.

 

[Exoskelos]

I would be rather surprised if a mammal could eat Narceus. When mine really get scared the benzoquinones are enough to make my eyes water. I can't imagine what that would taste like.

I was just out on a millipede hunt the other day, and it seems skunks have found my main collecting site. Thought about live trapping and relocating it, but it's a skunk, so I'll either have to use a deterrent or just get it with a pellet gun. Opossums, skunks, shrews, minks, moles, raccoons, and most birds eat millipedes. Certain larval parasites carried by millipedes reach their final mammalian hosts this way, like Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa.
I've been trying to find out if the larval stages of these parasites are potential zoonoses, but most information on millipede parasites is sorely lacking. The leg rot commonly seen on millipedes is caused by a protozoan blood parasite, that would be scary if it could cross species barriers.
It looks like a tick or a mite is hitching a ride on the one in the photo by the way.

 

[Christoph27]

Firefly larvae are obligate millipede eaters that leave perfect shells behind. I don't know if any are active in your area though.

We have them everywhere!

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Firefly larvae are obligate millipede eaters that leave perfect shells behind. I don't know if any are active in your area though.

You're thinking of Phengodid beetles or railroad worms, which are relatives of fireflies that prey on millipedes. Firefly larvae usually eat worms and snails. Interestingly it's not just the larvae that eat millipedes, it's also the adult females which are wingless and resemble larvae.

We have them everywhere!

If the larvae you see only glow at the end of their tail, they're firefly larvae, which don't prey on millipedes. If you see grublike creatures with glowing spots running the length of their bodies, they're phengodids and definitely the culprits behind the millipede murders you've witnessed.

Opossums, skunks, shrews, minks, moles, raccoons, and most birds eat millipedes. Certain larval parasites carried by millipedes reach their final mammalian hosts this way, like Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa.

If this is true it probably refers to smaller and less toxic types of millipedes. Large millipedes such as Narceus have very few predators due to their toxicity and unpalatability.

Millipedes are very slow- growing animals. Narceus take years to reach maturity. By comparison a large caterpillar takes a few weeks to a month to reach the same size. Yet they are often very abundant, just today I was in a forest where peeling the bark off of dead logs quickly revealed over a dozen full- grown Narceus in a matter of minutes, and if you visit their habitat at night you'll see large numbers of them crawling up tree trunks. If they were regularly preyed upon by birds and mammals there's no way they would reach such densities given their long life cycle.

 

[Christoph27]

If you see grublike creatures with glowing spots running the length of their bodies, they're phengodids and definitely the culprits behind the millipede murders you've witnessed.

Thank you for the info, it was the first time id seen that many dead within a 10-20 yard radius, just a truly wild sight.

Yet they are often very abundant, just today I was in a forest where peeling the bark off of dead logs quickly revealed over a dozen full- grown Narceus in a matter of minutes, and if you visit their habitat at night you'll see large numbers of them crawling up tree trunks

We did go back on a later hike a few days ago and i was able to see this. I lost count of Narceus not to mention the flatbacks that where so abundant it would be pointless to try and put a number on. I would never take anything from the forest without knowing more about it so with all that said, would it be a bad idea if i were to collect one or two of Narceus?

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Thank you for the info, it was the first time id seen that many dead within a 10-20 yard radius, just a truly wild sight.



We did go back on a later hike a few days ago and i was able to see this. I lost count of Narceus not to mention the flatbacks that where so abundant it would be pointless to try and put a number on. I would never take anything from the forest without knowing more about it so with all that said, would it be a bad idea if i were to collect one or two of Narceus?

They're easy to to care for, just give them an enclosure with ventilation and a deep layer of substrate containing dead leaves and decaying wood (preferably the wood you find them feeding on, although they're not picky- I've found them feeding on well- rotted pine) and make sure the substrate doesn't dry out. They should breed too.

If you want to breed them I would grab a few more than two, although it is possible to sex them. The 7th segment on males is noticeably swollen.

 

[Christoph27]

They're easy to to care for, just give them an enclosure with ventilation and a deep layer of substrate containing dead leaves and decaying wood (preferably the wood you find them feeding on, although they're not picky- I've found them feeding on well- rotted pine) and make sure the substrate doesn't dry out. They should breed too.

If you want to breed them I would grab a few more than two, although it is possible to sex them. The 7th segment on males is noticeably swollen.

Thanks alot, i already have everything for an enclosure set up. Ill get it put together and probably go out tomorrow evening to see what i come across.