Millipedes: North American Natives

[Harlequin]

Hi Harlequin- I see lots of Narceus americanus in the woods, especially now. They are beautiful. How best to keep them?

Hello Walter1! Glad to hear that you're interested in keeping this native species! I agree with Erin. N. americanus are very easy to keep with basic guidelines listed in Cavedweller's caresheet she linked. If you wish to breed them, that may take a bit more work, but just keeping them is fairly straightforward. In my experience, they tend to like fairly moist conditions and a lot of decomposing leaf/forest litter. The 50/50 coir/litter mix listed in the caresheet sounds perfect for them. If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to do what I can to help!

Good luck, and keep us updated if you decide to keep them!

 

[billrogers]

I have one Narceus americanus and would love to find a few more, is there anywhere they particularly like to hide? I only occasionally see them. I'll try to get some pics of mine, it's pretty good size, I'd think at least 4 in.

 

[Harlequin]

I have one Narceus americanus and would love to find a few more, is there anywhere they particularly like to hide? I only occasionally see them. I'll try to get some pics of mine, it's pretty good size, I'd think at least 4 in.

Yes, please post some photos! It'd be good to see it!

I'm not sure where you live, but if you have a large river in the area, check in forested flood plains along it. I live near the Arkansas River, and in the flood regions along the banks of the river, there is a zone of 'soft' wood forest with a lot of beech, sycamore, boxelder, and cottonwood trees. Within that zone, there are *hundreds* of N. americanus per acre, usually hiding in flood debris, under logs, or even hiding in litter. By contrast, they're very uncommon outside that zone, and I rarely find them in hardwood forests where I usually find other species.

I really should spend more time looking through the local population because as high as it is here, there's almost certainly color variants. I've never found an albino, but there's quite a range of reds in segments and legs within the population.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[billrogers]

Yes, please post some photos! It'd be good to see it!

I'm not sure where you live, but if you have a large river in the area, check in forested flood plains along it. I live near the Arkansas River, and in the flood regions along the banks of the river, there is a zone of 'soft' wood forest with a lot of beech, sycamore, boxelder, and cottonwood trees. Within that zone, there are *hundreds* of N. americanus per acre, usually hiding in flood debris, under logs, or even hiding in litter. By contrast, they're very uncommon outside that zone, and I rarely find them in hardwood forests where I usually find other species.

I really should spend more time looking through the local population because as high as it is here, there's almost certainly color variants. I've never found an albino, but there's quite a range of reds in segments and legs within the population.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Thanks a lot! There is a creek on my property with a large density of beech and poplar around it, I'll need to check there.

 

[Walter1]

Thanks so

I know I wasn't asked, but if I can help, Narceus americanus are one of the more commonly kept, less demanding species. @Cavedweller 's caresheet covers all the basics if you're new to keeping millipedes.

much, Erin. I am new to keeping them. They are very abundant in mixed hardwood forests here in south-central Prnnsylvania. I'd like to set up a small colony and wTch them. Very different from my scores of tarantulas.

 

[Walter1]

Hello Walter1! Glad to hear that you're interested in keeping this native species! I agree with Erin. N. americanus are very easy to keep with basic guidelines listed in Cavedweller's caresheet she linked. If you wish to breed them, that may take a bit more work, but just keeping them is fairly straightforward. In my experience, they tend to like fairly moist conditions and a lot of decomposing leaf/forest litter. The 50/50 coir/litter mix listed in the caresheet sounds perfect for them. If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to do what I can to help!

Good luck, and keep us updated if you decide to keep them!

I wil. Thank you. My plan is to start with keeping some and see how it goes. I'll study the care sheet. Late spring, wet and somewhat cool, they're abundant.

 

[ErinM31]

Yes, the Abacion are very cool millipedes. Very fast runners, almost like a centipede. We have both A. tesselatum and A. texense here, distinguished mostly by range. I found these on the border between ranges, but as nearly as I can tell, they are A. tesselatum. They're the first millipedes I collected, but surprisingly, they seem to be one of the more sensitive species. So far, they've shown no signs of mating or egg laying, so I apparently don't have them in a stimulating environment. They definitely do NOT like water, as most other millipedes do. I usually find them when natural conditions in the wild are on the dry side, and when I mist the ones I have in culture, they sort of go crazy trying to hide. So they're proving to be more of a project than I'd anticipated.

