Page 92 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife

lipedes

(Diplopoda)

Description Distribution and Habitat

Millipedes (meaning “thousands of Millipedes prefer dark cool spots
feet” in Latin) have round bodies underneath dead wood and
and two pairs of legs on most leaves. They are found in all five
body segments. They are usually physiographic provinces.
slower than centipedes. They are
typically brown or black in color Role in Food Web
with pink, purple or yellow on the
edges of the segments. Millipedes Nearly all millipedes are
have tiny holes called spiracles on decomposers and eat leaf litter,
the sides of their segments. They fungi and non-living organic matter.
breathe through these holes and Predators include shrews, frogs,
must stay in moist places. beetles, lizards and birds.

If a millipede feels threatened it can
roll up tightly in to a coil, with its
head and legs turned inward. Its
hard exoskeleton (shell) will protect
the body. If this doesn’t work,
millipedes can emit a foul-smelling
chemical that deters predators.

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