# Furry Millipede?



## Kasha (May 8, 2006)

I asked this question before, but with so many new people on I am hoping someone may know something new.
Ok so a while ago I rescued a millipede from a local pet shop with what I thought was a fungus covering her mouthparts.  A vet check later and all we know is that it is NOT organic.  So not fungus.  THe vet said ithat under the microscope, it looked like hairs.  For a while there they seemed to be a lot fewer, but now they are getting more abundant.  She is an AGB, adult, and fat and sassy.  She isn't to fond of handling, and I am having a hard time getting pics, but here is a description.
Blondish/golden hairs that cover the mouth parts and legs on the first 2 segments as well as a little way up the sides of those same segments and almost covering her antenna.  The do not seem to bother her, nor get in the way of feeding.  She is completely normal otherwise.  
I will endeavor to get a good pic of it in a few hours when the husband gets home for lunch.
Any ideas?  Has anyone come across this before?  I hesitate to wipe at them with mineral oil (vet suggestion) since they don't seem to bother her at all.
And mind you the vet handled her with RUBBER GLOVES!  My 3 year old daughter kisses her, but the vet was afraid of her "poison".  Good gravy, we need entomologist vets.


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## Kasha (May 8, 2006)

Here is a picture of her, and you can see some of the "fur" on her antenna.  She was giving me really good shots of it, but my camera wouldn't focus...best $450 I ever spent  
Anyway, it is definetly hair of some kind.  Check it out and let me know what you think.


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## Scolopendra55 (May 8, 2006)

Thats sweet!! I'm not sure it's hair though?


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## J Morningstar (May 8, 2006)

all right,
 here goes. I use to see that on mine from time to time. I think (and this is my guess) I think it is left over fluid that hardens into that weird hair from milli sex.
I know scoff, laugh, but I noticed the ones who seemed to be doing "it" the most had the most and it always seems to go away.
 Okay I said it.


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## Elizabeth (May 8, 2006)

Then if she or he is a lone pede, is the best guess she is ready for action? 

And what did you do when your pedes got the hairy fuzzies?  Just leave it on them? Give them a rubbing rock or branch? Anything?  :?


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## cacoseraph (May 8, 2006)

J Morningstar said:
			
		

> all right,
> here goes. I use to see that on mine from time to time. I think (and this is my guess) I think it is left over fluid that hardens into that weird hair from milli sex.
> I know scoff, laugh, but I noticed the ones who seemed to be doing "it" the most had the most and it always seems to go away.
> Okay I said it.


intersting... it looked almost like a crystaline growth in the pics to me

that would jive with your theory. like making salt or rock sugar crystals


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## J Morningstar (May 9, 2006)

Yea, I was hesitant to even post at first but it's not the first time I had seen it and I would hate someone knowing this and not sharing. It does look like a fatal fungal infection. I do not think I have ever seen a dead millipede with it on it.
I really do think that is it. I have also seen males extend their gonopods and litterally shake till tey are dripping with fluid then eat the fluid. If you think I am not serious there is no way I would make this up. But they also end up sometimes like this with the "hair".


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## Kasha (May 9, 2006)

I never saw them mate and this is a female.  My adult male just passed away last month.  
I wonder if she can make "fluid" like a male (minus the sperm of course).  It would explain why it does not seem to affect her in any way..  Hmmm...I would never have thought of this.  Could it possibly be a sigh of receptiveness to a male?
Has anyone encoutered this on their females before?  Or is mine particularly horny?


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## ROACHMAN (May 9, 2006)

*millipeds*

hey morningstar very good that is what it is left over love juice :clap: :clap:


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## kerensky (May 13, 2006)

the focus looks pretty all right, but looks overexposed 
try switching off the flash and switching on the main lights instead?


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## monicabeth10 (Jun 18, 2011)

*Laboulbeniales fungus*

Kasha,

This post is almost 5 years old now, but I'm wondering about what happened to your millipede?  

This IS/ was a fungus, despite what your vet says.  It is an undescribed species of Laboulbeniales fungus.  There are 2000 species of these: many entomologists confuse them with hairs.  I am a mycologist.  Several years ago I was contacted by a vet and her client who owned an infected millipede, for help.  The fungus grows on the head, mouthparts, antennae, and between the front legs.  I experimented with a fungicide in the food, but we couldn't get the millipede to eat.  Eventually the millipede died and I took it into my possession.   

I haven't described the fungus in the literature yet but plan to soon.  I am interested in learning more about the conditions that predispose these animals to infection.  From what little I've been able to glean on internet forums and such, it seems to be common in older animals and correlated with fewer molts.  I would be interested in hearing if any other species of millipedes may be infected as well. 

If anyone has any information, I'd be glad to hear it.


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## Kasha (Jun 20, 2011)

That sounds like it!   
I kept her for a almost a year or so longer, then had to re-home them.  She was kept in a habitat with another AGB, and some N. Americanus(sp?) and none of them ever showed any sign of infection.  She never seemed to have any issues with them. And in that time she never molted.  
If I remember anything else I will be sure to let you know.


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## J Morningstar (Jun 20, 2011)

I do believe that I lost my entier collection to this fungus, I saw it on my biggest of millipedes, and did not know what to do....