I'm so excited! I found an Abacion millipede in one of my pitfall traps! I hadn't expected to find them around here! I haven't been able to get a good photo yet because it races about faster than my iPhone can focus, but I'll definitely get one once it's settled into an enclosure, so long as it doesn't hide all the time.

@Harlequin how do you keep your Abacion? Would coir with wood or dirt/compost be better? I have never had a millipede of this order before! Should I keep the substrate totally dry or just slightly moist or dry with a moist corner?

 

[Hisserdude]

I'm so excited! I found an Abacion millipede in one of my pitfall traps! I hadn't expected to find them around here! I haven't been able to get a good photo yet because it races about faster than my iPhone can focus, but I'll definitely get one once it's settled into an enclosure, so long as it doesn't hide all the time.

@Harlequin how do you keep your Abacion? Would coir with wood or dirt/compost be better? I have never had a millipede of this order before! Should I keep the substrate totally dry or just slightly moist or dry with a moist corner?

Awesome, those are some really cool looking millipedes! I hope you can successfully keep and breed them!

 

[ErinM31]

Awesome, those are some really cool looking millipedes! I hope you can successfully keep and breed them!

They are! I was so excited when I saw it! Thank you, @Hisserdude ! I will post pics when I can but I believe it is an Abacion and my understanding is that A. texense is the only species of the genus west of the Mississippi. I have it in an 8 oz deli container which is of course HUGE for it, lol but I wanted to give it some options and also I am hoping to find more! For substrate I laid down a base of coir and mixed in fermented oak sawdust and crumbled decayed oak; I gave it a light misting but made one area more wet. Then I put in a piece of bark and dried hardwood leaves, mostly oak. I looked at the habitat description in a paper on A. texense and saw mention of yucca, juniper and prickly cactus -- all things I have outside my door! I'll try different things and see what it likes, as well as look for more around yucca and juniper (looking around prickly cactus is owie, lol, and besides, I found this one in my trap that is faaar from those cacti).

 

[Harlequin]

@Harlequin how do you keep your Abacion? Would coir with wood or dirt/compost be better? I have never had a millipede of this order before! Should I keep the substrate totally dry or just slightly moist or dry with a moist corner?

That's great! Congratulations on the find!

I'm pretty sure the ones I have are A. tesselatum, so I'm not sure how their habitat preferences will differ from A. texense, which lives in more arid conditions. But how I keep them is in a mixed coir substrate with a heavy top layer of decomposed leaves, rotting wood, decomposed acorns/caps, and tree fungi. I've observed that Abacion doesn't seem to burrow much but rather spends most of the time in the litter layer, so I've tried to enrich that layer with diverse leaves, woods, etc. more than my other millipedes. They seem to eat more from the litter than from supplements, so paying close attention to what they are eating and what they prefer is important. They do seem to eat on an old slice of potato I put in their box. They avoided it at first when it was moist, but after it dried out and started getting a light layer of mold on it, they started feeding on it (or the mold).

As far as moisture, they don't seem to like wet conditions. And again, since A. texense lives in more arid conditions than A. tesselatum, they may be even more sensitive to it. Probably the best thing to do at first is just what you said - offer a moisture gradient to see what it prefers and adjust accordingly. So far, I haven't yet determined what makes them thrive or stimulates them to mate. They seem to be one of the more sensitive species I have. I did lose one of my large females the other day to unknown causes. She was my largest specimen, so it's very possible she just died of old age, but i'm watching the others closely. Speaking of sexes, if you haven't run across it in your literature, sexing Abacion is much easier than most other millipedes because the male gonopods are very dark and highly contrasted with the light underside.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

BTW, I realized last evening that I forgot to update you on the fish pellets I use. I was wrong - they're not tetra pellets. They're goldfish pellets: Wardley Goldfish Small Floating Pellet Food. It's like less than $3 at Walmart

 

[Chris52]

Found a good number of millipedes earlier. The large one in the pics is N. americanus, right? I also caught a large-ish flat millipede, and several smaller, pale flat millipedes that I will try to get pics of. (I live in southern Ohio.)

 

[ErinM31]

That's great! Congratulations on the find!

