# Millipede Identification?



## JonDaAzn (Dec 23, 2004)

I was poking around my backyard yesterday when i found a great deal of these millipedes underneath some rotting log sections, I live in Southern California, does anyone have any idea what these may be?

Edit: also, there appear to be two different millipedes, I'm not sure if these are two species, sexual dimorphism, or different phases, but in the first picture you can see the two on either side are larger and a creamy brown, while the one in the middle is smaller and a darker black, in the four speciemens i caught, there were two large light ones and two small dark ones


----------



## JonDaAzn (Dec 25, 2004)

does anyone know where i could find some sort of identification table? i googled the keywords "millipede", "Southern California", and "myriopod" and couldnt find anything


----------



## Wade (Dec 26, 2004)

They appear to be some type of polydesmid, but I can't get more specific than that.

Wade


----------



## JonDaAzn (Dec 26, 2004)

thanks for the help, i also found this pseudo-identification table online
http://www.humboldt.edu/~natmus/newsletter/Miriapoda/myriapoda.html


----------



## Milli-maniac (Dec 28, 2004)

*Where are you*

I also live in South Cali in Bakersfield..outskirts there of , but anyway the only millipedes ive been able to find where i live are small white round ones that dont have any coloration except for colored sphiricals [pardon the spelling] i9ve never seen poly's where i live but ill kepp searching.... i aklso have cought several very small [1/4-1/2 inche centi's around here dunno what they are either,,and FYI i have 4 AGB's BIG ones!!!   ;P


----------



## Chironex (Dec 29, 2004)

They look identical to the millipedes I have. 
I found 3 black and 1 brown, they all look "Exactly!" like the millipedes you found..... only I live in Australia.
They breed like crazy! I think I have had three sets of young in 3-4 months.

GO HERE TO SEE
(best i could ever find)

Brent


----------



## JonDaAzn (Dec 30, 2004)

wow! its almost an exact match, very interesting


----------



## duncan27 (Jun 17, 2008)

I just found a bunch of these little critter the other day too.  Grabbed them along with 2 centipedes (about 1/2 in).  Got them in a container with some dirt from under the rock and some of the dead grass and leaves from nearby.  I am hoping to keep them for awhile but am not sure what to feed them or if I am housing them properly.  I have a couple pics but need to wait until I get back home to upload them.

As of right now I have thrown in a piece of apple and grape, but they don't seem interested.  Do they go for the fresh stuff like some of the bigger millies or do they like it a little rotten after sitting there a couple days?  Should I just keep putting in leaves and grass clippings from the yard and let them eat that?


----------



## millipeter (Jun 18, 2008)

It's the Polydesmid _Oxidus gracilis_, an Asian species introduced by man around the world. In the temperate region you will find them often in greenhouses, potted plants and compost heaps.


----------



## millipeter (Jun 18, 2008)

Addition: That there are lighter and darker ones are normal. After molting they are creamy white and turn to brown or almost black within some weeks. In size they differ from 1,6-2,3cm.


----------



## duncan27 (Jun 18, 2008)

thanks for the info, any thoughts on how to set them up and feed them??


----------



## millipeter (Jun 19, 2008)

Keep them always moist at temperatures about 20-28°C and and for food you can give them everything that you find on a compost heap (rotten soft plant stuff) and after some months you will have  a few hundred of them more in your tank


----------



## dtknow (Jun 19, 2008)

Haha. A better question may be how to get rid of them.

Does anything eat them?


----------



## millipeter (Jun 20, 2008)

Yeh, thats the problem with them. In the temperate region they don't survive the cold winters ouitside. Only in deep compost heaps or greenhouses they can survive. In the warmer regions they can survive and breed outside and can effect in this way the local millipede communities. So this species is found all over the world. 
I don't think that there are so much predatores that will eat them. These millipedes have a cyanid secrete for defense. It's that strong almond like smell. Maybe there are some toads/frogs that eat/survive them  
Be careful where and how you get rid of your old substrate which can contain eggs or juvenils. The local fauna will thank you.


----------