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## aroy (Jun 24, 2011)

Morningstar, I am working with Monica on this project of describing the fungus. I was wondering if you have any pedes that have this currently or have the remains of the ones you lost. We are really sorry to hear that and would like to get to the bottom of this problem. Finding more specimens is what we need to form a better description as well as to learn more about it. 
Kasha do you by any chance know where your AGB ended up?

Thanks
Alex


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## monicabeth10 (Jun 24, 2011)

Morningstar,

Bummer.  It seems like they get sluggish and stop eating.  Sorry to hear that.  If it weren't for that it might be possible to treat them with a fungicide through the food.

If any of you have any more information regarding current pets that have the fungus, we'd like to hear about... you can contact either Alex or I.

Monica


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## J Morningstar (Jun 25, 2011)

I had no background in anything with fungus and really thought I was right back in 2008 with the secretions, but it would seem that is most likely perhaps was a little of both...how strange..and by that I mean perhaps this is one way it was transmitted.


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## Liusti (Oct 4, 2011)

Hey, I think my A. gigas has this same fungus infection. It looks the same: 







She is otherwise very healthy, but maybe she hasn't been that cheery than before... I'm not sure. But I just want to know, is there anything I can do? Anything? Will she die because of this? And is the infection contagious (=Can I keep other millipede/-s with this one)?

(And sorry for my bad English...)

Thanks! 
Oona

Reactions: Like 1


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## J Morningstar (Oct 5, 2011)

It does look like the fungual infection mentioned here. And I would not keep others with the infected one, IT seems like ti was transmitted through contact.


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## Liusti (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks, I thought the same. But what would you do if you had a infected millipede? I'd like to hear some ideas, some advice what to do. Like how to stop the spread of the fungus and/or how to cut it down... ):


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## Liusti (Oct 26, 2011)

I haven't seen the millipede for a few days... What would you even try to do if you had the same situation? |:


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## J Morningstar (Oct 26, 2011)

I think you'll have to wait and see. I don't remember any of them living through it in the end. I know there is another thread on this somewhere, it had some more direct info of the nature of the problem. I will try, but you could too to find it.


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## KyuZo (Nov 4, 2011)

okay, so i was doing some research on this problem and i don't know if anyone had mentioned this solution yet, but here is what i found:

http://www.archispirostreptus.com/


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## Galapoheros (Nov 13, 2011)

It wouldn't surprise me if most of them carry that fungus but stays dormant for a long time, just thinking out loud.  I wonder if the symbiotic mites have something to do with keeping it at bay.  

I have an idea, I don't know if it would kill the millipede though.  But if you have one that has the fungus and looks like it's going to die anyway, why not use anti-fungal medication made for athletes foot.  I'd try Fungicure on the millipede.  It's made for Athlete's foot but the active ingredient is a "general" anti-fungal med.  There is alcohol in it, but it will evaporate, I'd try it.  Or, maybe safer, powdered Tinactin.  But I get the feeling the fungus is internal and the hairs are something like a fungal bloom out of the body, is that correct?

Reactions: Like 1


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## KyuZo (Nov 13, 2011)

something tell me that the CB millipedes might not have this problem.  i'm thinking that this might be something that they would get from stress during the long shipment and improper petshop's husbandry.  i thinking that it might be something similar to fishes when they're stressed, but then again, i might totally be off.


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## aroy (Jan 19, 2012)

Using a fungicide, such as used for athletes foot, has been tried with similar types of fungal infections on other critters. These types of fungus are very host specific and it is likely that it can only survive on this specific species of millipede. From what we have found this can cause the death of the milli and so if it really seems sick trying a fungicide might be worth trying. There are also fungicides that you could try and put on its food. Galapoheros you are correct in thinking that the fungus is actually inside the millepede and what you are seeing is like a bloom. It has male and female parts. We would certainly like to hear if anyone has success at treating this. We are hoping that after we can learn more about it we might be able to work out a method to treat it. If anyone knows where we can get our hands on a millepede affected we would be grateful. Also if you have a millepede affected by this that passes away we would love to take a look at it. We are in the Denver, CO area. Another question we are interested in is if this is cured after a molting. We have seen mention of this and would like to know more about it. We will try also to report back any information we find out.

Thanks,
Alex

---------- Post added 01-19-2012 at 05:33 PM ----------

It seems likely that stress could definitely allow the fungus to flourish. It would be interesting to see if this does or does not appear on CB millepedes. This would likely be that they are not in contact with other millepedes that carry the fungus.




KyuZo said:


> something tell me that the CB millipedes might not have this problem.  i'm thinking that this might be something that they would get from stress during the long shipment and improper petshop's husbandry.  i thinking that it might be something similar to fishes when they're stressed, but then again, i might totally be off.


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## SDCPs (May 3, 2012)

I have a CB male AGB and it developed this fungus. I am very alarmed! Last night the millipede was allowing 2 isopods to clean its underside. They must have been feasting on the fungus. This morning, the millipede was still there, although the isopods were not. It looks very sick, but the fungus is still in the early blooming stages. I have 3 CB millipedes in a 50 gallon terrarium with oak leaves, wood, peat moss, sand and natural chalk/cuttlebone for the substrate.

This millipede cost me almost $150, and I would be very sad to lose him. Any suggestions? Alex or Monica, I may be willing to send him to you.


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