I'm pretty sure the ones I have are A. tesselatum, so I'm not sure how their habitat preferences will differ from A. texense, which lives in more arid conditions. But how I keep them is in a mixed coir substrate with a heavy top layer of decomposed leaves, rotting wood, decomposed acorns/caps, and tree fungi. I've observed that Abacion doesn't seem to burrow much but rather spends most of the time in the litter layer, so I've tried to enrich that layer with diverse leaves, woods, etc. more than my other millipedes. They seem to eat more from the litter than from supplements, so paying close attention to what they are eating and what they prefer is important. They do seem to eat on an old slice of potato I put in their box. They avoided it at first when it was moist, but after it dried out and started getting a light layer of mold on it, they started feeding on it (or the mold).

As far as moisture, they don't seem to like wet conditions. And again, since A. texense lives in more arid conditions than A. tesselatum, they may be even more sensitive to it. Probably the best thing to do at first is just what you said - offer a moisture gradient to see what it prefers and adjust accordingly. So far, I haven't yet determined what makes them thrive or stimulates them to mate. They seem to be one of the more sensitive species I have. I did lose one of my large females the other day to unknown causes. She was my largest specimen, so it's very possible she just died of old age, but i'm watching the others closely. Speaking of sexes, if you haven't run across it in your literature, sexing Abacion is much easier than most other millipedes because the male gonopods are very dark and highly contrasted with the light underside.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

Thank you! Here is the millipede, best I could get with my iPhone (a quality camera with a macro lens is high on my priority list!)


To my surprise, the millipede has been gravitating toward the moister part of the enclosure. I would have thought the last thing this xeric species would want after all this rain is more water! I added a bit more moisture generally. There is still a dry piece of bark and leaves the lid is highly ventilated and close to the surface so it shouldn't be humid in there. Currently, all of the wood and most of the leaves in the enclosure are oak -- it seems to usually be a good choice and oblong oak leaves dominate the local leaf litter, but I will add more options. I did include some strands of yucca leaf and a piece of cactus (one of those which grow like weeds and will probably try to find a way to grow in a shallow 8 oz deli container!). I haven't sexed it yet (definitely will once I find another); for now I'm just trying to find the right conditions to keep it happy and healthy while I'm on the lookout for more.

EDIT: And thank you for the fish food info! I'll have a look at goldfish food next time I'm out to see if it contains anything different than the varieties I've already gotten for my marine denizens.

 

[ErinM31]

View attachment 211830 View attachment 211828 Found a good number of millipedes earlier. The large one in the pics is N. americanus, right? I also caught a large-ish flat millipede, and several smaller, pale flat millipedes that I will try to get pics of. (I live in southern Ohio.)

Yep, that's definitely Narceus americanus! Here are mine:

They're cool millipedes -- although the larger one is quite foul-tempered! :wideyed:

I look forward to seeing photos of the other millipedes you've found too!

 

[billrogers]

Here are pics of my N. americanus! I found the second one today. Are they hard to breed? I would love to try.

 

[ErinM31]

Here are pics of my N. americanus! I found the second one today. Are they hard to breed? I would love to try. View attachment 211889 View attachment 211890

Congratulations on your finds! I do not think that the species is difficult to breed, but I have not done so myself. Strangely, all seven of my Narceus sp. millipedes are female. While it could be chance (but all things being equal, the odds are 1 in 128 or a 0.008% probability), such gender disparity has been observed in several millipede species.
Anyway, you'll want to have a male with one or more females (there is no problem with having more than one male, but I think it is best to not have more males than females) in an enclosure at least shoebox size with at least 4 in of substrate. The substrate could consist of compost throughout (such as the millipede substrate from BugsInCyberspace) or if you use coir as a base, make sure that you mix finely ground well-decayed wood or leaves into it (I like to use fermented oak sawdust from BugsInCyberspace) so that plings will have access to food throughout the substrate. The substrate should be kept moist but not saturated anywhere.

Btw, in Spriobolids such as Narceus americanus, males can be identified by their missing two pairs of legs (a pair on the eighth and ninth segments), the first pair of which is replaced by gonopods. You can see the gap in this male Narceus americanus-annularis male: http://bugguide.net/node/view/5709

 

[Chris52]

Here are the some of the other millipedes I mentioned.

 

[Chris52]

And here's their current setup.

