Anyone Know Anything About Onomeris, North American Pill Millipedes?

Adam Cochran

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
11
So I've been studying up, trying to find all the information I can on Onomeris, a genus of North American pill millipedes. Why? Because I'm interested in obtaining some pill millipedes that I can actually care for, unlike the exotic pill millipedes found outside the United States. I've never had any pill millipedes but I do desire them.

What I want to know is the range of these millipedes and what states do Onomeris millipedes live in and what kind of habitat they occur in. There's no sense in me going out in the woods to look for a specie of millipede that does not occur there. So that's why I'm asking for help here. I have read here on Arachnoboards from a post by a member in 2009 that North American pill millipedes do exist in at least two different genera. I'm mostly interested in the Onomeris genus. If anyone knows anything about Onomeris millipedes please tell me all that you know about them and/or redirect me to any source of information about Onomeris. I would really like to know if any species of Onomeris occur in eastern Kentucky and how I could go about finding some. It could be that I live outside the range of Onomeris, but I have to at least try to figure out where exactly I can find Onomeris in the wild.

Most of the information I find on pill millipedes is outdated and/or specific to pill millipedes not found in the United States. So yeah any help is appreciated.

I did just find a study called "Revision of the American Millipedes I: Onomeris and Trichomeris" that gave scamp details into where three different species of Onomeris can be found. The most helpful info I could find is that there is one species of Onomeris, Onomeris sinuata, that is found in the Cumberland Plateau region of North America--but I cannot seem to find any more info on this particular species that could help me in obtaining an Onomeris species of pill millipede.

I've got a lot of researching to do. Again, any help that proves beneficial is appreciated. If I find anything out, I will also let you guys know here on Arachnoboards. Peace.
 

hecklad

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
120
I can't really add anything, but I can say check inaturalist for sightings. Also... Pill millipedes on the cumberland plateau!!? I live just south of there, maybe I can find some next time I go up. If there aren't any near you, and I'm able to find some, maybe I could send some to you.
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
There was a member on here who posted about his experience finding and raising a species of Onomeris from Alabama...I'll see if I can find his thread.

Not to discourage you, but some Glomeris sp., particularly pustulata, have been coming into the US front lately. I think a seller on here was offering some. It might be worth looking into since they have good survival rates and are much larger than any US-native species.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Adam Cochran

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
11
The pictures provided in that thread you posted seem to indicate that species of Onomeris are tiny and easily overlooked and those pictures didn't reveal much as to what they look like up close to the naked eye. I just don't understand what kind of habitat are these pedes found in and if it's possible to find them as far north as Kentucky(they probably are found in Kentucky, but I never seen any). I'm stumped as to where and how to look for Onomeris. I don't know whether I should be looking up high in the hills or low in the bottomlands.
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
1,486
The pictures provided in that thread you posted seem to indicate that species of Onomeris are tiny and easily overlooked and those pictures didn't reveal much as to what they look like up close to the naked eye. I just don't understand what kind of habitat are these pedes found in and if it's possible to find them as far north as Kentucky(they probably are found in Kentucky, but I never seen any). I'm stumped as to where and how to look for Onomeris. I don't know whether I should be looking up high in the hills or low in the bottomlands.
According to these naturalist sightings these guys can be found in northern Tennessee. It would not surprise me if these guys could also be found in Kentucky.
 

hecklad

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
120
The pictures provided in that thread you posted seem to indicate that species of Onomeris are tiny and easily overlooked and those pictures didn't reveal much as to what they look like up close to the naked eye. I just don't understand what kind of habitat are these pedes found in and if it's possible to find them as far north as Kentucky(they probably are found in Kentucky, but I never seen any). I'm stumped as to where and how to look for Onomeris. I don't know whether I should be looking up high in the hills or low in the bottomlands.
I don't think elevation really matters to them but IMO lower areas would be more likely to yield them. They (from what reading I've done since the other day) seem to need/prefer lots of moisture and the undersides of rotting logs.
 

davehuth

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
278
I've kept Onomeris wild collected from the Florida panhandle for about 5 months. They are extremely tiny, nearly invisible when rolled and still. I placed a handful in a small moist enclosure containing rotten wood, leaves, and live moss – and I haven't seen more than 1 at a time since then (and not every time I check). To make them interesting enough to be worth keeping, I need to occasionally see them. So my hope is that they might reproduce in sufficient numbers to be able to catch a glimpse of them more often.

As a previous post said, the larger and more ornate European Glomeris species are becoming more common in the North American hobby as a few dedicated professionals work hard at learning their husbandry needs. I've had best luck with G. pustulata and G. pulchra ... but haven't been able to sustain them for more than a year, so I'm not acquiring them again until more is known about them. @Elytra and Antenna has been selling G. pulchra when he has some available.
 
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