Largest US Native Millipede Species?

[Ajohnson5263]

Hi, what is the largest species of US native Millipede? I've searched this many times and keep getting different results. All input appreciated.

 

[Millipedematt]

The Orthoporus ornatus and O. Texicolens can grow between 3-6 inches in length. I personally keep O. Texicolens and they are the longest species I have at the moment. I do plan on getting more hopefully along with some O. Ornatus as well. Hope this helps

 

[LawnShrimp]

Orthoporus sp. are indeed the largest, but have never successfully been bred in captivity despite their ease of care. Certain localities of Orthoporus are larger than others, the largest max out around 6".
Paeromopus is a Julid millipede native to redwood forests that can top 6" but it is difficult to keep alive and is hard to find.
Narceus americanus and Narceus gordanus can get slightly over 4" but are easy to keep and breed. N. gordanus in particular can get very thick and heavy.

 

[mickiem]

Both the Narceus gordanus and americanus have twice the girth (gordanus more so, as @LawnShrimp stated) than the Orthoporus species. But the N. americanus is a lot more active than the N. gordanus and therefore make a better pet (IMO). I rarely see any of my N. gordanus and I have over 60 (+ babies+). Also, if we aren't breeding a species in captivity, how long can we collect them from the wild without negatively impacting the species?

 

[LawnShrimp]

Both the Narceus gordanus and americanus have twice the girth (gordanus more so, as @LawnShrimp stated) than the Orthoporus species. But the N. americanus is a lot more active than the N. gordanus and therefore make a better pet (IMO). I rarely see any of my N. gordanus and I have over 60 (+ babies+). Also, if we aren't breeding a species in captivity, how long can we collect them from the wild without negatively impacting the species?

That's something I think about frequently, and one of the reasons I am hesitant to buy Orthoporus. Once it is possible to breed them sustainably, I would love to own some, but I dislike keeping millis I can't breed (polydesmids, pill millipedes, Orthoporus, etc.).

 

[desmess3000]

Sounds to me like we need to work on this problem lol.
If anyone could find a way to breed these it's gotta be someone on this forum...I know a pet store ain't gonna get it done

 

[centipeedle]

I have some and am trying to breed them,and yes orthoporus ornatus gets the largest.

 

[7Fin]

I'm pretty sure that Narceus Gordanus is the largest US species of millipede, but O. Ornatus is the longest.

 

[desmess3000]

I have some and am trying to breed them,and yes orthoporus ornatus gets the largest.

Are you doing anything different in there setup (substrate, temp, humidity, diet ect) to see if any of these are a factor for breeding?

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread here I'm just curious lol.

I would agree with everyone else and say O. Texicolens would be the longest American sp...I've seen some at least 7 inches long if not more, skinny but long and such beautiful colors.

 

[centipeedle]

I'm pretty sure that Narceus Gordanus is the largest US species of millipede, but O. Ornatus is the longest.

Thickness wise, yeah, but as you said ornatus is the longest.

 

[centipeedle]

Are you doing anything different in there setup (substrate, temp, humidity, diet ect) to see if any of these are a factor for breeding?

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread here I'm just curious lol.

I would agree with everyone else and say O. Texicolens would be the longest American sp...I've seen some at least 7 inches long if not more, skinny but long and such beautiful colors.

Not really. I still don’t have babies yet. My first invert was an ornatus that could have been 8” and from what I’ve heard the ornatus get bigger than texicolens.

 

[7Fin]

Thickness wise, yeah, but as you said ornatus is the longest.

Not just thickness, I'm presetty sure Gordanus is the largest overall due to how thick it is, if we were to calculate their overall volume. Ornatus grows longer, but it's much skinnier.

 

[mickiem]

Sounds to me like we need to work on this problem lol.
If anyone could find a way to breed these it's gotta be someone on this forum...I know a pet store ain't gonna get it done

A pet store has no interest in breeding. No disrespect intended; just stating that's not why they are in business. Hopefully they understand the value in breeding programs and balance CB with WC. That's the trick.

 

[centipeedle]

I found a guy at a reptile expo who bred them, I bought some from him. I have his business card but can't find it!

 

[mickiem]

I have about 15 Os's. (ornatus) . I have kept them on the dry side all winter. At the end of February, I am going to move them into a larger enclosure (28.00"L x 16.25"W x 19.38"H). I am going to start out with the substrate in the old enclosure and then add about 2" a week until they are about 18" deep. In April I will I will add a spot light to one end of the enclosure and aim for a hot spot of up to 90. In late May I will start misting. I have substrate mixed with a desert mix from @DubiaW and food items he put together from the desert. Hopefully I will get some fresh foods like cactus paddles in May and onward. Fingers crossed. I have tried before but was unsuccessful. These millipedes are very healthy so I have high hopes. I have heard they breed METERS deep in the desert.

 

[mickiem]

I found a guy at a reptile expo who bred them, I bought some from him. I have his business card but can't find it!

I'd be very interested in knowing what he did. I have only heard of one account of this and then wasn't real sure he knew he had Oo's.

 

[centipeedle]

he had around 10" of substrate but I didn't see anything special with the setup.

 

[BobBarley]

I believe @Mastigoproctus had/has a huge Orthoporus ornatus specimen.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

The difficulty with comparing size is gordanus and ornatus specimens can be quite variable, sometimes by individual but mostly by locale.

Also, if we aren't breeding a species in captivity, how long can we collect them from the wild without negatively impacting the species?

I think as long as the habitat is not destroyed, harvesting can be rather intense without harming a population. Consider sustainable harvesting of seafood measured in millions of tons versus some Orthoporus counted by hand. However, I have not kept Orthoporus in nearly a decade since my goal and enjoyment is in keeping a continuous colony and they are "dead-end" pets.

 

[mickiem]

The difficulty with comparing size is gordanus and ornatus specimens can be quite variable, sometimes by individual but mostly by locale. I think as long as the habitat is not destroyed, harvesting can be rather intense without harming a population. Consider sustainable harvesting of seafood measured in millions of tons versus some Orthoporus counted by hand. However, I have not kept Orthoporus in nearly a decade since my goal and enjoyment is in keeping a continuous colony and they are "dead-end" pets.

Good point. I suppose it’s my own conscience with a dead end pet; taking and not giving back.