 

[billrogers]

Congratulations on your finds! I do not think that the species is difficult to breed, but I have not done so myself. Strangely, all seven of my Narceus sp. millipedes are female. While it could be chance (but all things being equal, the odds are 1 in 128 or a 0.008% probability), such gender disparity has been observed in several millipede species.
Anyway, you'll want to have a male with one or more females (there is no problem with having more than one male, but I think it is best to not have more males than females) in an enclosure at least shoebox size with at least 4 in of substrate. The substrate could consist of compost throughout (such as the millipede substrate from BugsInCyberspace) or if you use coir as a base, make sure that you mix finely ground well-decayed wood or leaves into it (I like to use fermented oak sawdust from BugsInCyberspace) so that plings will have access to food throughout the substrate. The substrate should be kept moist but not saturated anywhere.

Btw, in Spriobolids such as Narceus americanus, males can be identified by their missing two pairs of legs (a pair on the eighth and ninth segments), the first pair of which is replaced by gonopods. You can see the gap in this male Narceus americanus-annularis male:

I checked mine, and I think both of them are female this might be harder than I thought...

 

[billrogers]

Btw, in Spriobolids such as Narceus americanus, males can be identified by their missing two pairs of legs (a pair on the eighth and ninth segments), the first pair of which is replaced by gonopods. You can see the gap in this male Narceus americanus-annularis male:

Do have another picture that shows the same thing? I'm having a hard time seeing it in that one.

 

[ErinM31]

UPDATES ON MY MILLIPEDES:
(covering my new species and those whose husbandry I am in the process of working out)

Abacion texense
This one continues to baffle me by hanging out in the area of dampest substrate. I wetted this area further so there is now a gradient from very moist to dry. In addition to the coir, oak (dust, small pieces, and one larger piece with bark) and small bit of sphagnum moss, I included bits of plants from around here that were specifically mentioned in a paper on Abacion texense: a piece of cactus, some dried juniper and some shreds of a decaying yucca leaf.

Apheloria tigona
I bought five of these beauties from BugsInCyberspace and gave them substrate of oak and hickory (from fine to small pieces) with coir mixed in the base and some larger pieces of wood on top, all of it quite moist. The males showed more interest in mating than the females so, based on observations by @Harlequin of his Polydesmids, I figured the missing element was substrate depth. To bring the depth of one corner up to nearly the top of the Sterilite box base, I used those ash wood shreds sold as animal bedding but boiled them first in the hopes of softening them and starting the breakdown process. I wasn't sure how the millipedes would like it but they seem to LOVE it as they have burrowed in and and have been actively mating both within and outside the burrows!

Eurymerodesmus melacis
I don't know that I've found ideal husbandry conditions yet, but they continue to survive in a moist mixture of hardwoods, mostly oak and mesquite, usually completely burrowed, but occasionally on the surface. I believe that I still have a male and female and HOPE for offspring; we shall see.

Euryuridae sp., most likely Euryurus leachii
I just received some lovely Euryuridae millipedes from @pannaking22 ! They could be Euryurus leachii or Auturus evides (equally beautiful millipedes, but I would like to know what I have!); I thought they came from far enough east of the Mississippi to avoid ambiguity but it is "near the overlap" -- which to me says that they probably are Euryurus leachii but based on range alone I cannot be 100% certain. Anyway, I have them on a moist mixture of mostly oak (lots of fermented sawdust), some boiled aspen, coir mixed in the base, and chunks of decaying hickory bark on top. There has been some burrowing but mostly they hang out on top and casually crawl into their burrows if I bring them into light for observation or photographs. I get the impression that conditions are acceptable, but not yet ideal, and I have not observed mating behavior. I suspect that they would like it moister still as this made the difference for @Harlequin 's Auturus evides.
Here are two of them (the green is a bit of dried kale -- high in copper! ):

Harpaphe sp.
I received a pair of these and now matter what I offered, they would restlessly pace about until I covered the substrate with decaying matter from Douglas Fir (sadly, the male died before this, I believe from a fungal infection). The female seems to still be doing well, sometimes burrowed, often on top of the substrate nibbling on something, but no more pacing about the perimeter.

Orthoporous ornatus
Hopefully doing well in hibernation. It feels like it's been longer than it has since last I've seen them, but I must wait and only maintain soil conditions for... another eight months.